Babies resorb bilirubin from the stool in their guts when there is not enough turnover of the gut contents to flush bilirubin out. It is the case that exclusively artificially fed babies on average have lower bilirubin levels than their otherwise similar breastfed peers. But a baby who is not getting enough food will have higher bilirubin levels than a baby who is feeding well, regardless of what they are fed. Still, the strikingly low bilirubin levels in artificially fed babies has led a number of people to question whether bilirubin is all bad, or whether it has some biologically adaptive function in newborn mammals. Babies who don't feed well, are more likely to get jaundiced. Babies who are very jaundiced, may feed poorly because of the effects of the jaundice, though in my experience it is hard to separate the possible effects of the jaundice from the very real effects of the treatment, particularly when babies are separated from mothers during phototherapy, and only allowed brief breaks in order to feed. In addition, many breastfed babies are still being born in places that restrict the frequency and duration of feeds either by design or de facto through birth practices that hinder normal breastfeeding, so their total intake is far less than it might be if they were free of medications and traumatic injuries and in continuous contact with their mothers. Anyone suggesting an intervention with known negative effects, like feeding breastmilk substitutes to newborns, should be required to document the need for such a measure, in every case, with a convincing argument justifying the known risk for a potential benefit. Perhaps the new pediatricians have been attending industry-sponsored so-called educational events, or have just been visited by a formula sales rep with a lot of glossy brochures, and don't really have solid evidence for their practice. It's at least a possibility, and someone needs to ask, on behalf of babies. Rachel Myr Kristiansand, Norway *********************************************** 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