>
>I am so interested in this as I have a lot of women ringing me with
>baby seeming to struggle with too much milk.  Swapping sides less
>often seems to help the problem.  However the old argument abount
>too much lactose and not enough lactase doesn't make as much sense
>to me as it did when I first read about it 13 years ago.  And I want
>to try and explain to these mums why I am suggesting swapping less
>often.


I explain it simply as a means of reducing the volume of milk
produced - it's as basic as that.  Less frequent removal of the milk
from each individual breast = less milk made = less
overwhelming/flooding of the baby = less uncomfortable fountains and
leaking from the mum.

I don't introduce a discussion of the stuff about lactose as it isn't
necessary, normally, and goodness knows how crucial this factor is.
However, if there are large volumes of milk in the breast, the milk
will be comparatively higher in water, and therefore of lactose. This
might bother the baby.  It could well be at least some of the
explanation of the attendant fussiness and gripiness you sometimes
get with over-supply.

>
>
>Silent reflux appears to be a problem with some of these women too -
>I had not even realised it could be a problem until recently (scary
>as I am supposed to know lots).


Silent reflux is diagnosis of the month IMO :)

I am not saying it does not exist.

I am suggesting it does not exist in the numbers we are currently
seeing in the UK. Doctors - and mothers who use the internet a lot ;)
- diagnose it, but as you say Sarah, the consequences are treatment
which is difficult to administer, and only rarely an improvement in
the symptoms.

My experience is that pathologies are too often spotted, when
behavioural and/or an attitudinal change could be at least explored
and discussed.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc, tutor, UK

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