The current thread on gas and the use of those drops is interesting, as is the question of why crying is immediately thought to be pain and/or gas. I'm wondering, if it (gas, crying & perceived pain) are another problem that has become established in our culture as a result of ABM use/bottle feeding? 

The reason I am saying this, is that with #4 child, I made a concerted effort while in the hospital to see that she did not receive any ABM. Things were going along good (I thought) until about the 4th day (I was in a German hospital - 7 days was the normal length of stay) when the night nurse decided that I was starving my daughter and gave her a bottle. I was not aware of it, other than the baby wouldn't nurse when they brought her to me. Until she started burping noxious fumes and passing gas - I could smell the curdled milk on her breath and knew than that the nurse with a problem had given her a bottle. 

We had a somewhat humerous argument (I'm not that fluent in German) as to why she felt that my baby needed a bottle and why I thought she did not. From then on, until I finally convinced my doctor to let me leave the hospital, I kept my baby as close to me as I could to keep her from getting another bottle.

I had never associated ABM/bottle feeding with gas and burping until that time. But now, we know, one of the companies use that line of reasoning for using 'their' bottle. 

Once again, it appears that a ABM/bottle feeding aspect is seen as the norm and breastfeeding suffers because of it. Just to be honest (and as the mother of 3 allergy sufferers) I do know that some of the gas/pain is caused by allergies - but most, I have to agree, is not pain - just a baby who needs to be held or fed. And some are breastfeeding mismanagement.  But because of the 'norm' of gas/pain, (ie a norm of ABM/bottle feeding culture) most of these babies are being treated inappropriately and given a medication that they probably don't need and isn't helping and, as was said, not being breastfed enough.

The only experience on a professional level that I have was with one mom who within days of being given the drops to help her son's gas/pain, she was no longer breastfeeding - 'it must have been my milk.' Sad.

Leslie Ward
Fort Hood, TX

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