The trouble with all the questions about ear infections, is "how do you
define an ear infection"?  And the answer is far from clear.  In my
book, the only way to call an ear infection is to see a bulging ear
drum.  That's all, and there ain't no other.  Not all bulging drums are
ear infections, but almost all are.  If you call only bulging drums ear
infections, the number goes way, way down.

On the other hand, there are all together too many physicians who call a
red drum an ear infection.  If that is the case almost all children
during a cold, especially young babies will have an "ear infection".
Some physicians are more stringent, and use the little gadget to "see"
if there is fluid behind the drum.  But fluid behind the drum also does
not constitute an ear infection.

Unfortunately, there are also a number of physicians who will say any
child with a fever has an ear infection (or throat infection) so they
can treat with an antibiotic and "not have to worry" about the problem
any more.  Much easier to do that than to tell the parents the child's
fever is due to a virus, chances are it will get better, just make the
child comfortable, if he gets worse come back and see me, and, by the
way, he does not need any medicine.

Not exactly to do with breastfeeding, but a skeleton in the closet.  But
it also makes a lot of epidemiologic studies, and many doctors'
opinions, about ear infections suspect.

Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC