Hi Everyone,
My name is Jane Moody and I am a breastfeeding counsellor and tutor with
the National Childbirth Trust in England.  I live in Kent with my husband,
two children (Thomas, 15 and Ruth, 12), horse and three cats.

I have been a counsellor for 13 years and tutor for nearly 10.  I really
wish I had been online for all that time!  What a find you all are.  I also
edit the New Generation Digest, which is the part of New Generation (the
NCT's quarterly journal). The Digest is aimed at NCT workers like antenatal
teachers and breastfeeding counsellors.

Linda Rosetti asked (4 Nov) for refs on herbals.

Recently in the Digest, we ran a short feature by Peter Golightly, director
of the Trent Drug Information Service, which looked at the effects of
herbal remedies on breast milk.  Peter found that there is virtually no
information on the excretion of these products into breast milk and no
example of a rational and systematic study of any herbal product.  He did
find 4 refs, which you might like to have:

Mennella, J A and Beauchamp, G K (1993): The effects of repeated exposure
to garlic-flavoured milk on the nursling's behaviour.  Pediatr. Res., 34,
805-808.

Rosti, L et al (1994): Toxic effects of a herbal tea mixture in two
newborns.  Acta Paediatr. 83, 683.

Koren, G et al (1990): Maternal ginseng use associated with neonatal
androgenization. J. Amer. Med. Assoc. 264, 2866.

McGeorge, B C L and Steele, M C (1991): Allergic contact dermatitis of the
nipple from Roman camomile ointment. Contact Dermatitis, 24, 139-140.

I think we need more from mums re their experience of using these.

Jane Moody, National Childbirth Trust Breastfeeding counsellor and tutor;
editor of New Generation Digest.