I saw a mother today who has just moved here from another country--has been
in airports and on airplanes for 3 days. She is fasting for Ramodan ( I hope
I spelled that correctly). the baby has picked up a stomach bug and was
admitted to the hospital. The mother kept indicating that her milk was gone
and that is why the baby was sick. She said she couldn't nurse because of "no
milk".  I decided to have her pump to see that she has milk. She pumped about
7 oz but it was almost clear. No change in the color over a 15 minute pumping
session. It was  like the water left in the pot after you cook rice, but
thinner and clearer. I thought maybe that was because of the fasting.I asked
Dad ( who spoke very little English) wasn't breastfeeding mothers excused
from fasting ( did I read that on here?) and he said yes but she was trying
to be strict. I told him that the baby really needed her to eat so she would
be healthy and can provide good milk for the baby. She agreed and I ordered a
meal plan for her. Did I do the right thing? Does fasting cause a change in
the color of milk? He said she had been fasting for 10 days. The Ped said she
would do whatever I thought was best, after she said she was putting the baby
on clear liquids and I suggested that breastmilk is not usually
contrainidicated  in a vomiting baby because it is considered generally to be
like a clear fluid for sick infants. So I suggested that mom nurse for short
periods of time, let that milk settle in his stomach, and then nurse
again-short, more frequent feedings. The baby has vomited everything he ate
for the past 3 days. He is 7 months old and was eating fruits and bread
before they left home but has eaten airplane  food for 3 days.
This was the first time I have ever seen milk with so little color and so
thin.  Would fasting cause this? Or did I just totally blow this cultural
experience?

Barb Whitehead, IBCLC
Eastern NC
( Today apparently was special circumstances day at the hospital--also had
one baby who was tongue tied, one with a mom with flat nipples on large
breasts, one with inverted nipples, one jaundice, an engorgement, and a
tongue sucker! )

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