Paula: I believe that the physician is erroneously referring to the factor in some mother's milk which is believed to cause breastmilk jaundice. This is the type of jaundice which begins in the second week of life and has nothing to do with the early physiologic jaundice in the first few days, which is due to *lack of* breastmilk. Since breastmilk jaundice is *not* a disease, and is probably a normal and possibly even beneficial process, the factor in mothers' milk which causes it is most definitely not a poison. This physician needs to be handed a copy of any one of Dr. Lawrence Gartner's excellent articles on this subject (see the archives or e-mail me if you want the references). He clearly does not understand the physiology of jaundice in newborns. Good luck, Alicia Dermer, MD, IBCLC.