Is it not possible to check the pH of milk using one of those strips for
urine testing?  I mean, if the woman can't just dismiss this silly
suggestion out of hand?  If her milk were so acidic as to be a problem she
would probably not be able to store it in her own breasts without sustaining
chemical burns.  This reminds me of the widely believed myth here that fizzy
drinks cause gas in the baby, from the BUBBLES in the beverage consumed by
the mother.  (If it keeps mothers from drinking soda, maybe we should just
not say anything!)   I strongly suspect the breast is not capable of
producing milk outside of a narrow range of pH values, all of which are
suitable for infant consumption.

Hair is affected by, among other things, pregnancy.  A greater proportion of
the follicles are in growth phase during pregnancy, and these follicles tend
to go into falling-out phase simultaneously, leading to the myth that
breastfeeding causes hair loss.  I wonder how women who don't breastfeed
explain their hair loss.  I know of more than one woman in my circle of
acquaintances whose hair was straight as a stick before they had children
and who got waves or even curls with their first pregnancy.  And
chemotherapy-induced hair loss has been followed by new growth of hair with
completely different consistency and curliness.  But if you are concerned
about your hair, there are surer ways of getting what you want than having a
baby, breastfed or not.

Warning: possibly offensive content follows!  Don't know if they have blonde
jokes where you all live, but here in Scandinavia they are the only even
moderately acceptable form of racist humor: have you heard the one about
the  blonde woman who had her hair permed while she was pregnant because she
wanted the baby to inherit curls?  Sorry about that, could not resist.

And some of the stories I hear about advice given to breastfeeding mothers
could almost curl *my* hair.  Maybe we should do a study on that.

Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

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