A few bits of information nursing mothers have gotten (these are 
reported to me by the mother, so they are second hand):

pediatrician to a mother of a 6 month old who does not want to eat 
solids:
        ‹stop breastfeeding, give the baby formula
        ‹also had advised giving cereal at 3 months ³to get the baby used to 
solids²

pediatrician to an exclusively breastfeeding mother whose 3 month old 
gained 22 oz between 3 and 4 months of age (2 pounds in first month, 2 
pounds in 2nd month):
        ‹top up with formula

pediatrician to a mother of an 18 month old whose baby is on the third 
percentile for height and       weight and is apparently allergic to dairy 
products (the baby has always been small, but the       paediatrician is 
unaware of previous weights and heights as the mother just changed      	
paediatricians):
        ‹give the baby soy formula (which she had never had before)
        ‹also implied that she should stop breastfeeding
        ‹when the baby refused to drink soy formula and cried for an hour
                        ‹keep at it, it will only take a few days

surgeon to a mother of a two month old who just got breastfeeding 
going well, after sore nipples  and who has a breast lump which the 
physician feels is cystic on ultrasound:
        ‹stop breastfeeding and come back in a week.  I¹ll repeat the 
ultrasound to see if the lump has anything to do with lactation.
        ‹When mother asked if she could nurse on the other side, since the 
lump is only on one side:
        ‹no, because when one side dries up so will the other.  The two act 
as ³one large muscle²
        (maybe that¹s why women ³pump² milk)

rheumatologist to a nursing mother of a 5 month old.  She has 
developed rheumatoid arthritis.
        ‹you can pass on the genes for arthritis in your milk

Jack Newman, MD,FRCPC