Breastmilk contains stem cells

mommy~to~a~bunch wrote: http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20081102-16879.html



All the more reasons to breastfeed!!

holley79 replied: Thanks for the info.

It's very unfortunate that some can't that really want to.

mommy~to~a~bunch replied: Yes, that's true. I guess it also depends on how dedicated one is to it too.

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
No, not really....Not everyone can breastfeed. It doesn't matter how dedicated you are to it, some circumstances just don't allow for it.

Interesting, though... I wonder if there will be a bigger market for it now?

My3LilMonkeys replied: Another good thing about it - a (hopefully) less controversial way to complete their stem cell research!

mommy~to~a~bunch replied:
The actual number of women who truly can't BF is very, very small. Like I said, it depends on how much someone wants to, regardless of the circumstances. Just because someone has to work doesn't mean they can't BF.

mommy~to~a~bunch replied:
Yeah, I won't go there. That's a whole other topic.

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
Mollie, someone who adopts obviously doesn't breastfeed. Someone with a mastectomy obviously does not breastfeed. Someone with medical problems lactating does not breastfeed.

Dedication does NOT have anything to do with it, and perhaps reword yourself so as not to make the mothers who could not breastfeed for one reason or another feel badly. I could not breastfeed Zacharie properly, it does not mean I was any less dedicated, and i really don't appreciate being told that I was not dedicated.

Maybe that is not your intent, to make me feel badly, but that's how you are coming across. Circumstances play a lot into it, and not you or anyone can judge someone on their circumstances and their ability to breastfeed.

Our Lil' Family replied:
Well said Rocky.

PrairieMom replied:
I will step right up there and say that I am one that really really tried, and just couldn't do it. It isn't as easy for everyone. Molly, you weren't here for my whole BF saga, but the ladies that are here that went through it with me will be the first ones to say that I really did everything I could.
Its been a year and a half since I stopped, and I still can't look at my pump with out starting to tear up.
Anyway, sorry, OT.

stella6979 replied:
People should not be judged.....period. Regardless of whether they can't breastfeed or just choose not to, it is their right as a Parent to make these decisions for themselves.
With that being said...don't let anyone make you feel badly Rocky.

holley79 replied:
Didn't have anything to do with dedication. My sister is a police officer. It was either dry up so she could wear her vest or BF and possibly make her child an orphan. I also know other people how have had serious stuff happen back to back to back and they dried up due to stress. They researched and looked at how to still continue to BF and were UNABLE to. They talked to people and everything and it just wasn't happening.

Maybe reword at times...

PrairieMom replied:
I just think that we are a bit sensitive on the subject since we all do the very best we can for our children, and in MY case, I feel like I failed my child in that area, so I take statements like that very much to heart.

FWIW, I don't feel that Molly was trying to be hurtful.

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
Neither do I, which is why I suggested rewording. I looked at the post in another light.

mckayleesmom replied: I wouldn't let her words upset you guys....You know your circumstances and what you went through and how hard you tried...Heck...even if you chose not to breastfeed at all...its your right, your body, your choice.....It doesn't make you any less of a good parent, so let it slide off your shoulders.

coasterqueen replied:
This is good philosophy for all of us to follow. If we are confident in what we've done as parents, the choices we've made, etc nothing should make us feel bad about what we do - no matter how it's said or presented to you.

mckayleesmom replied:
Exactly...I was really upset for months after I had to stop breastfeeding my son after my gallbladder surgery....they had me on so many meds and one of them was especially toxic for babies if I had breastfed.....For along time I felt guilty, but that went away a long time ago....it just wasn't in the cards at the time. Today my son is happy and healthy and perfect....so I have no regrets anymore.

lisar replied:
I agree Rocky.

I COULDNT breastfeed with Lexi. I was given a medicine that would travel thru the breast milk and to her. So therefor I WASNT ALLOWED. I had to have this medicine basically to save my life. So I chose that over breastfeeding.

And with Raygen I didnt get to hold her until she was 3 days old. And well my milk pretty much went away quickly. And the formula they had her on had more calories in it than my breast milk would have and she needed those extra calories. Weighing it at 3 pounds she needed everything she could get.

