To the poster who spoke of her breastfed children's ear infections, I have
been there! but like her i continue to have " the unshakeable faith of the
true believer" & believe that my children may have been much sicker if they
had been artificially fed. However, my partially-formula-fed first child
has been quite healthy & had less ear infections. Certainly, there are some
"luck of the draw" gene things going on too.
2 anecdotes I would like to share: when my youngest was 8 months old, right
at xmas, the rest of us, her 3 brothers & myself & husband all succumbed to
a terrible flu: the minimal details: bouts of vomiting, then diarrhea,
recovery & then more vomiting, after we thought we were all done, for 2 of
the boys (on the way home from xmas dinner at relatives, in the car, into a
wet wipes bucket - i know, more details than you want to know). My 8 month
old never got sick - when it was my turn & my husband's turn with the flu,
unfortunately simultaneously, my oldest child watched the baby & would bring
her to me to nurse & sleep.I cannot believe that she would have been
protected from our horrible illness if she had been artifically fed ( she
was not on solids at that point either.)
2nd story: there was a mum who used to come to our LLL meetings years ago, a
friend of mine, who I know would be happy to share her story. Her oldest
child had severe exzema & some allergies, she felt induced by a well-meaning
relative inserting ice cream into her daughter's mouth at the age of 4
months. In any event, her exzema was so bad that she would often be covered
in blood in the mornings from scratching all her skin off & several times
ended up in the hospital with staph infection. About 3 times, I believe, a
weaning was negotiated. My friend was enduring severe health problems,
eventually diagnosed as celiac, & was in rough shape, losing weight etc. &
was wanting to wean. Everytime the daughter was weaned the exzema flared up
dramatically, breastfeeding was the only thing that kept it under control.
Eventually she was completely weaned at 4 by the decision of the daughter.
Sorry for such a long post. At LLL meetings, we often say that breastfeeding
does not provide a guarantee. But it does mean that we are giving the best
to our child that we have to give.
Lastly, it would be a wonderful thing if a milkbank story was incorporated
into a show - so many people don't even know of their existence let alone
their value. I hope everyone's hurt feelings are settling down. This is
such a wonderful place, lactnet, & I appreciate everyone's wisdom &
experiences.
Deborah Sowery-Quinn
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