In a message dated 3/28/02 9:37:13 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<<  The baby was seen by a
 gastrointerologist who told him babies can have a rare allergy to the
 mothers milk from antibodies passed on by the baby's father. >

How are antibodies passed on to the baby from the father?  I've never heard
of this, nor do I understand how a baby could acquire them.
I tend to doubt changing the baby to formula is going to improve the
situation any, and may make it worse.  I also wonder if its actually an
allergy or something physical going on with the baby's GI system? Of course,
I'm no gastroenterologist.

I think exploring oversupply is certainly worth it..this may be a case of
lactose overload.  I'ld be interested in knowing the color of the babies
poops.  (If they were green, I'ld be very suspicious of this)

Also its worth finding out how well the mother understands the elimination
diets.  I have heard it said here on Lactnet that as well as avoiding dairy,
she should avoid beef, as the bovine protein in general can be a culprit.

The mom should have a consult with an IBCLC who can fully assess the
situation. This might be a good case for very small frequent feeds, but
pumping the breasts a bit first so that there is primarily the high fat
hindmilk remaining in the breast to provide calories at a lower volume.

This does seem to be a baby having a rough start. Hopefully the problem can
be identified quickly and the breastfeeding preserved.

June Eastman, BS, M.Ed, IBCLC

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