Hi Jay,

I was very interested in your post about the mom who is
immunocompromised offering milk to her 2.5 year old and drinking her
milk herself.  I just re-read an article by Coulam, Moyer, Jiang and
Zincke (1982) Breast-feeding After Renal Transplantation,
Transplantation Proceedings Vol 14, pp605-609.

The authors' first concern was the effect of the immunosuppresant
drugs on the infant (negligible amounts passed into milk), and the
immunocompetence of the mothers' milk.  They tested IgA levels in the
milk and found levels to be similar to mothers in the control group.

The last paragraph reads, "The concept of an immunosuppressed woman
producing potentially immunocompetent breast secretions is intriguing
and requires further study."

Wonder why they couldn't say "Human Milk".

Fascinating stuff,
Jeanne Fisher
Austin, TX