Hi All,
    I had to comment on the Old Wives tales post, as I am currently
working (?) on a full blown depression and have come to discover that I
have been depressed for years (most of my life) and never knew it. In
response to the effect on me both during pregnancy and lactation. I had
nothing but positive results. I was able to stop drinking either as soon
as I planned a pregnancy, had no problem either with drinking or
depression during the pregnancy and was able to breastfeed without
problems or depression. As the years went on, the bouts with depression
became less often and less severe (could be because I was either
pregnant, breastfeeding or both from 1984 to 1989). Things were fine
until this last episode that began (?) somewhere around 1995 -96. No
more babies or breastfeeding for me, no drinking in over 9 years. As I
have said before, as soon as we try to peg humans into a specific
definition, we find someone who defies that definition.
    Onto another example of that issue, is the skin type and
breastfeeding. I am olive skinned with dark hair and eyes, yet very
allergic and my skin is my worst reactor. I have to be careful what soap
I use, what detergent, what fabic softener, etc. I tend to stick with
things I know to keep the reactions down. Our yard this year is a
disaster, as I was having a problem from something and did not have a
desire at all to go out and even spray down (which I only do when
desperate) the weeds for fear of making it worse. Yet I never had a
problem with breastfeeding, no sore nipples, no problems what-so-ever. I
started in the days of washing nipples before hand and using a creme
afterward, no more than 5 minutes and so on. Progressed to the last one
which I did nothing but nurse whenever she wanted, for however long she
wanted. No problems with nipples or breasts ever.
    I too remember Jessica M's book The American Way Of Birth and do not
remember any reference to oats, but it is a great book for anyone going
into child birth assisting or education here in the US.

Leslie Ward
Vine Grove, Ky
"See your sons and daugthers: they are your future." Oneida proverb