Hello everyone,
    Hope that this missive does not come out corrupted as my last one did
which made it so difficult for you all to read, have no idea what happened,
telephoned helpline and they could not help me, so here goes.
Just got back from my local Branch NCT (National Childbirth Trust) AGM and met
up again with a mother who I last saw in early summer 1997.  Mum has asked me
this evening to tell you her story.
    When I met her in the summer she had not long had her second child and was
breastfeeding.  She had stopped breastfeeding the first child before
conceiving 2nd child.  The first child was now 2yrs old and once weaning began
became a sickly child, constant visit to the GP (General Practitioner)(Family
Doctor).  The child had constant chest infections, colds, constant ear
infections, went down with anything and everything.  She mentioned that he
'chose' to hear  what he wanted to hear, was often very frustrated.  I picked
up on this because one of my paid jobs is running a resource base for
Qualified Peripatetic Teachers of the Deaf.  So I said I had lots of
information on Glue Ear, etc.  and that he was not being naughty or selective,
it was just that the constant ear infections would be giving him conductive
hearing problems and he would have great difficulty discriminating sounds.
    As conversation wended its way around all this she mentioned that her
little chap was under a Paediatrician because he had IgA Deficiency and his
IgA count was very low - less than 0.2.  I knew little then and not so much
since, I confess, of what is a normal IgA level.  BUT I KNEW that if she could
get breastmilk into him again he would be much better protected and it would
help him develop - because he was well under standard growth for his age.  She
started expressing milk for him and continued feeding 2nd baby.  She used her
milk for his morning cereal and as a mixer for other mealtimes.
    So today I met up with her again and she told me the marvellous news that
he has been SO WELL over these past 6 months, surprise, surprise.  She also
told of a visit to the Paed,  discussion got around to how well he had been
due to her giving him breastmilk.  At that the Paed who is a very wise man,
stopped her in her tracks and hurried away to gather every Paed student in the
hospital to come and listen to her story.  They were amazed, never heard of
such a thing, questioned what nutritional value her milk would be giving, so
she soon sorted that out and said that was secondary to the wonderful
immunities she was giving to him......The Paed told her how pleased he was to
hear of a child older than 6 months having breastmilk - Junior Paeds' jaws
nearly dropping to the floor but they were all very receptive and curious.  It
was decided not to test this little chap's IgA levels but another visit is
coming up soon when this will be done.
    Mum is a teacher of domestic science to secondary age children 13 up.  I
mentioned the school experiment I had seen posted on lactnet using different
types of milk.  She said that if she doesnt get her 2.5yr old to eat up his
cereal quickly, the breastmilk nearly 'digests' the cereal before it leaves
the bowl for his mouth, it goes to a liquid slop very quickly - this is a
wholemeal type cereal.
    This lovely mother and I would very much like to hear if anyone on lactnet
has information or experience with IgA children and breastmilk.  There must be
papers on this out there, anyone seen articles that she could have.  She is
can't wait  to go back to the hospital to teach them some more, simply because
they were so receptive and they, hopefully, will go out and spread the word.
    I will also do a search and see what it comes up with.
Kind regards to you, Helen M. Woodman, NCT Breastfeeding Counsellor in UK.