Linda Smith writes:> Why would nature release gut enzymes in the absence of
>food?  What does this do to the baby?

This reminds me of something I heard once about chewing gum on an empty
stomach. When you chew gum and swallow all that saliva it signals to the
stomach that food is to follow (since in a natural setting, increase in
saliva would be in response to food). So the stomach starts churning away at
nothing--or worse, itself--and thus can lead to ulcers. (I heard this before
the realization that H pylori bacteria is responsible for most ulcers so I
don't know whether there is truth in that or not.)

It would seem that a pacifier would set up the same kind of false signals
with the gut enzymes you mentioned. Kinda makes you wonder if the babies who
are "calmed" by the pacifier are not actually generating reasons to NEED to
be calmed by using the pacifier?

And what does this say to the ABM babies? Supposedly the pacifier was
"invented" for ABM babies who needed to suck more than they needed more ABM.

Have there ever been studies done to link such things as smoking, drugs, etc
to ABM and/or pacifier babies? I know it has been alluded to here before,
just curious as to whether that is more than just speculation or not.

Melissa Vickers, IBCLC
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