Andrea, I assume the mother with the ill baby is, herself, healthy? Then, I
won't say what I truly think of the MD's comment that co-sleeping is a cause
of pneumonia, except to tone it down and remind you that those of us who are
not MD's are expected to be patient(s). A giant vial of patience pills
should be standard issue for all of us, eh?

Good grief. Is anyone keeping track of how many chapters we have at this
point of "stupid reasons to stop...[breastfeeding, co-sleeping, eating
beans, etc.]?"

I think someone else mentioned this a few weeks ago, but in my internet
forays I found what *appeared to be* at first glance a very good resource @

http://www.surgery.uiowa.edu/prbr.html

It advertises, with excerpts, an article from the American Journal of
Surgery Volume 170; October 1995, pages 401-405, titled "Diagnosis and
Management of Breast Problems During Pregnancy and Lactation." I invite all
of you with internet on-ramps to take a look at this page yourselves. The
surgeon who wrote the article writes that breastfeeding from a mastitic
breast is "reported to cause pneumonia in the infant and should be avoided."
No mention of co-sleeping, but these ideas often spring from the same well
of misinformation.

This breast surgeon also writes that mastitis generally occurs during the
first month post-partum and is most "likely to affect young, inexperienced
mothers who do not practice proper hygiene."

My own analysis (note I never use IMHO because everyone sniggers at the H)
is that most of us are so overly careful to be 100% certain of our
information before we own it, before we share it. When we are faced with the
self-assured, boldly pronounced, WRONG info it shocks us. I have never met a
group of health care professionals who are so very fastidious in fact
finding as are Lactation Consultants! Do you think this is because our
profession is one which requires us to daily hack away at the overgrowth of
misinformation and myth?

Pass the patience pills, please.

I'm going for a walk now.

Margery Wilson, IBCLC
Cambridge, Massachusetts