Dear Lacnetters,
Sorry, if this appears twice but I forgot to turn off the html the first
time.
I'd like to introduce myself as a new member, or rather one who's being
lurking for quite a while happily reading most of the messages. I'm a mother
of two boys (both bf of course), a biologist from training who has worked in
the pharmaceutical industry for a number of years (although not for a large
multinational - infact for a very small research group in the UK). I gave up
work with the birth of the second and I am currently finishing my training
as a lay bf counsellor for a Dutch bf volunteer organisation (Vereniging
Borstvoeding Natuurlijk). Next to this I do about 10 hours a week as a
'breastfeeding helper / volunteer' in a hospital, so I produce some hours
for the (future) IBCLC exams.
I've posted today as I've been following the thread about the big babies.
Both my boys were large. The first was 4.08kg (9lb 6 oz) and the second
4.98kg! MOst peoples chins hit the ground if I tell them this as I'm quite
petite! Anyway, both were born at home (quite normal in the Netherlands,
very easy births) despite me being at the time borderline diabetic (just
below the cut off). As to weight loss, I think the argument for weighing
these babies a day or two after the birth makes perfect sense. My second boy
looked like a swollen Winston Churchill for the first two days, but soon
deflated so you could see his eyes on the third. I'm sure all of this was
fluid. By the end of the first week he was 100g above his birthweight
without a drop of supplements. Until he reached around 5-6 months he stayed
outside the growth curve i.e above the 99.999% line! Now he is two and on
the 50% line (thank goodness, such a rate of growth as in the first months
would have landed him a few records by now).
I see that you are also discussing recipies using breastmilk. In the
Netherlands I've heard of people using bm for making pancakes. I'm not sure
how much bm you need but I would guess the same amount of cows milk??
To finish, I'd like to ask you all what you think about 'orthomolecular
medicine'. I use this term, but I believe it is also the same alternative
form of medicine that Linus Pauling put forward in the US - megadose vitamin
supplements (especially C, E, A, zinc etc). Does anyone have experience
with using this, or any other forms of alternative medicine (homeopathy etc)
for the treatment of candiasis. It's just that I've seen it suggested as an
alternative treatment here in the Netherlands and I am personally very
skeptical. I do not wish to offend anyone, but I do feel that such
treatments should be thoroughly tested (using comparable test criteria) and
compared to the results with standard treatments before being forwarded as
sound remedies, even if they are only complementary to the standard
treatments. I'd also like to question the idea that eating a diet free from
any yeast (thus bread, beer) or fungal products is also useful in the
treatment of candiasis. So far, a medline search hasn't yielded any results.
Anyway, for a first post I think this one is long enough!
Groetjes,
Sara Bernard
(English, but with both legs firmly planted in The Netherlands,
Biologist and lay breastfeeding counsellor - well, almost)
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