Brooke Casey <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I have a client who has chosen to exclusively bottlefeed pumped milk after
> a difficult start to bf with a bout of low milk supply. We worked
> extensively on getting baby back to breast once her supply was recovered
> but ultimately, for her own reasons, she chose to not pursue feeding at
> breast. Now she is grappling with having made that decision.  She just
> emailed with the following question. She had read about how the saliva of
> breastfed babies influences the content of the milk their mothers produce
> and is wondering then how the content of her babies' milk will therefore
> be impacted by her not feeding at breast.  Any thoughts on what to tell
> her? Any research on this?

If she is cuddling and kissing and being close with her baby, she'll be
exposed to the micro-organisms in the baby's saliva, and will mount an
immune response accordingly. I've heard it postulated that there is a
specific mouth-nipple pathway for this, but I've never seen any evidence
for an exclusive role for that pathway.

I wish her all the best. It's not an easy road. Does she have peer
support?

Lara Hopkins

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