Hi! Me again. There is now a USENET group for Jewish families: soc.culture.jewish.parenting. She should go there to look for 'net friends. Rachael > I have been following the bris contributions with interest as a > couple of years ago I heard Gene Cranston Anderson give a talk at > Georgetown on gentle care of the newborn, and the need to prevent > crying. She was taking about the stress extreme crying puts on a > baby's cardiovascular system and how it might cause blood to shunt > through the incompletely closed foramen ovalae (the opening between the > two atria of the heart used in foetal circulation), possibly interfering > with the closure process. Apparently it closes by about day 7, but she > quoted a study of young adult males which showed an amazing percentage > who had incompletely closed foramen avalae. > > She was talking about these young adults as babies who would have > been separated from their mothers into nurseries, but it also made > me wonder about the role of circumcism in the first few days of life. It > also made me wonder why bris is performed at day 8 (after the foramen > ovalae has closed?) Is this yet another case of wisdom based traditional > practice? > > While I've got the Jewish Lactnet audience attention - I am > currently in contact with a young breastfeeding mother who tells me > that they are the only orthodox Jewish young family in Hobart. This and > total deafness contributes to isolation. However, she is on the > internet. She would love contact with other Jewish mothers of young > families - particularly orthodox. Please email me privately and I'll > pass any messages and email addresses on to her. > > Ros Escott > Tasmania, Australia