Cow milk, like the milk of any mammal is a living food, with all of the perfect nutrients to grow the infant of that species to its own optimal state of well-being. We all know that once cow milk becomes AIM, there is nothing living remaining. It is a dead food that has the ability to sustain life, but then so can other junk foods like skittles (candy) or potato chips, to a point. For those who approach food as medicine, it is clear that raw foods have a higher vibration energy than any other food (remember that human milk is a live, raw food). So, while the medical model might say that AIM is the only acceptable alternative to human milk, among holistic practitioners, this is not accepted as truth. Personally, if I had to find a supplement for a baby I loved, I would never use AIM. The answer is that there is no answer for someone who must supplement, b/c there are not enough milk banks providing enough milk at a cost families can manage. So, while there seem to be some significant issues about this mom's own supply, I can understand her anxiety about the choices that she has. None of them are good. 


As to the supplement, there are many sites on the internet, some more concerning than
others, that discuss homemade formulas and other alternatives to AIM.
What is concerning about the site you reference is that it is only a
discussion board, with no referenced info of any kind. Still, some of
the sites that claim to have scientific references actually promote
supplementing as superior to exclusive use of human milk (Sally Fallon
does this on her site, and she has MANY followers in the US). I would
not be so quick to judge, though--remember that the use of AIM is a
large uncontrolled scientific study with no informed consent. I think
this mom is wise to question that, don't you? While almond milk is not
technically a milk--I do not consider AIM a milk either--milk is always
living. From a raw foods perspective, this would place almond milk far
above AIM in nutritional value, as would coconut milk and hemp milk
(assuming they are raw and made fresh). Also, from a living foods perspective--and I do not believe in ever drinking the milk of another animal--only unpasteurized, unhomegenized raw milk would be a living food. Once it is processed, it is dead of all life-giving properties. So, while you may not approve of raw goat milk, there is good reason for her to be interested in it. I have had clients who chose to make their own formula from raw goat milk and their children have done at least as well as those who had AIM. And sprouting the almonds releases the enzymes--it is the way almond milk should be made!! It is all food and babies are not prepared to digest food, but AIM isn't even food---it is junk food, so why should we be so critical of a mother who realizes that? BTW, I am not saying I would give a baby any of these things, simply that it is important to understand the mother's very reasonable distress. 


Also, Madga mentions that this site is in violation of the WHO Code. I am not sure that is true as no marketing is actually taking place. There are no almonds sold on the website, so it is purely informational. If we could argue that this site is in violation, then we could argue that Mothering Magazine is in violation anytime anyone makes a similar suggestion on a public board. 


Magda:

"well, this website is breaking the WHO / UNICEF Code.  this is a claim that 

is false and it is marketing something as a breast milk substitute.  Sure, 

maybe we don't want to spend our time tracking this down, but the case Chayn 

has described helps us understand why the Code is so vital for our work. 


Anything that is as a substitute for breast milk is coverd by the WHO Code. "


Bottom line, I think the issue of her
soreness needs to be addressed. I had a client whose baby would not
latch at birth (homebirth) and someone else nursed the baby "just
fine". She also donated milk to the baby. BUT, that "just fine" made it
really hard for the mom and midwife to trust me when I said the baby
had a tongue-tie. After all, wouldn't the other mom have felt the pain?
Well, maybe, if she had a low supply and if she nursed all the time,
like the baby's mom does. Finally got the tongue clipped and the pain
resolved. I also think that any baby who was in second stage for 2.5
hours needs CST. I am very curious about this mom's diet?? I would work
with mom to resolve pain and try to get her to use a supplementer at
breast, hopefully with donor milk. 


Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA

Intuitive Parenting Network LLC



 









From Chayn:
Thanks so much for your response and advice.  I cringe to think about what 

has gone into this baby in the past few weeks.  The mother is taking 

fenugreek, blessed thistle and drinking mother's milk tea.  I told her about 

oats, almonds etc.. she is using a tube at breast a few times a day with 

donor milk.  I mentioned that I wasn't comfortable with unpasterized goat 

milk, and she and her husband, were like, but that's the point!  Oh and the 

almonds are sprouted before she milks them.



Now that her friends are nursing her baby, she is nursing less.  Her nipples 

are sore despite good positioning and latch - it doesn't hurt her friends to 

nurse this baby -  and she is suffering from vasospasms after breastfeeds, 

though using a heating pad is helping and she is taking vitamin B6 

(interestingly enough she was ready to take the nefidrine but the doctor 

wouldn't prescibe it).  She won't pump either because of pain so I have been 

trying to help her find a way to keep her own milk moving.



 I have no idea what happened to this woman's milk supply.  She is 32 years 

old, no history of any red flags.  Her breasts hardly grew during pregnancy 

of after.  She felt her milk come in on day 3 and has been sort of lumpy 

since but not full and never engorged.  Baby was born at a friends house 

after a long labor and 2.5 hours of pushing.  He was born 3.02 kilos.  He 

nursed around the clock every few hours at least and for an hour.  His poops 

turned lighter on day 3 and then turned dark again.  A doctor came on a home 

visit to check the baby but didn't weigh her.  Said that she was yellow and 

left it at that.  He came back four days later and said that she is less 

yellow.  At 3 weeks an "LC" (not IBCLC) came to help mom with painful 

feedings and sent her to the doctor for possible thrush.  Dr. weighed baby 

and she was 3.06 kilos.  The next day the mother went to the doctor because 

baby had blood in his stool.  He weighed 2.90 kilos. Dr. said not to worry 

about the stools but to worry about the weight.  Mom called me and ofcourse 

along with other suggestions, I mentioned that her baby needs to be 

supplemented.  So here we are. Baby was up to 3.330 Kilos on Thursday.  Its 

hard to say what's the best supplement after ebm.  I mean, formula is not 

harmless either.  It is what I've always reccomended to people who must 

supplement with something other than ebm, though, I guess because people are 

ussually ready to use it.  So this is really something new for me.



I found this site today claiming that:



"Of course mother milk is the best, no doubt about that. Scientist found 

that the "almost" ideal replacement is Almond Milk"

http://rawfoodinfo.com/real%20letters/ltr_infant%20milk.html



Its a raw food site.  I imagine the above sentence and the "proofs" that 

follow it on the page would be enough for this mother.  I told her that I 

had learned that the closest milk to mother's was weasle or otter or 

something like that which isn't available or kosher even if it was.









 


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