I received a call from a local Pediatrician yesterday, who has a mom that
smells of garlic when nursing.  The mom came into her office, and the Pedi
smelled the baby(6 weeks old), smelled the mom, smelled the MILK...and all
smelled fine.  Then she smelled the mom/baby pair after they started
nursing, and there was definitely a pungent garlic odor.  There has been no
garlic in the diet, mom is on no meds or herbal supplements.  Incidentally,
the baby is, and has always been, very fussy 24 hours a day...milk products
were removed without any improvement.

The first thing I thought of was, what metabolic compound gives garlic its
recognizable odor, and what compound could be created metabolically that
would be similar enough in structure to share the same odiferous properties?
I would think a doctoral level researcher in the nutrition field or in
biochemistry could answer this, and that in turn might open a door.  Just as
in the case of Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD), where the metabolic
by-product gives a signature odor (that of maple syrup), it's possible that
in this particular situation, in either the baby's, the mother's, or a
bacteria or yeast's metabolic processing of the breastmilk, a by-product
with the odor of garlic is produced.

Arly Helm, MS, IBCLC
Now in Grass Valley, California

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