We had to take my son, 16 months to the ER early one morning because he was having a hard time breathing, (croup and RSV, but he is all better now). One of the routine questions that the resident asked was "Is he drinking whole milk or 2%?" I said he was just nursing, and that although he ate lots of cottage cheese, yogurt and other cheeses, he didnt drink cows milk. He replied with a wince and an "Ohhhh, I see....[wince]..... well even though you are still nursing, he still needs the fat in the whole milk to help with the mylean in the development of his brain"

Is that true?! I didnt think it was, but it is totally possible that I just missed that!?! and everything I have heard and read since says that kids dont need whole milk. Am I wrong?

If I am right, do you think I should write this resident (newbie doctor) a letter about fat content and importance of nursing beyond infancy? I have a link from Kellymom.com http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/milk/milkcalories.html that explains it pretty well, any other suggestions? I totally respect kellymom.com, but dont know how a Doctor will take to getting advice from a new mom (me) and a website.

thanks!
~Melissa :)

ps- start of letter:


Dr. Newbie Resident Doctor

I wanted to thank you for the excellent care my child received from you a few weeks ago when he was at the Hospital. I don’t know if you remember us or not, but we came to the emergency department early in the morning when our son was having a difficult time breathing; diagnosis was croup and RSV.

I was a little confused by something you asked, if DS was drinking whole milk or not; and I responded that he was still breastfeeding and ate quite a lot of cheese, yogurt and cottage cheese, but no cows milk. You then recommended that we start feeding him whole cows milk. I was a little surprised at this recommendation as I am still nursing him and was under the understanding that breast milk is whole milk. So I did some research and found the following information and thought I would pass it along to you.

Human breast milk has on average 22 kcal per ounce 1.2 grams of fat per ounce.
Whole cow milk has 19 kcal per ounce and 1 gram of fat per ounce.
Information taken from http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/milk/milkcalories.html

yes, your son absolutely needs whole milk at this age.

but unless you've been pumping and skimming the fat off, your milk is whole milk. :lol

Google the article "Milk, Does it Really do a Body Good?" by Dr. Jay Gordon.

It will totally reassure you, but I doub the doctor would be that impressed.

I think kellymom's link is a good one to send.

Hmmm, DS' ped said the opposite when he saw him at 14 months! :lol I was expressing concern because, at the time, DS was still sensitive to dairy and soy and I was worried what he should drink if my supply should drop during the pregnancy. His ped said not to worry about it, just nurse him as long as he can and if DS never drinks cow's milk that he will be fine. :)

He's just checking off a list in his head that the teachers at Med school gave him.

It's not just about calories and fat per ounce. It's also about types of fat. The myelin sheath development is VERY important, he's right on that count. But that is best served by the complex essential fatty acids such as DHA and ARA that are more abundant in human milk than cow milk. Seeing as how we have a more complex and larger brain than cows, you can see why our milk would have a higher proportion of fats and nutrients that support our brain development. Duh, newbie resident dude.

Now to concede a point about animal milk...if I had dolphin milk available, I'd be willing to give that rather than cow milk. Dolphins have big brains. :D

Here's another article to refer him to, explaining that the fat content of breastmilk increases over time.

http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/feeds/hscout/2005/09/06/hscout527765.html


You are right - breastmilk is whole milk, and then some!

If anyone asks, I'd just say "Whole!" and leave it at that.

yes, your son absolutely needs whole milk at this age.

but unless you've been pumping and skimming the fat off, your milk is whole milk. :lol


:lol

Well put!

Um, why would your HUMAN child need COW'S milk? That doesn't make much sense does it?

-Angela

Dude, your baby is getting whole milk. Duh!

go to www.notmilk.com
very interesting

As others have put it, he IS getting whole milk- whole human milk, not whole cow's milk!

As for "believing information you read on the internet" Kelly Bonyata (of kellymom.com) is an IBCLC who has put hours and hours of research into that website. She's also a really nice lady! (Ok, I've only met her online, but still.....)

I think your ped has never had that answer before and didn't know how to respond. My 2 y/o won't even try cow's milk (yep I tried, I know even know why) but BF's all the time. Our ped said that was great for him, and to give him water as well especially in the dry climate we are in.

Um, why would your HUMAN child need COW'S milk? That doesn't make much sense does it?

-Angela


EXACTUMUDNO!!! That bugs the living daylights outta me... uninformed docs - regardless of their experience. *sigh* Just have to stick to your guns!

