About measuring bilirubin in breastmilk-the usual lab methods used for
bilirubin would not be able to do it(i.e. hospital medical lab) because of
the milkiness which interefers with the methods-most are a color change
reaction measured at a specific light wavelength. Possibly a more technical
chemistry method, ie like those used in toxocology, but I don't know if any
out there would be able to do it. No one around NE Pennsylvania is into
analyzing breastmilk. Any chemists out there familiar with alternate methods,
as I am a Med Tech, we usually analyze clear body fluids for bili. Some peds
had a "bilirubinometer" yrs ago for whole blood analysis of bili-but I don't
know again if the opacity of the milk will interfere. When patients have
"milky" serum, due to elevated triglycerides, it does interfere with current
bili methods in the clinical lab. Somebody out there must be analyzing
breastmilk--seems like we find out more and more is in it all the time!!
   Love your suggestion for a breastfeeding room sign, Dr. Jack!! I still say
we need to clone you to add to our medical community...<Sigh!>
Our local mall security guard asked a woman not to bf on a bench in the food
court in the mall -not because it wasn't allowed but because someone had a
complaint and didn't like her doing it, he had to tell her!!!!   AARRRRRGH!!!
Someday it will be illegal to do that,  any way it was a Food cout-the baby
WAS eating-that's what you do in a food court. I wonder if they will ask a
mom not to bottlefeed, or pacifier, if we complain?? not likely.
Thanks to all of you who a while back commented on the ob who had the temper
tantrum about the mom who was bf 2yo and wanted a preg test(it was Nov) I
shared what those of you said I could, and she was uplifted by all the
support for her dismay! Thanx from Judy!!
                                                 Respectfully,
                                   Georgeanne Mattise, LLLL, MT(ASCP) and
mostly MOM