I was going to reply to the question of breastfed babies and lactose
intolerance but, first, I went to the link that Joy Anderson had in her
post. I suggest that everyone go to that site and read the article by Joy
and colleagues. It is quite clear and most worth while these days with so
many infants being switched from breastmilk to lactose- free formulas.
There was an outstanding session at the recent ILCA conference on colitis
in which the presenter, Joan Fisher, focused on the issue of secondary or
transient lactose intolerance due to serious over-supply of breastmilk. Her
guidelines for resolution to this problem were great.
There *is* often a connection between dairy intolerance and over-supply,
leading to lactose-induce colitis. But the connection is not always there.
In my clientele the scenario is often... irritated GI tract due to dairy
intolerance, frequent feeding for desired comfort, leading to over-supply,
then to lactose overload and colitis. Sometimes the whole problem begins
with an over-supply with lactose overload, creating a "leaky gut" (not
Joan's words) followed by food sensitivities and the cycle begins.
With stool sampling and testing, excess lactose is discovered and
breastfeeding is seen as perpetuating the poor digestion and colic.
Management of over-supply is not understood and breastfeeding is
interrupted or halted.
There is much over-supply in my part of the world and it leads to any
number of secondary problems with feeding. I am working diligently to help
mothers get their supplies down to a "one-boy or one-girl"-sized supply. If
a mother calls me early on in the diagnosis of lactose intolerance we can
"tweak" the supply and soon baby is happy and passing lovely, yellow, curdy
stools.
If you have the funds I strongly suggest that you order the tapes of the
session that Joan was a part of. It was a 3 1/2 hour session (2 tapes) and
all three presenters were outstanding. The session is Managing
Breastfeeding in Difficult Maternal-Child Medical Situations. You can order
tapes from
www.audiotapes.com
Cost is $10 each tape.
The other speakers in this Track 5 were our own Lisa Marasco who presented
on PCOS and insufficient milk supply. Her presentation was very well
organized and superbly presented. And Kimberly Barbas who presented on
breastfeeding the baby with medical complications and these complications'
impact on the family--also filled with valuable information.
This Track 5 was power-packed. I will use the information from these
presentations every week in my work with mothers and babies.
While I am raving about a wonderful conference I also suggest that you
consider ordering the tape for Nancy Williams' session, Sensory
Defensiveness. While I found every session that I attended very worthwhile,
this one and the above were, for me, worth the entire cost of the
conference and airfare.
[I am running our of superlative adjectives. :)]
Additionally:
I think that we all on could benefit from the inspiring presentation by
Audrey Naylor, MD, Dr PH. She spoke about the difference between groups
and teams. Again, this tape will enhance your LCing and your living.
And we Lactnetters could listen to Audrey's wisdom and perhaps learn how to
accept each others' differences within our passions.
Perhaps we can cease speaking with incredulity about another's approach to
work and life.
Perhaps we can feel more confident in our own knowings so that we don't
have to trample another's knowings.
And perhaps we can recreate an environment in which we all feel safe to ask
our questions and share our experiences.
We can become Team Players instead of just a group of people interested in
breastfeeding. And as Audrey told us "Teamwork is the fuel that allows
common people to attain uncommon results."
Pat Gima, IBCLC
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mailto:[log in to unmask]
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