Improving quality of breastmilk?

Okay, I know my breastmilk is the perfect food for my baby. But is
there any way to make it even better? A special diet, nutritional
supplements, etc.?

DS has neutropenia (lowered neutrophils -- particular white blood cells
-- in his blood) in addition to having a significantly constricted
trachea. Last night he was congested (could just be normal stuffiness
gor his age - 8 weeks - or could be he caught DD's cold) and had
trouble breathing a little; in fact, his apnea monitor went off and
everything at one point. The doctor said we can't "keep him in a
bubble" but should come close to it. So although I can handle all the
normal anti-germ/bacteria measures, I didn't know if there was anything
I could do to make my breastmilk even more effective. Is there?

Also, in my quest to keep everyone healthier so DS stays healthier,
would it make sense to give extra EBM to DD (22 mo) if she'll take it?
Can she benefit from my antibodies, too?

Thanks.

-Carlye
DS 6-2-06
DD 9-29-04

You could try taking acidophilus yourself, which goes along the good
bacteria theory of things, helping to build a healthy immune system. Have no
idea how it might go through to the breastmilk, whether you will produce
"better" or if Hale will get the tools to build his own immune system up.

Given excess milk to your DD is a jolly good idea! It will have many many
benefits for her.

Anne

Carlye wrote:
Okay, I know my breastmilk is the perfect food for my baby. But is
there any way to make it even better? A special diet, nutritional
supplements, etc.?

DS has neutropenia (lowered neutrophils -- particular white blood cells
-- in his blood) in addition to having a significantly constricted
trachea. Last night he was congested (could just be normal stuffiness
gor his age - 8 weeks - or could be he caught DD's cold) and had
trouble breathing a little; in fact, his apnea monitor went off and
everything at one point. The doctor said we can't "keep him in a
bubble" but should come close to it. So although I can handle all the
normal anti-germ/bacteria measures, I didn't know if there was anything
I could do to make my breastmilk even more effective. Is there?

Also, in my quest to keep everyone healthier so DS stays healthier,
would it make sense to give extra EBM to DD (22 mo) if she'll take it?
Can she benefit from my antibodies, too?

Thanks.

-Carlye
DS 6-2-06
DD 9-29-04


Eat Organic foods, the less your baby has to work to process the
chemicals, the more his body can work on the things it needs to.

I have auto immune issues and have had great success with it.

Here are some sources.

http://www.foodnews.org/index.php?key=nosign
http://www.ewg.org/

Jo

And Allison Joy, 11/25/04 (35 weeks, PIH, Pre-term labor)
"PattyMomVA" wrote in message
...
"Carlye" wrote and I snipped:
Okay, I know my breastmilk is the perfect food for my baby. But is
there any way to make it even better? A special diet, nutritional
supplements, etc.?

DS has neutropenia (lowered neutrophils -- particular white blood cells
-- in his blood) in addition to having a significantly constricted
trachea. Last night he was congested (could just be normal stuffiness
gor his age - 8 weeks - or could be he caught DD's cold) and had
trouble breathing a little; in fact, his apnea monitor went off and
everything at one point. The doctor said we can't "keep him in a
bubble" but should come close to it. So although I can handle all the
normal anti-germ/bacteria measures, I didn't know if there was anything
I could do to make my breastmilk even more effective. Is there?

Also, in my quest to keep everyone healthier so DS stays healthier,
would it make sense to give extra EBM to DD (22 mo) if she'll take it?
Can she benefit from my antibodies, too?

I don't remember of ways to make your breastmilk better, but I'm glad you
found the cause of DS's breathing issues.

As far as DD getting EBM, I'm sure she would benefit. I've read that a
child's immune system isn't fully developed until age 7, so she would get
a
boost in fighting off the germs in her environment.

WHO recommends breastfeeding until age 2, so 22 months is within the range.
Be aware, though, that if she's been drinking just cows milk, she may think
that breast milk tastes strange (the opposite problem to what I had when I
started giving my DD who had been used to EBM some cows milk), so you may
need to mix it or even flavor it to get her to take it at first.


Take care,
-Patty, mom of 1+2

Donna Metler wrote:
WHO recommends breastfeeding until age 2, so 22 months is within the range.
Be aware, though, that if she's been drinking just cows milk, she may think
that breast milk tastes strange (the opposite problem to what I had when I
started giving my DD who had been used to EBM some cows milk), so you may
need to mix it or even flavor it to get her to take it at first.


