>>Graphites which has been effective too (if you buy this don't be
>>surprised it is a black colored cream, not very atrtactive but
>>effective)<<

This wouldn't contain lead by any chance? What makes it black? Have you
looked it up? Composition? Graphite or lead pencils are terms used
interchangeably by some. What goes on the breast must be safe to eat. Lead
sure as heck is not is nay dose. It's not even safe on intact skin. ANd
what other goodies is baby eating? Olive oil is OK if there are no allergy
problems, but it contains huge levels of protein relative to some other
oils...and oils are not the best for skin health. Still, the odd extra
calories the baby eats won't hurt: one way to increase caloric intake in
the FTT is to add some to the about-to be suckled breast! But for my money
only Lansinoh is safe enough for skin a young baby will suck on. After
they're into weaning, any good cold-pressed vegetable oil, preferably
bought in glass,  that the family uses is as good as any other.
Cold-pressed because all commercially extracted oils can contain chemical
residues if the extraction process is other than cold-pressing.
Cold-pressing, being a simple crushing process, can involve a higher
likelihood of residue  from the food per se, so protein, so allergens for
the allergic. Also some oils contain anti-oxidants to increase shelf life.
And plastics can add interesting chemicals to oils stored in them. Take
your pick. Lansinoh solves those problems for me.But we only use
cold-pressed oils for all of us at home to eat, despite the expense, which
we can ill afford. One of the few justifiable differences between one form
of food and another.

Crohn's disease and iron deficiency: is the mother's diet sorted out? even
now some medics fail to investigate diet in Crohn's. I suspect that it's
likely to be blood loss (even occult) from bowel causing low iron; that
suggests the problem is not being addressed by diet. The Addenbrooke's
Hospital team in Cambridge UK showed years ago (I remember a 1984 UK
documentary promoting the publication of the Royal College of Physicians
/British Nutrition Foundation Joint Report on Food Intolerance and Food
Aversion which cited their results) that they could get good remission with
diet etc investigation. Also, a mother who is iron deficient could very
well be zinc deficient etc too, if the cause if occult bleeding. Just
zapping iron in and blaming breastfeeding seems a tad silly to me. Do a lit
search re Crohn's and diet. John Hunter was one of the doctors involved if
I remember right.

Radiation and later BF: know a mother who had the full treatment between
baby one (fully breastfed) and Baby 2. SHe was in tears on day 4, certain
she didn't have enough, baby wanted to feed all the time, etc etc. I put
her to bed, the baby in a sling, and kept the baby away from her for four
hours. Yes, it wanted to feed earlier, but got jollied along: mother's
sleep was crucial. She woke up sane, baby got a good feed, and was fully
exclusively breastfed thereafter no problems. One of the issues id the
mother's fear that radiation will have made it impossible. On samples of
two or three we can't be sure, but the signs suggest we need to be
pro-active and positive and provided lots of support (and NO unnecessary
formula) in the first week.

Maureen Minchin IBCLC