My son Ryan was diagnosed last year with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 3. He was breastfed until he was 18 months when he self-weaned. I can't tell you how many times I have wondered if he would have breastfed longer would he have not developed diabetes. At the age of 2 he developed a severe pneumonia that resulted in a 2 week hospitalization,chest tubes and a visit to the ICU. This incident has been theorized to have begun the destruction of the beta cells by his MD's. I also have had multiple people point out that my "breastfed" child developed diabetes, insinuating that breastmilk is not a protectant against diabetes. Thank god I do not have to go to bed each night with the guilt that i had the opportunity to protect him and chose not to. This I believe would have been devestating to me. Diabetes in a young child is an exhausting 24 hr struggle at times and it shocks me to think that mothers will vaccinate their children for measles and chicken pox but not "vaccinate" their children with breastmilk to protect them from diabetes. My younger son is 14 months and still exclusively breastfeeding. We have not introduced cow's milk and will not. I am lucky that I have a pediatrician who supports this. I have also removed cows milk from Ryan's diet and replaced it with EBM. Ryan has been healthy with barely a cold since the switch. (I can't say the same for my husband and I who have been battling colds/flu since November) I will continue to inform patients of the importance of breastfeeding to reduce the chances of diabetes and will not feel "guilty" in using my son's story to discuss the impact of diabetes has on a family. I believe that Ryan has diabetes for a reason... maybe it is for his mommy to advocate for children to receive breastmilk. I would love to have an ad on TV showing my sweet little boy's face as a reminder of the importance of breastmilk.....a "scare" tactic--maybe...but if it could save one child the challenges that diabetes brings.....who cares???????? Beth Kushner-Giovenco RNC,IBCLC *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html