One message waiting for me when I returned from brief Canadian lecture
responsibilities was from a mother with a 6 mo old dxed with PKU at 3 weeks
of age. She is being monitored (baby is) weekly at Childen's Hospital in
Chicago (claims the PKU clinic there knows NOTHING about breastfeeding,
which does not surprise me given what other patients have said about other
clinics at that hospital).

Her question:  does anyone know a mother seh can correspond with whose baby
has PKU and who has continued to breastfeed after intorduction of solid
foods?  She has NO computer or modem, but knokws a friend who does. I
agreed to post the question and send back information to her by phone (she
is local to me, I think).

Her infant will soon begin getting solids and the foods he can take are
limited due to the pku condition and the vast number of foods that have it,
including the usual early/first foods for babies, such as bananas.

She is concerned that baby will wean quickly once foods are introduced
because she has to limit breastfeeds when other sources of PKU are in the
baby's diet.

Any assistance/help for me and this mother would be greatly appreciated. I
would especially like to hear
        a) from MDs who have worked with mothers wtih babies with PKU
        b) from RDs familiar with food choices appropriate for babies/young
                children with PKU
        c) from MDs who might be interested in susggesting an alternative
to CHildren's Hospital caregiving site in/near Chicago. The mother asked,
for example, if another hospital has a PKU clinic in which there might be
someone on staff who is at least aware that breastmilk exists and/or that
breastfeeding is possible.

Looking forward to hearing from some experienced LACTNETters with information.



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 %% "We are all faced with a series of great opportunities      %%
 %% brilliantly disguised as impossible situations."            %%
 %% definition of a lactation consulting service.               %%
 %% Kathleen G. Auerbach,PhD, IBCLC - [log in to unmask]          %%
 %% Homewood, Illinois USA                                      %%

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