Jennifer, I apologize if my previous post over-generalized. I fully admit that I do not know enough to know whether allergies on the rise or not. In re- thinking this, what I really meant was that pairing nebulous symptoms with a vague recollection of what mom may have eaten earlier in the day is a shaky basis for diagnosing allergies. Without keeping a detailed food and symptom log, without analysis from an expert such as yourself, without assessing & factoring in any physiological issues of mother or baby such as TT or OAMER, without looking at whether mother is nursing on cue or using a schedule, how is the pediatrician determining that the baby has allergies to something in the mother's milk? What is the doctor's "evidenced-based practice" here? After I read your post, it occurred to me that we probably have a situation in the US where allergies are both over- and under-diagnosed at the same time. The baby is taken off the breast and given formula because of "allergies" to his mother's milk, but later that same child (and adult) is considered "normal" in spite of having problems like reflux, eczema, constipation or diarrhea, food aversions, etc. etc. and is given all sorts of medications without anyone's recognizing allergies as the underlying cause. Also, I think the word "allergy" is being overused and misused in our society, which makes it harder and harder for various people to understand each other because it means different things to different people, and ultimately the word becomes meaningless. (Kind of like "natural childbirth" which in my area, at least, now simply means "not cesarean.") Finally, I still think Pat's original point holds true, that the first reaction in many circles is to blame the mother's milk and look no further. Even (especially) in situations of true allergies, substituting formula and making the mother feel as though she has failed and her milk is "bad" for her baby does nothing to solve the problem. Though of course you are one of the ones on the front lines of trying to change this situation and helping many mothers and babies overcome the obstacle of allergies without discontinuing BF. And now, after making two such long posts, I shall go back to lurking and learning and feeling lucky to have so many experts sharing their knowledge on this list. And wondering how, even if I do become an IBCLC someday, I can live up to the legacy of all of you who have gone before me! :-) Respectfully and gratefully, Jennifer (Long Island, New York) On Jan 24, 2009, at 1:03 AM, [log in to unmask] wrote: > I have to respectfully disagree with anyone who thinks allergies are > not on the rise. This is an area of particular interest and > expertise for me. The vast majority of mothers in my practice have > seen one or more other LCs before they have seen me. I am more often > than not the last resort. *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome