~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Diane Perrone wrote, on 26 January 05:

I would not recommend routine use of lanolin products for mothers.  I
teach them the wonderful healing power of their own milk to help with
soreness and healing.  This is a wonderful, confidence-building concept
to teach mothers.  It is always available, anytime, any place.  I worry
about sensitivity to lanolin or masking yeast and allowing it to take
hold under the coating of lanolin.  I find some mothers like to use
lanolin, particularly in the winter months, but I teach them about
letting their own milk dry on the area first, then apply lanolin after
it is dry. ....
~~~~~~~~~
Good for you, Diane.  A friend, who is an IBCLC and midwife, and an absolute
whizz at finding ways of getting people to think, does this when educating
Mums or health professionals -  She offers a dab of purified lanolin for
them to put on a forearm, and asks them to let it warm on the skin for a few
moments and then lick it. While they are doing this, she suggests this can
help them to make a decision on whether to use it with their baby.  They
usually reconsider the idea.  Anecdotally (and again as recently as a week
or two ago), I've heard of a newborn or two refusing the breast after a
purified lanolin was used as a nipple protector, but not refusing when it
wasn't applied. The parents had figured it out for themselves.  My other
concern would be the fairly rare allergy to wool, which would be a major
issue in such a sensitive part of the body.

I have a great line of patter I use with parents about the value of the
mother's own hind milk as a healer. Of course, I individualise it to the
particular parents. Some of what I say is about the *evidence* for the use
of hind milk, and some is acknowledging that it's very human to trust
something that costs money and comes in a tube over something that is free
and natural, and people sometimes choose to pay money for second best.
("Spending money feels good!", I joke.)  I round it out with a case history
of one of the worst nipple wounds I've even seen, where the healing rate
with frequent dabbing with breastmilk, was amazingly rapid.  This mightn't
suit everyone's style, but I find it works for me and my clients.

Virginia
in Brisbane, Queensland
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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