Dear Barbara:

You wrote:

>Date:    Mon, 8 Sep 1997 22:41:06 -0400
From:    Zucker Family <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: milk stasis

On an almost daily basis, women at the WIC clinic where I work, in the
Bronx, NY tell me these 2 things:
1-If milk stays in their breasts for any length of time it spoils and
needs to be removed and thrown away before nursing again. 
Sometimes they tell me that they had to stop breastfeeding
because milk stayed there too long-usually a day or two.
2-If they don't eat and they nurse the baby, the baby will get
gas and/or colic.

These two things are so constant in my practice that I have been really
wondering where these ideas came from.  I have been discounting them
because these ideas don't make much sense to me but after Star's post,
I am now wondering...........especially since I hear this so often.  I'd
love
to hear what you all have to say about this, and any good ideas for
rebuttals.   (I have my own, but would like to hear what you come up
with-oh, wise women)
<

Could there be a correlation between these comments and the mother's
cultural background?  If these two ideas are "so constant" in your
practice, they may be culturally rooted.  If not, then perhaps a mother
from a culture who believes this "wives tale" is sharing this with 
mothers outside of her culture--maybe in your waiting room or after your 
mother support meetings (if you have them in your WIC office for
breastfeeding moms).

As far as rebuttals go, it can be very hard to go against long-standing
cultural beliefs or practices.  It's as if you're telling the mom that her
beliefs
are wrong and what you say is right.  Then you end up "losing" them.  At
a breastfeeding conference session on cultural attitudes that affect
breastfeeding, the instructors said that they just try to help the mothers
by
giving out information vs. helping them with a particular breastfeeding 
concern.  Usually it is something written.  This was especially helpful in
cultures that discount the importance of colostrum.  I think the instructor
said
she gives out an LLL tear-off sheet, "Breastfeeding--Baby's First
Immunization" which cites references for the properties of colostrum.  I
bet
you could put together something in writing to address the two things you
continue to deal with as a hand-out.

Hope this helps!

Susan Condon, San Francisco