Dear all:

These two aren't related exactly, but the might be.  I only have one post left.

First, I don't think anyone who is SERIOUSLY researching the link between high BMI and breastfeeding is trying to blame the women.  We had a very thorough review of high BMI and breastfeeding and there are "CHALLENGES" from the biochemical to the physical level.  Morbid obesity is a health risk on many levels, one we should take seriously.  The real message is that BREASTFEEDING will HELP these women reduce their risk of postpartum weight retention.  Or in other words, formula feeding is EVEN MORE HARMFUL to overweight women than to normal weight women in terms of INCREASING THEIR RISK POSTPARTUM WEIGHT RETENTION.  So, they should get all the help they need to get comfortable and enjoy breastfeeding.

Yes, the research suggests that pumping MAY potentially help these women.  Women with a high BMI who pumped had a lower risk of using formula and lower risk of postpartum weight retention.  But, I don't think it has been researched well enough to rule out the possibility that you could achieve the same effect with careful attention to helping these mothers find comfortable positioning and frequent breastfeeding.  The most common challenge I see is that women with large breasts are often taught to lift their breasts.  This leads to a lot of physical discomfort in their arms, wrists and backs.  I actually find that these are sometimes easier breasts to work with if you leave the breasts alone and merely shape them. I love lap feeding with women with very large breasts.  They don't need pillows.  

As for soy protein --ingesting high levels of heavily processed soy can increase the risk of hypothyroidism.  Hypothyroidism can cause low milk supply.  My sister was told by her doctor to drink those soy protein shakes. She drank them despite my telling her it was not a good idea because she is hypothyroid due to radiation for Hodgkins lymphoma when she was 19.  As a result she developed a goiter requiring surgery.  

Testimonials from individual women are not proof that a product works.  It is using the same "confirmation bias"  approach as saying skin to skin contact caused SIDS when you don't compare it to the number deaths in the isolette.

Best, Susan Burger

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