>
> Dear Gina,
>
> The dental caries you are describing are an unusual complication of
> severe reflux...and certainly not an issue for the first 4 months
> of
> life before any teeth are in(the period of colic when so many
> nursing
> moms are incorrectly made to believe that they are giving their
> babies
> something BAD in their milk.)

Do you have any statistics or research to prove that reflux leading to
dental caries is rare?  I certainly have found no statistics, but would
love to see some.  Also, could you clarify what you mean by severe
reflux?  It is my understanding that GERD would only be dx'd if a baby
wasn't gaining or seemed to be in pain.  But what about a fat and happy
baby who urps all the time?  Is that severe?  In my experience, babies
who spit up a lot continue to do so until they have started solids.  Many
breastfed babies (particularly if they are prone to allergies) thrive on
human milk alone for much of the first year, if not more.  This is ample
time for the reflux to affect the teeth--including the first molars.

>
> My point to Lacnetters is that they can help the vast majority of
> the
> moms they work with by teaching them how to activate their babies'
> calming reflex by effectively imitating the uterus with the 5 S's
> and
> should consider doing that before casting suspicion on the
> breastmilk or
> indicating that there may be something wrong with the baby or her
> milk.
>

I understand that, and I certainly applaud your message--I agree
wholeheartedly that breastfeeding should be "marketed" as accessible and
not restrictive.  And I'm not even debating the 5 S's (which would be in
relation to colic, not GER)--BTDT on the last swaddling thread.  What I
am saying is that if some of these early infancy maladies that are
considered *normal* are, in fact, manifestations of food sensitivites, we
would be remiss not to address that b/c there might be long-lasting
implications.  So, while I wouldn't want to go looking for the zebra
before we spot the horse (to steal a phrase ;-), I fear that if we don't
address these possible root causes of GER and colic, we might be doing a
disservice to moms and babies.  Hmmm, sounds like some research to be
done....

> Harvey
>
Respectfully,

Gina Gerboth--in sunny (ha!) Oregon for only 9 more days

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