~Roo'sMama~ replied:
exactly what I was thinking! It sounds great to me ~ I for one would be ecstatic if they could (and would) just go to using breast milk for stem cell research.

lisar replied:
I dont believe this. WHY??? Because Lexi is gifted and she wasnt breastfed. Austin is gifted and he wasnt breastfed. Micah my 22 year old cousin graduated with honors and is now in college wasnt breastfed.
I think its just the people they chose to study. An acurate result would be to test EVERY BABY in the world. Not just a couple hundred. Thats not accurate to me.

MommyToAshley replied:
I was going to say the same thing. I found the information in the article to be interesting... it opens up a ton of possibilities.

lisar replied:
Thanks. I get touchy on these kinds of topics. Thanks for the reality check.

coasterqueen replied:
Whether you feel that way or not, results/studies cannot be done on ALL babies. Science is based on studies done on control groups and noncontrolled groups and all factors are taken into consideration to come up with the results that are given. That's basically science and how it works with everything.

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
It's no different than saying kids who listen to Mozart have a 10 pt average higher than kids who don't...

it's all perspective...and for every report going one way, you can find one going the next. No skin off my back, don't let it peel yours.

coasterqueen replied:
It's really not just perspective, it's how science is. Or at least that's how I gathered it from all my highschool/college science courses.

lisar replied:
It dont, I was just stating my opinion on it. Thats why I dont rely on research like that to make decisions in my life. I go by what I see and what can be proven to me.

MommyToAshley replied: I happen to agree that there are many benefits from BF, but I also see Lisa's point about the studies. I know we make a lot of conclusions based on "scientific controlled studies", but I think there are alot of other factors that can come into play... like genetics and environmental factors.

lisar replied:
Thank you.... You say it better than I do.

coasterqueen replied:
I wholeheartedly agree 100%

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
Sorry that's what i kinda meant by perspective...

HuskerMom replied:
Thank you! Well said!

mommy~to~a~bunch replied:
Those are the very, very small numbers I was talking about. And yes, some adoptive moms DO breastfeed, even though they still have to supplement. So are successful at it, some aren't.

It was not my intention to make anyone feel bad. Boy, I seem to do a lot of that. I do think that BFing takes some amount of dedication, otherwise moms give up way too easily. I am VERY dedicated to it. None of my girls EVER received a bottle of formula or expressed milk. I'm quite proud of that, and I think it's because I was dedicated, more so than I was with my boys, whom were formula fed, because I didn't know better, and I thought I knew what I was doing. And I regret that to my very soul. I can't change the past, all I can do is do better now, and I am.

Calimama replied: That's awesome!! Breast milk is pretty amazing!

lisar replied:
Just curious but what would you say to someone who Couldnt breast feed?

mommy~to~a~bunch replied:
Why couldn't she breastfeed? What was the problem? Like she tried & just couldn't do it? Baby wouldn't latch? I need more info.

ZandersMama replied: My oldest son Zander never had a bottle. He had me, and he nursed until after his first birthday. His decision to wean, he just wasnt interested anymore.

With Zavier everything was differant. I was pumping, I couldnt hold him for weeks and when I could he was still to small to latch properly. By the time I had him home he would scream if anything other then a bottle was put in his mouth (or his thumb ) He hated it and WOULD NOT breastfeed. My nipples cracked and bled from the pump. I tried medication to up my milk supply that had more nasy side effects then i care to discuss.
I failed.
I feel like a failure.
And when it is said that it takes dedication, I feel like more of a failure. I know that it wasnt anyones intention to make anyone feel that way. But i WAS dedicated. I went through heck trying to establish a BF relationship with him, and my relationship with Zavier suffered for a long time because I felt like I had failed him.
not all of us manage to make it work. And its not because of a lack of determination or dedication , it just didnt work.

lisar replied:
Say she was put on a medicine right after the childs birth. Had to stay on this med for 4months for her own life. And it would have been transfered to the baby thru the breast milk. She was only 21 and didnt think to ask about an alternative med. And say single Mom.

