From:    Catherine Pridie <
#  was told  "There is no nutritional value in breastmilk after one year. #

From:    Tina Miller
# said 15 months.  She looked horrified and said "you don't have to bf him
anymore!" /---/  "well WHO is for third world countries #

To: You all the Wise Ones ;-) .

**References and more exact info** would help a great deal this mother
(this is long, bear with me - or jump right to the end of the msg) :

The mother was referred to a nutrition therapist with her allergic 1-year
old. The baby gets diarrhea from potato, rice and oat, among others, and
has less than 10 kinds of solids in her diet at the moment. Exclusively
breastfed until 6 mo, symptoms started when solids were introduced. Mother
says baby does *not* seem to react to foods the mother has eaten (through
milk).

The baby is 78 cm and 8080 g. The baby's height goes stedily +1 curve (10 %
taller than baby's at her age on the average,  ~ 70th percentile, I think),
and the weight was steadily on the -10/-15 curve (10 % lighter, ~ 25th
percentile, I think). When the solids were introduced, and she started to
react with bouts of diarrhea, the weight curve dropped down to -25 (25 %
lighter, below 0 percentile).

Mother says the pedi is very supportive, "It is wonderful that you are
breastfeeding, because finding a suitable special formula might be very
difficult."

The nutrition therapist, who is supposed to calculate the energy, vitamin,
etc values, however, was like a cold shower. Her greatest concern seems to
be that she cannot calculate those figures exactly because the baby is
still breastfed.

The nutrition therapist told the mother:

 - - The baby is breastfeeding too often (3 x night, morning, 3 x day,
evening). - - The baby is too attached to the mother, 1-year old babies are
not supposed to be in symbiosis (sp?) with their mothers anymore.  - -
Breastmilk gets more and more watery as time goes on, and does not provide
energy for a baby of this age (1-year old). - - The baby probably is
malnourished, mother is giving her too little solids (total 5 dl solids a
day, porridge + berries, meat, veggies + added oil plus, mother estimates
her baby gets about 1000 ml breastmilk daily, 36 oz). - - The mother looks
like sucked dry (as: mother is sucked dry, and does not understand to feed
her baby either). - - One can tell from the looks of the baby if mother's
milk is nutritious: The baby is skinny, no energy value, no nutritients in
the milk.

According to the nutrition therapist, the WHO document WHO/CDR/93.4 stating
that 0,5 litres of human milk provides up to 31 % of daily energy need
during the second year of life, doesn't count, because it simply means the
"survival limit" (minimun energy to make a baby to survive just and just).
The nutrition therapist totally ignores that: "Breastmilk continues to be
an important source of energy and high quality nutrients through the second
year of life and beyond. Breastmilk can provide up to one third of a young
child's protein and energy requirements during the second year of life."

Mother is well informed about breastfeeding, and would like to present some
more exact info and references to the nutrition therapist. She is trying to
find another, supportive, nutr. therapist, but would like to share some
info to the present one.

In Lawrence, I think, I found last night, that fat contents decrease
towards the end of the first year. There was also something about the fat
contents during the weaning, but I am not sure I understood correctly that
sort of more scientific language, I got the impression, that during weaning
percentual (sp?) fat contents increase (see chapter 'weaning'). No exact
figures though. Lactose was said to be steady and decrease during weaning.
No exact figures.

***

She is especially interested in info and refs about contents of human milk
in energy, protein, fat and carbohydrates - and especially those of an
'older' milk (lol... old and weak milk!).

For instance that WHO study mentioned above, does anyone have the g/ml and
kcal/ml figures instead of just percentages?

The mother wishes to have proper info and refs, as the nutrition therapist
seems the kind of a person who won't be made an impact on, lol, simply with
Jack's & Theresa's (wonderful) book telling it is a Myth to believe there
is no nutritional value in human milk after 6 mo / 9 mo / 12 mo / choose
yourself.

Thanks :-)

Sanna-Mari, mom to Rasmus, 23 mo (ex-allergic)
lay supporter from breastfeeding support group in Lappeenranta
Finland, Scandinavia

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