In a message dated 97-10-01 02:29:39 EDT, Lisa writes:

<< I need help with this, a client came to me today and told me that her
 pediatrician told her that due to her having yeast that she can not express
 and freeze her milk, that the milk will reinfect the baby with yeast and
 they will start passing it back and forth again.  Has anyone ever heard of
 this?  I need to know what to tell this mom, she is scheduled for surgery
 and needs to have some milk frozen for while she is having the surgery. >>

According to the Breastfeeding Answer Book by Nancy Mohrboacher, IBCLC, and
Julie Stock, BA, IBCLC: "Expressed milk can be fed to the baby, but milk
expressed during a thrush outbreak should not be saved and frozen.  Freezing
deactivates yeast but does not kill it [the citation for this is Rosa, C. et
al.  Yeasts from human milk collected in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Rev
Microbiol 1990; 21(4):361-63].  So if the frozen milk is given to the baby
after treatment is completed, it could cause the thrush to recur."

So, what is the surgery for?  Can the surgery be postponed until the yeast
treatment is completed?  How old is this baby?  Does it take any food other
than breastmilk?  How long will mom and the baby be separated during surgery?
 Can mom nurse right before and right after the surgery?  Is it really
necessary for mom to pump and freeze in advance?

Also, ask whether mother will receive antibiotics post operatively.  If so,
she may be at risk for another thrush outbreak anyway. :-(

Rita
LLL of Menlo Park/Palo Alto, California