Hi, I've been quite busy lately and too tired to follow the thread closely
however I want to relate a recent "incident"

Passing into the elevator with the Pediatric chairman and told him proudly that
I had a great turn out for my breastfeeding conference/ journal club

chairman: "Are you supplementing your mothers with DHA?"
me: "No"
Him (hostilly): "Why not?"
me: "I don't think it is necessary, there is still plenty of evidence that
breastfed babies do better developmentally even with out supplementation and
besides they could just eat foods such as fish, egg yolks and red meat"
Him: (not direct quotes) "You can't recommend those foods because of the high
mercury"

I'm thinking: Since when do egg yolks and red meat have mercury?  Is no one
supposed to eat fish anymore or just pregnant and breastfeeding mothers?  What
are you supposed to eat? Poultry and carbs?  Eating fish is still healthy even
if it does have some mercury in it.

Him: "The levels of DHA in breastmilk varies widely nationally.  The studies for
supplementation are very impressive"
me:  "If you have the references, please send them to me.  I'm afraid that if
you tell a mother to supplement she will forget at times and then think that
its hard for her to remember to take the pill so it would be better if she just
gave her baby the formula with DHA in it."
Him: "Oh I'm talking about during pregnancy" then closes his office door

I'm thinking:  well if you meant during pregnancy then what are you bothering me
for? Just add it to the prenatal vitamins.  I do tell mothers to continue their
prenatal vitamins while breastfeeding.

I got a mailing last year.  I think it was sponsored by Nestle "nutrition
institute"  It was titled  "Pregnant Physicians For DHA"
How odd!  For DHA?  What is this? Politics?  Do we say Physicians For Folic
Acid?  Its such a marketing gimmic it just glares in my face!
What are we all suffering from since we didn't have DHA and ARA added to our
infant formula or mothers breastmilk?  When I saw the graph of countries with
higher levels I immediately thought- is there proof that those people have
better neuro-ocular development?

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