MomToJade&Jordan replied: No amount of dedication stopped me from drying up on Jordan while my grandfathers died and my marriage fell apart around me. Oh I tried I really did. I was on Kellymom and everything. In the end nothing I did helped and I had to FF her. Trust me I am a big supporter of Bfing. If I am somehow blessed with another child I will do it again. Sometimes even a dedicated mom has to stop because of circumstances out of their control. I managed to nurse Jordan for 5 months and I was happy with that. Now she is a smart funny and happy 2 year old. I am fine with the choice I had to make.

coasterqueen replied:
I'm not Mollie, but I'd ask a lot of the same questions as her. Almost every time there is another medicine out there that the mother can take that will allow her to BF. It's rare that you'd have to take one that would not allow you to nurse. The problem is doctors aren't educated enough when it comes to BF and medications and they don't know what the mother can and cannot take - therefore telling the mother they have to stop nursing to take the med. It's really sad that docs do this.

mommy~to~a~bunch replied:
OK, that would be in that small percentage who can't BF then.

lisar replied:
Yea me.....Which is why I get so upset when people say alot of things about it

coasterqueen replied: I don't think Mollie is trying to say that it's all about dedication, but there are a lot of factors. One major one is not having the knowledge or resources to help one BF. Most women go straight to their doctor for advice, which is the last place I'd ever go because they have no knowledge (most don't). Another is not having a support system. If you do not have a support system to help you conquer all the difficult problems then you are more than likely not going to succeed. Yes, determination/dedication plays a part in all of this. There were so many times, with all the horrible things I went through nursing my girls that I could ahve just said "ok, I tried my best, now I'm done", but I didn't -- I dealt with all the horrible things and moved on. Some women just aren't up for doing that -- that is where dedication/determination takes place.

mommy~to~a~bunch replied:
Thanks Karen, that's what I was trying to say. I'll stay out of this now.

coasterqueen replied:
Are you 100% positive there wasn't another medication you could have taken so you could have BF? I don't think anyone is calling you a failure or not dedicated because you had to take a med that you were told by your doc was either that or nursing. More than likely you got bad advice from your doctor -- that doesn't make you a failure. It just means you weren't given good advice or the knowledge to seek out more information on it. A lot of times, at least on the BF board I was apart of at one time, there were numerous women who would come to the board and say their doc told them it was a med or nursing and they would come to us to find whatever way possible they could to be able to nurse.

lisar replied:
The med I was on then I couldnt breast feed. I was 21 and a single first time mother. I was just happy at the moment that I could pay my bills with a child. I never thought to ask about another medicine. Which is why I know some people are gona tear me apart about it.

coasterqueen replied:
Why do you think anyone is going to tear you apart? Why do you feel like a failure or get upset when someone tells you the TRUTH about BF if you feel you did the best you could? I get so confused on why people get defensive about something they feel they did the best they could at.?.

Sure, you want the truth? If you were more mature at the time, had a support system, had knowledge yourself and from doctors, you more than likely could have found another drug that would have allowed you to BF. Does that make you a bad person because you didn't have all these things? No. You should not get defensive about something YOU made a choice to do. Only you live with your choice and not me or anyone else can truly make you feel guilty or offended by it. Only you can because of something inner to your feelings.

When people speak the truth about BF, they aren't doing that to hurt anyone. I have had so many women thank me for being truly honest with them because even though they didn't get it the first time, with their second, third, etc they were able to because they were more mature, more knowledgeable and learned not to trust the doctors as much. There is nothing wrong with that.

Even Mollie isn't afraid to admit she didn't have those things the first few times around but when she finally did get the knowledge, understanding, truth she was able to make it a succesful one.

I, for the life of me, don't understand why people get offended by the truth. Yes, the truth hurts sometimes, but start standing up for the choices you made and determine if they were the right ones or the wrong ones and move on and learn from it.

lisar replied:
Thanks and nothing I said was aimed at you personally. Certain people not just on this board think that only one was is the correct way and think that people should do things one way. And no mollie I am not talking about you. So please dont think I am. And thats the part that mostly gets me upset and defensive. I understand that EVERYONE makes the best decision they know how to make when they make it. With that said, I did learn a few more things with this conversation. Thanks for that everyone.

coasterqueen replied: Lisa,

I am not sure what you mean by thinking one was is the only way. While I might think one way is the only way -- it's the only way for my family.

