Go to www.breastfeedingonline.com and read Jack Newman MD's article on
Jaundice.

Larry Gartner has done work on this, as have others. Go to PubMed and do a
search on articles on breastfeeding, jaundice by Gartner, or Oski. Look at
the 1997 AAP statement on breastfeeding.

This recommendation to NOT breastfeed is not founded in evidence. Here is a
list that I have from a prior Lactnet post, which can be found by doing a
search of the archives:

As I just taught a short session on jaundice and updated my bib, here are my
choice of citations. Gartner especially talks about the potential *value* of
prolonged bilirubin in the infant's system, and Reuters talked about the
value of bilirubin as an antioxidant. It is ridiculous to react to a bili of
9. when baby is otherwise healthy and happy. Even my more conservative peds
locally lose interest once bili drops below 12 or so.
~Lisa
1.American Academy of Pediatrics. Provisional Committee for Quality
Improvement and Subcommittee on Hyperbilirubinemia. Practice Parameter:
Management of Hyperbilirubinemia in the Healthy Term Newborn. Pediatrics
1994; 94:558-565. (available online)
2.Gartner, Lawrence. Jaundice in the Breastfed Infant. Clinics in
Perinatology 1999; 26(2): 431-445.
3.Gartner, Lawrence. Neonatal Jaundice. Pediatrics in Review 1994;
15(11):422-432.
4.Hechtel, Sibylle. Bilirubin acts as antioxidant in the brain. Reuters
Health 1/30/99.
5.Klein, Alan. Teaching Files: Management of Hyperbilirubinemia in the
Healthy Full-term Infant. Neonatology on the Web 1998. Available:
http://www.neonatology.org/syllabus/bili.kleiin.html
Lisa Marasco IBCLC

---
and another note from an old Lactnet, by Gartner.

Date:    Mon, 28 Apr 1997 11:30:10 -0500
From:    "Lawrence M. Gartner" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Jaundice and Breastfeeding

In answer to Jeanette F. Panchula's inquiry and wise comments:  Yes,
prolonged moderate degrees of unconjugated hyperlbilirubinemia - an
extension of physiologic jaundice of the newborn - is a normal phenomenon.
Approximately two-thirds of all breastfed newborns have serum bilirubin
concentrations which are higher than those of artificially-fed infants
during the third to as long as the 16th weeks of life.  Half of these
infants, or one-third of all breastfed infants, will be clinically
jaundiced for much of that time because their serum bilirubin levels are
above 5 mg/dl.  Prolonged unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia is clearly the
norm and, indeed, the artificially-fed infants is "hypObilirubinemic".
While there is evidence that bilirubin is an antioxidant and there is
theory that it protects infants against a number of potential illnesses, we
are still awaiting the results of studies which demonstrate that this
prolongation of jaundice is protective for the infant.
                                         Larry Gartner


Kathleen

Kathleen B. Bruce, BSN, IBCLC co-owner Lactnet, Indep. Consultant
mailto:[log in to unmask]
http://homepages.together.net/~kbruce/kbblact.html
LACTNET Archives http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/lactnet.html
"Be impeccable with your word.
Don't take anything personally.
Don't make assumptions.
Always do your best." Don Miguel Ruiz

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