Dear friends,

I have permission to post from this desparate mom.
3.5 yo 3-sips-a-day breastfeeding boy is diagnosed with leukemia type ALL. The child's pediater thinks continuing breastfeeding is a bad idea. He doesn't have literature to back it up, but states that the elevated infection risk from decreased white bloodcells excludes breastfeeding. Also the possible sores in his mouth would be touched by his moms milk and that is supposedly bad.  In short, the ped is convinced that breastfeeding is the best possible for healthy kids, but not for sick ones.
Mom, being a LLL Leader, of course knows this probably is a bunch of nonsense and is reaching out for literature to back up the beneficial aspects of human milk on cancer and the anti-inflammatory and anti-infective properties of breastmilk. The latter I can provide, but the aspects on cancer treatment are less easy to find, especially directed to childhood leukemia.
Who of you wise guys and gals can help me and Mom out?

Another question that arose was: what about chemo treatment in the boy and what if he nurses and mom has a nipple crack and some of the chemo stuff comes into mom? Mom is newly pregnant again and would this be a possible risk for the fetus?

Warmly,

Gonneke, IBCLC, MOM, retired LLLL still being collegue-consulted in Southern Netherlands

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