Dear Friends:
    Today, I made a visit to the home of a mother from Haiti, her newborn 
baby and her 3 year-old daughter.
   When I arrived, her daughter was unwrapping a piece of 'Vache qui Rit' 
cheese. During the initial part of the visit, the toddler ate the cheese, and 
gradually had an increase in nasal and upper respiratory secretions until she was 
coughing and sneezing as though she had a cold.
    This mother doesn't believe that she has enough milk for her baby. She 
only plans to breastfeed for 3 months because she is going back to work.She is 
supplementing with a powedered human milk substitute for half the day. She is 
concerned that her baby is so snorty and congested sounding.
    Hopefully, she was able to make enough of a connection between her 
African heritage, her toddler suddenly becoming very congested after eating the 
cow's milk product, and her baby being congested and getting formula for half the 
day. I tried.
    She got a little resistant. I said that if I saw a mother doing something 
with her baby that wasn't safe, such as not using a car seat or leaving the 
baby unattended, I would make a big fuss. That is my job as a nurse, to tell 
people about things that promote health. I told her that breastfeeding was just 
as important as a car seat. She didn't know that she could breastfeed at night 
when she is with her baby, and use human milk substitutes during the day. It 
will feel good to her to sleep with her baby and nurse all night, especially 
when she leaves to return to paid employment. She will miss her baby, and can 
connect in sleep.
    It felt so good to speak truth!
    I will see her next week; we will see what happens.
    She tried breastfeeding lying down for the first time and loved it. Maybe 
that will substitute for giving the baby formula in bottles?
    warmly,

Nikki Lee RN, MS, Mother of 2, IBCLC, CCE
Craniosacral Therapy practitioner

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