Hello. I am a new subscriber and am thrilled and overwhelmed by the activities of this group; I hope I can keep up with all this mail/news. I am a pediatric nutritionist at a children's hospital in Atlanta, Ga. I am also an IBCLC. Because we have no deliveries at this facility; my clientele may be a little different. I see patients who may be admitted for breastfeeding failure or are breastfeeding and must be admitted for some other reason. I get to work closely with other disciplines, such as nursing, OT's, PT's, ST's, etc. I also work with outpatients; so the specialists here may call on me to see patients in a wide variety of settings. I assist with modified barium swallow studies; I help new mothers of infants undergoing gut surgery learn how to express milk. I see babies with inborn errors of metabolism, congenital anomalies, and neurologic deficits. It's vary exciting, but sometimes it's nice to see a "plain, old, successful breastfeeder" like our employees. I'd like to respond to the earlier message of the infant w/bloody stools. It sounds similar to a couple of cases we have had here. One of the pediatric gastroenterologists had an infant with what seemed to be idiopathic bloody diarrhea and FTT. Many tests were performed. Mother had planned to wean her child just prior to the illness; because allergic response was considered a possible diagnosis, mother chose to continue to nurse for comfort and nutrition to the child. I thought this was a good idea and instructed mother on the elimination of potential allergens from her diet. This diet is very restrictive and unsafe for mother, so it should not be followed longterm. From RAST, we found the child to be allergic to most foods. The end diagnosis was Eosinophilic gastroenteritis. The patient recovered with parenteral nutrition and steroid therapy. It is also suspected that breastfeeding due to the large amount of lactose provided may have lengthened this patient's illness. Mother did not want to discontinue nursing; I wish I had thought of single breast nursing at the time. As for lactose as brain food, I believe that lactose is broken down to single sugars before it ever reaches an infants brain, as stated earlier by a member. Please correct me if I am wrong. My response to a pregnant women who wishes to lose weight or reduce during this time is DON'T! This is a time for growth for an unborn child. This woman may feel more comfortable if a qualified health professional assesses her prepregnant weight and weight gain and provides her with safe exercises for health and toning. Once she is lactating, she can be given nutrition and exercise advice for this special period in her life. Plus! Lactation assists in hip size reduction after delivery. (hint, hint) Reduction creams don't work. I will enjoy hearing more. Susan