The Breast Milk Cocktail
(washingtonpost.com)
By Elizabeth Agnvall
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, March 18, 2003; Page HE01
"...From doctors to parenting magazines to books to the buzz around the block, there seemed to be no consensus about the effects of alcohol and caffeine that babies might receive through breast milk. It was another example of the sort of medical advice about which experts are deeply divided, yet none seem able to justify except by the sort of anecdotal observation that they reject from others.
Determined to get to the bottom of the issue, I set out to delve into the scientific studies, find the best researchers and seek the answers so many breast-feeding moms want: Can we have our morning cup of coffee? Can we have an occasional glass of wine?" [The writer talks to a lot of experts and despite lots of evidence that it's ok to drink alcohol or coffee in moderation, she concludes that her pediatrician is right with rule number one, "Do No Harm." Too bad pediatricians everywhere aren't as cautious about the use of infant formula... - JC]
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
Monday, March 17, 2003
De'Ja enters a world with a fragile future
" Doctors also start talking about a step that Tonya prayed they wouldn't have to take: mixing methadone into De'Ja's milk. While methadone would ease the baby's withdrawal symptoms, she'd have to spend two to four weeks in the hospital - without her mother - so doctors could slowly wean her off the drug.
Without methadone, De'Ja's body is in shock, says Dr. Adel Abdallah, a neonatologist at Riverside. Babies in the womb can get as much as 40 to 50 percent of a mother's methadone dose, Abdallah says, but only 2 to 3 percent through breast milk - and so far De'Ja has refused to nurse.
"Her system is set to this high level, and then it comes down really quickly," Abdallah says. "That can make a baby miserable.""
[This is a shockingly frank feature about the struggles of babies born to addicts - JC]
" Doctors also start talking about a step that Tonya prayed they wouldn't have to take: mixing methadone into De'Ja's milk. While methadone would ease the baby's withdrawal symptoms, she'd have to spend two to four weeks in the hospital - without her mother - so doctors could slowly wean her off the drug.
Without methadone, De'Ja's body is in shock, says Dr. Adel Abdallah, a neonatologist at Riverside. Babies in the womb can get as much as 40 to 50 percent of a mother's methadone dose, Abdallah says, but only 2 to 3 percent through breast milk - and so far De'Ja has refused to nurse.
"Her system is set to this high level, and then it comes down really quickly," Abdallah says. "That can make a baby miserable.""
[This is a shockingly frank feature about the struggles of babies born to addicts - JC]
Friday, March 14, 2003
The food industry just loves its broccoli
By Thomas Lee Post-Dispatch
updated: 03/13/2003 10:55 PM
"Dennis Gierhart is a big fan of the stuff most kids - and more than a few adults - dread at dinner time: spinach, broccoli, collard greens. But those much-maligned vegetables might yet get their day in the sun. Gierhart believes that zeaxanthin, a compound found in green leafy vegetables, along with some fruits and eggs, can help to prevent an eye disease that causes blindness in people 55 and older. Such a benefit, however, might not be enough to convince broccoli haters. So, Gierhart, chairman and chief executive of ZeaVision LLC in St. Louis, envisions a line of tasty foods and beverages that contain the appropriate amounts of zeaxanthin. "I think this is going to be the new frontier in the food industry," he said. Gierhart has good reason to think big. Functional foods, also known as nutraceuticals, have attracted considerable interest from the U.S. food-and-beverage industry." [Good business overview of the industry; mentions DHA and ARA in infant food. - JC]
By Thomas Lee Post-Dispatch
updated: 03/13/2003 10:55 PM
"Dennis Gierhart is a big fan of the stuff most kids - and more than a few adults - dread at dinner time: spinach, broccoli, collard greens. But those much-maligned vegetables might yet get their day in the sun. Gierhart believes that zeaxanthin, a compound found in green leafy vegetables, along with some fruits and eggs, can help to prevent an eye disease that causes blindness in people 55 and older. Such a benefit, however, might not be enough to convince broccoli haters. So, Gierhart, chairman and chief executive of ZeaVision LLC in St. Louis, envisions a line of tasty foods and beverages that contain the appropriate amounts of zeaxanthin. "I think this is going to be the new frontier in the food industry," he said. Gierhart has good reason to think big. Functional foods, also known as nutraceuticals, have attracted considerable interest from the U.S. food-and-beverage industry." [Good business overview of the industry; mentions DHA and ARA in infant food. - JC]
Thursday, March 13, 2003
Mother breastfed baby with friends milk
CFCNplus.ca
13/03/2003
"Many women choose to breastfeed their babies. It’s a healthy choice for babies, and many mothers look at it as a special way of bonding with their child. One-year-old Madeline was breastfed; first by her mother Cherilyn Michaels, and then by her mother's friends. You see, Cherilyn got very sick, and could no longer breastfeed. Her friends heard about her dilemma and those who could, donated some of their own breast milk in baby bottles. “If she was getting donated breast milk she'd be all cuddly. She'd act like she was nursing. She'd fall asleep readily. Where as with formula, it was fine, but she'd drink it down like it was apple juice. It made a huge emotional difference to her,” said Michaels. “Even being breastfed through a bottle, there's something in it that could comfort her better than just formula in a bottle,” said milk donor Lindsay Rock. However, formula is safer, because there are risks of spreading disease through breast milk. Donating breast milk, through breast-milk banks, used to be a much more common practise. There’s a milk bank in Vancouver that is considered to have a safe supply and it will ship milk outside the city. "
CFCNplus.ca
13/03/2003
"Many women choose to breastfeed their babies. It’s a healthy choice for babies, and many mothers look at it as a special way of bonding with their child. One-year-old Madeline was breastfed; first by her mother Cherilyn Michaels, and then by her mother's friends. You see, Cherilyn got very sick, and could no longer breastfeed. Her friends heard about her dilemma and those who could, donated some of their own breast milk in baby bottles. “If she was getting donated breast milk she'd be all cuddly. She'd act like she was nursing. She'd fall asleep readily. Where as with formula, it was fine, but she'd drink it down like it was apple juice. It made a huge emotional difference to her,” said Michaels. “Even being breastfed through a bottle, there's something in it that could comfort her better than just formula in a bottle,” said milk donor Lindsay Rock. However, formula is safer, because there are risks of spreading disease through breast milk. Donating breast milk, through breast-milk banks, used to be a much more common practise. There’s a milk bank in Vancouver that is considered to have a safe supply and it will ship milk outside the city. "
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