I knew WHO recommended breastfeeding until age 2, but I didn't know if
her immune system could still benefit, especially after a 10-month
break, hence the question. If it wouldn't help her resist bugs at all,
I figured I'd just keep freezing my excess EBM. And I'm sure she'll
think it tastes strange -- I figure we'll mix it with cow's milk and
even Hershey's syrup if need be to get her to drink it!

-Carlye

Jo wrote:
Here are some sources.

http://www.foodnews.org/index.php?key=nosign
http://www.ewg.org/

Thanks for those sources, Jo. We're severely limited here on the
organic foods we can get ahold of, but it looked like there was some
great information about both organic and non-organic foods on that
site. Thanks. :-)

-Carlye

The supplements you take come through your breastmilk, so anything you
want your milk to be rich in, take! Adelle Davis's book "Let's Have
Healthy Children" has recommendations for how much of each supplement
you should take. I followed it with my first two kids, before I got
too busy.

Leslie

"Carlye" wrote in message
oups.com...
Okay, I know my breastmilk is the perfect food for my baby.
But is
there any way to make it even better? A special diet,
nutritional
supplements, etc.?

DS has neutropenia (lowered neutrophils -- particular white
blood cells
-- in his blood) in addition to having a significantly
constricted
trachea. Last night he was congested (could just be normal
stuffiness
gor his age - 8 weeks - or could be he caught DD's cold) and
had
trouble breathing a little; in fact, his apnea monitor went off
and
everything at one point. The doctor said we can't "keep him in
a
bubble" but should come close to it. So although I can handle
all the
normal anti-germ/bacteria measures, I didn't know if there was
anything
I could do to make my breastmilk even more effective. Is
there?

I don't know about making breastmilk more effective in antibody
department, but I know that eating "good fats" is good because
they are passed through in your breastmilk. Essential fatty
acids are great for all around good health.

http://www.007b.com/breastfeeding_intelligence_diet.php

http://www.infactcanada.ca/fats.htm

Also, in my quest to keep everyone healthier so DS stays
healthier,
would it make sense to give extra EBM to DD (22 mo) if she'll
take it?
Can she benefit from my antibodies, too?

I don't see why she wouldn't benefit from it!!

-kim

"Carlye" wrote in message
oups.com...

Donna Metler wrote:
WHO recommends breastfeeding until age 2, so 22 months is within the
range.
Be aware, though, that if she's been drinking just cows milk, she may
think
that breast milk tastes strange (the opposite problem to what I had when
I
started giving my DD who had been used to EBM some cows milk), so you may
need to mix it or even flavor it to get her to take it at first.


I knew WHO recommended breastfeeding until age 2, but I didn't know if
her immune system could still benefit, especially after a 10-month
break, hence the question. If it wouldn't help her resist bugs at all,
I figured I'd just keep freezing my excess EBM. And I'm sure she'll
think it tastes strange -- I figure we'll mix it with cow's milk and
even Hershey's syrup if need be to get her to drink it!

Just to clarify, the WHO recommend breastfeeding -at least- until the age of
two, and beyond. The antibodies are still present and are beneficial at any
age; a child's immune system is not fully developed until the age of around
7. Antibodies are most concentrated in colostrum and toddler milk, but
they're always there.

--
Amy
Mum to Carlos born sleeping 20/11/02,
& Ana born screaming 30/06/04
http://www.freewebs.com/carlos2002/
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/ana%5Fj%5F2004/
My blog: http://spaces.msn.com/members/querer-hijo-querer-hija/

"Leslie" wrote in message
ups.com...

The supplements you take come through your breastmilk, so anything you
want your milk to be rich in, take! Adelle Davis's book "Let's Have
Healthy Children" has recommendations for how much of each supplement
you should take. I followed it with my first two kids, before I got
too busy.

Well, there are still limits to how much of a particular nutrient would be
in breastmilk, as breastmilk tends to be perfectly proportioned regardless
of the mother's diet. An exception to this would be a vegan mother who would
need B12 supplements or B12 fortified foods, as would any vegan or anyone
who was B12 deficient. Research found that iron levels in breastmilk were
similar regardless of the mother's own iron status, as the amount of iron in
breastmilk is not large, but is easily absorbed.
It would be easy to get hung up on creating the 'perfect' breastmilk, when
in reality it's rather difficult to create breastmilk that would be equal to
or inferior to formula.


--
Amy
Mum to Carlos born sleeping 20/11/02,
& Ana born screaming 30/06/04
http://www.freewebs.com/carlos2002/
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/ana%5Fj%5F2004/
My blog: http://spaces.msn.com/members/querer-hijo-querer-hija/