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Forwarded message:
Subj:    acid stool in bf toddler
Date:    97-11-05 13:06:42 EST
From:    Rusby Bell
To:      [log in to unmask]

Hi!
I've been reading for awhile and I think that if anyone can help us it will
be this group.
My daughter has VATER.  She was born with imperforate anus and had a
colostomy from day 2.  She is highly allergic (experiences anaphylactic shock
when exposed to milk products, seizures when given morphine and various
sensitivities to every other pain medication she's ever been given,
proviodine, metal...).  Thankfully she was exclusively breastfed.  In fact
she would take only very limited solids (due to undiagnosed respiratory
problems) until she was 18 months old.  Last February she had her colostomy
reversed and within one week her bottom and vagina were raw and blistered.
 Although she was still being breastfed I was pregnant at the time and am
unsure about how much milk she was getting.
Our son was born at the end of June and our daughter has been thrilled with
the new abundance of milk.  I have a huge supply and the baby is thriving and
my daughter has started to gain some weight but her bottom is still raw.  She
is in almost constant pain.
We have tried limiting her diet to only alkaline foods and have had some
success.  I read in Breastfeeding Matters by Maureen Minchin that her son
experienced the same problem and she gave him EBM and it cleared up.  I'm
trying this now .  My questions are:
1. How long is it safe to exclusively nurse her (She will be three in
February)?  If this was going to work how long would it take?
2. Should I be eating a strictly alkaline diet?  Would this be harmful for my
four month old who is also exclusively breastfed?
Also:  I've been trying to purchase a copy of Breastfeeding Matters and Food
For Thought by Maureen Minchin but they are both out of print.  Does anyone
in the Toronto area know where I could purchase either of these books.
Any non-breastfeeding ideas would of course be welcome too.  After nine
months of this we're all pretty tired and discouraged.
Thank You,
Sandra Rusby Bell
Burlington, Ont.
Canada