Debi wrote of a colleague posting a clipping stating that it was OK to mix
breastfeeding and bottle-feeding. I have a handout that I use when I speak on
supplementation and its hazards which is referenced and am happy to e-mail it
as an attachment for Debi and anyone else to post on their bulletin board. At
birth, the infant's gut is immature and immunonaive. The tight junctions of
the GI mucosa can take many weeks to mature and close the gut to whole
proteins and pathogens. Infant formula should not be given to a breastfed
baby before gut closure occurs. Relatively small amounts of supplementation
(one supplement per 24 hours) will result in shifts from a breastfed gut
flora pattern (bifidobacteria) to a formula-fed gut flora pattern (obligate
anerobes and putrefactive pathogens). This places the infant at risk for
allergy, diabetes, and gastrointestinal disease because someone was too
ignorant, lazy, or stubborn to take the time to understand the hazards of
this action.

In susceptible families the giving of just one bottle in the newborn nursery
during the first three days of life can sensitize the susceptible baby to
cow's milk protein and provoke an allergy when the baby is challenged with it
later in life. In susceptible families, early exposure to cow's milk proteins
can sensitize and cause the development of immune memory to cow's milk
protein, providing the initial step in the etiology of insulin dependent
diabetes mellitus. You might wish to create a consent form that helps educate
parents regarding the possible side effects and outcome of giving their baby
a bottle of cow's milk based formula.

When faced with colleagues who would rather not read and have more of a petty
desire to resist change than a professional commitment to patient health,
approach your Risk Management Department. Ask them if they wish to allow
these hospital employees to continue increasing the risk to patients for
developing acute and chronic disease that was caused by stubborn, inflexible,
and childish attitudes.

Why is maternal-child care such a good example of a discipline that practices
in  direct opposition to its research?

Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
Weston, MA

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html