Riordan & Auerbach's 2nd edition has a nice section on breastfeeding the ill child. At page 639 they write, "If the baby is willing to take anything by mouth, it should be breastmilk.... *1* In the past, many health professionals advised that even BF infants should be taken off milk products in the event of vomiting and diarrhea; however, this is no longer thought to be true, nor is human milk part of, or identical to, cow's milk and other dairy products. Because infants digest breastmilk rapidly, even one who is vomiting regularly will absorb some of the nutrient and fluids of the milk before it is regurgitated. The most appropriate management includes continued BF with or without solids, as determined by the child's willingness to eat. Only a formula-fed infant requires a reduction or elimination of milk feedings if the diarrhea persists or worsens. *2* *1* Ruuska T: Occurrence of acute diarrhea in atopic and nonatopic infants: the role of prolonged breastfeeding. J. Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 14:27-33, 1992. *2* Brown, KH: Dietary management of acute childhood diarrhea: optimal timing of feeding and appropriate use of milks and mixed diets. J Pediatr 118:S92-8, 1991. Liz Brooks, JD, IBCLC Wyndmoor, PA, USA _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html