Hi all,
My name is Veronica Garea. I am a volunteer lay bf counselor in Argentina.
Born an raised here. Spent 7 years in th US, where I had a baby and became
involved with BF. Been lurking in Lactnet for over a year.
There were two very exhaustive posts regarding the chemistry of yerba mate.
So I will give the consumer´s point view.
It is widely used here, even by pregnant and bf women, with no evidence of
adverse consequences for babies. Very young children drink it as an
infusion, with milk, for breakfast or snack. Adults generally have it in a
gourd and sip it through a metallic "straw" (bombilla), refilling the gourd
with hot water.
I don´t think it is a galactogogue. Never heard of it, and the anecdotal
evidence does not support this claim. It does lead you to drinking a lot of
fluid, though.
I would like to comment on the link between cancer and mate. The article
that links mate with esophageal cancer was widely reproduced here by the
press (you can imagine why). The comments from local doctors was that it was
not mate itself but hot water the culprit. They adviced drinking mate at
lower temperatures.
I have drank mate during both my pregnancies and while breastfeeding (even
while in the US, and I still breastfeed my 20 months old, still drink mate
every single morning). All my friends have done it, our mothers and
grandmothers have done it... And again, anecdotal evidence shows no ill
consequences for the children.
Be warned: it is extremely bitter. I consider it an acquired taste. Many
people here have it with sugar. It is a great companion in long study
sessions (yes, some caffeine, but much less than coffe because of the way we
drink it) and great around the camp fire with friends, or around a table, to
share and talk over it.
Regards,
Veronica
Verónica. Garea
[log in to unmask]
Grupo de Apoyo a la Lactancia Materna de Bariloche
www.bariloche.com.ar/lactancia/index.html
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