The only "way" for you or anyone else is YOUR way.

lisar replied:
I will PM you.....

PrairieMom replied:
For ME the problem lies in the fact that stopping BF was a decision that was really made FOR me, by my child, body and circumstance, not one that I feel that I actually made. I WANTED to BF more, and I am really sad that I couldn't. So, I know that I did the best that I could, but I am sad that it wasn't enough. Make sense?
This is way OT, as per usual in BF threads.
For the record, I'm not mad or hurt or what ever by statements made by people here, but it just opened a tiny wound for me, and I'm a bit sad bout it today.

lisar replied:
as long as you did what was best for you and your family then there shouldnt be anything to be upset about. Sorry you fell this way.

coasterqueen replied:

holley79 replied: I think bottom line is everyone does what they can for their children. They do what they feel is best for their child. As long as you have the best interest of your child then you are NOT a failure. If you give it your all and it doesn't happen then it doesn't make you any less dedicated. I don't think any less of anyone whether they chose to BF or FF. Totally up to the mother. I chose to BF. A good friend of mine chose to FF from the beginning. My sister the decision was made for her by her career field. Carrie Ann's body failed her. I BF Annika for almost 2 years. Carrie Ann for 5 and you know what, there isn't one darn difference between our girls. In fact if you were in the same room with them you would think they were seperated at birth.

kimberley replied: hugs to Tara and all those who feel they failed. None of us are failures... just stop and look at all the pictures of happy, pudgy, intelligent babies/kids we see in every post. i might have breastfed but i had a very tumultuous marriage and financial situation that was "bad" for my kids.

we all "fail" in some way because we are HUMAN and we all want perfection for our kids because we love them so much. but we will never be perfect so instead, just look at your kids and judge by their happiness. see how amazingly they let stuff roll off their backs and their ability to be genuinely happy a second after tears. they forgive and forget. i love kids!

breastfeeding might be best but not breastfeeding does not make anyone less of a loving parent. there are other reasons people don't breastfeed that are emotional. we have no right to judge until we've walked a mile in their shoes.

PrairieMom replied:
thanks.

After stewing on it most of the day I have come to the conclusion that Its not that I "failed" so much as that I am PO'd that I didn't get something that I really wanted.

kimberley replied: you crack me up! i am the same when i don't get what i want lol. shoulda seen be after jade's birth.. i was ready to roll every head in the hospital

MyBabeMaddie replied: I've mentioned before that I'm currently on a Stem Cell transplant Unit at the hospital - These people mostly have Leukemia or Lymphoma... I never understood the whole Stem Cell concept until I saw my first stem cell transplant and asked the nurse doing it - I thought the cells being transferred were from umbilical cord or embryonic stem cells - Actually stem cells are general terms for unspecialized cells for any part - The stem cells being transferred on these units are usually self-donated or from a sibling not from an aborted fetus, as with most "stem cell" projects.

mommy~to~a~bunch replied: I am so sorry this post got out of hand. I never meant to hurt anyone, I swear! No one is a bad mom for not BFing. I didn't BF my boys, so that helped me learn to be better educated about it for the next time. I was in a totally differnt situation, my boys are from my first marriage, I moved 3 hours away, etc. I was so much more determined to make it work with Hannah, and it did. I found the Internet, support boards, a support group, etc. and Hannah nursed until she was over 4 years old. I nursed her through my pregnancy with Kayla, and tandem nursed them for over 2 years, until I got pregnant with Abby, then they both weaned. Abby is still nursing strong at 13 months old.

As long as you are doing your best for your circumstances and your health, that's all that matters.

I apologize again to anyone that I offended or hurt .

MomToJade&Jordan replied:
This is so true which is funny and kind of scary at the same time.

emiliosmom replied: I am coming in late but I am excited to see what the possibilities are for research , as far as the debate about BF goes, you can only make the decisions with the info you have, needs you have and desires you have. No mom should feel inferior for any choice and no one should be able to make you feel like that, be confident !