Brenda asks,

> We have a 36 week preemie in our Special Care Nursery, with a conjugated =
> bilirubin of over 2.  The neonatologist has ordered the mom, who has been =
> avidly breastfeeding the baby, to discontinue breastfeeding for at least =
> ONE WEEK.  Does this sound right?  Apparently the fats cannot be digested =
> properly because of the breastmilk. I've never heard of this being a cause =
>
Brenda, what is the unconjugated bili level?  How many days old is this baby?
 The fats of WHAT can't be digested because of the breastmilk?  The
breastmilk fats?  Huh?  And who cares about the fats anyway (in this instance
only) -- to bind the bili you need proteins -- and alphalactalbumin is THE
perfect protein in this instance (found in -- yup, you guessed it --
breastmilk!!).

have the doc read the June 1999 issue of Issues in Perinatology and look up
Larry Gartner's article.

Good luck!!
Jan Barger, RN, MA, IBCLC
Administrative & Program Director
Lactation Education Consultants
Wheaton, Illinois

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