Rachelle,

Whew, you did have a bad one didn't you?  Depriving a baby of its
frenulum, now that's a new way of putting it. I guess from what you
said, that he was already "deprived" of his foreskin.  (Apologies to
those who circumcise for religious reasons).  I am quite sure he does
NOT know what to look for. You can drown him in articles, but those kind
of people are, what my husband calls, "seldom right, NEVER in doubt".
Hard bunch to change, but a little sugar goes a long way.  Or maybe this
mom can pursue this once she leaves the hallowed halls of CHOP.  Would
she be willing to do so?  As a mom of a former cardiac baby who nursed
right up to and immediately after extubation, I am angry that someone
would presume to make this mom's mind up for her.

I am not sure I understand the second case, why would breastfeeding
cause the baby to almost die?  Did they discontinue supplements and the
baby was so compromised from the diarrhea that he lost too much wt.?
That mom needs all the praise in the world, which I am sure you took
care of,  for nursing for 6 months in the first place.  Imagine what
would have happened to this little tyke if he/she  had been formula
fed.  Where oh where is Dr. Jack?  I am sure he would have a few choice
words for this dude.

As for the jaundiced baby, her pedi needs to READ her own journal and
practice parameters about breasfeeding and jaundice.  You are correct
that late onset jaundice may result in higher bilis, and stopping does
make the bili fall, but the treatment is still continued bf and wait and
see, as I understand it.  It is indeed the stooling that decreases the
bili.  I can see you will be spending some time at the copy machine.  If
she hasn't read the "new" ( 30 years old, and updated about 4 yrs ago)
information yet, she surely won't go and look it up.

We do understand, just close your eyes and remember all those babies and
moms who started breastfeeding because of you, nursed longer because of
you, avoided supplements because of you, all the employees who learned
scores more about breastfeeding because of you.....do you see a pattern
here?

Yours in lactation,
Mary Alice Tinari
mailto:[log in to unmask]

P.S. Duke was beautiful last weekend.  Phil may be going to China in the
summer and next fall with the DUke in CHina program.  Now I am NOT happy
about that, but those wings I was hoping for are flying far far away.  I
guess the roots will still be here!  Drat that breastfeeding
intelligence.  :-)