He's wrong. Why would your son need milk from another specie to help him properly develop? Not many other people in this world drink cow's milk on a regular basis. Besides, cow's milk has been shown to increase the production of mucus, not exactly something you want for a child who's sick and having trouble breathing already. Plus it doesn't have the antibodies that your milk does, so if it replaces even some breastmilk your son will get less of the antibodies that he needs. Here's a link to a recent study that shows that the fat content increases in breastmilk as the child gets older.

http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/feeds/hscout/2005/09/06/hscout527765.html

go to www.notmilk.com
very interesting

Just what I was going to say....no one needs cows milk except baby cows. :lol

I agree with everyone who's already posted. Good luck educating that resident! :wink

My kids rarely "drink" milk and their cheese/yogurt consumption varies. Dd weaned at 20 months (40 months ago) and ds just weaned last month at 32 months... they are both extremely healthy. :D No cow's milk necessary- although we do cook with it and such, we just don't believe it's a health food drink. :lol

Maybe he would take an abstract from a peer-reviewed journal?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16140689&query_hl=3&itool=pubmed_docsum

Pediatrics. 2005 Sep;116(3):e432-5.

Fat and energy contents of expressed human breast milk in prolonged lactation.

Mandel D, Lubetzky R, Dollberg S, Barak S, Mimouni FB.

Department of Neonatology, Lis Maternity Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical
Center, Tel Aviv, 64239, Israel. dmandel@post.tau.ac.il

OBJECTIVE: To estimate fat and energy contents of human milk during prolonged lactation. METHODS: Thirty-four mothers, of term, healthy, growing children, who had been lactating for >1 year (12-39 months) were recruited. Control subjects were 27 mothers, of term infants, who had been lactating for 2 to 6 months. Fat contents of the milk samples were estimated as creamatocrit (CMT) levels. Energy contents of the milk were measured with a bomb calorimeter. RESULTS: The groups did not differ in terms of maternal height and diet, infant birth weight, gestational age, or breastfeeding frequency. They differed significantly in terms of maternal age, maternal weight, and BMI. The mean CMT levels were 7.36 +/- 2.65% in the short-duration group and 10.65 +/- 5.07% in the long-lactation group. The mean energy contents were 3103.7 +/- 863.2 kJ/L in the short-duration group and 3683.2 +/- 1032.2 kJ/L in the long-duration group. The mean CMT levels and mean energy contents were correlated significantly with the duration of lactation (R2 = 0.22 and R2 = 0.23, respectively). In multivariate regression analysis, CMT levels (or energy contents) were not influenced by maternal age, diet, BMI, or number of daily feedings but remained significantly influenced by the duration of lactation. CONCLUSIONS: Human milk expressed by mothers who have been lactating for >1 year has significantly increased fat and energy contents, compared with milk expressed by women who have been lactating for shorter periods. During prolonged lactation, the fat energy contribution of breast milk to the infant diet might be significant.

PMID: 16140689 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

I haven't read any of the other responses, but here is my answer(s): So, in that "doctor"'s professional, "learned" *opinion*, all human babies must drink the milk of a bovine in order to develop correctly?!?! Hmmmmmmmmmmm, how *very, VERY* interesting....... I sure wonder what medical college he hails from!!!! Wait, let's go over that again- so, human milk from a human mother to her human baby will not allow that human baby to develop, but milk from another species will. And not just any ol' species, not a kangaroo, not a field mouse, not a gazelle, not a horse, not a goat, not a dog, not a bear..... has to be a cow. If this is this guy's thought process, then I truly fear for his patients- thought almighty medical school students were chosen for their ability to see the big picture and think through things critically, taking all info into account and thinking quick on their feet. Not just spewing from the mainstream paradigm. "Everybody does it (even though they are wrong...) so let's force an explanation onto it." And he's an **ER** doc?!?!? ER, where things happen fast?!?! Quick, correct thinking is mandatory?!?!?

Ok, that was a fun rant. My pediatrician has mentioned each time we go in that it is best to keep my children away from cow's milk. Completely and utterly. Beams with happiness that I nurse them until they wean themselves.

I'm glad your little one is feeling better. And that you have the presence of mind to question the "authority" of medical staff. Good for you!

p.s. I think that is superb that you are willing to take the time and effort to inform this newbie doc. If you do, you are helping so many women and babies who will come after you! I like the idea of the peer reviewed article; I've personally had several doctors poo-poo the idea of gleaning information from the internet. They shut up when I tell them it was from PubMed LOL!!!

Boy, if that's the case, my 2.5 year old should be no where near as intelligent as she is. She's never had an once of cow's anything in her life. Being vegan, I hope she never does. The fact is human milk is for human babies, and cow's milk is for calfs. Plain and simple. Your child does not need any dairy from cows, ever. It is just a matter of personal choice. Do kids need the fat? Absolutely. Brain development does depend on it. But, cow's milk is not the only way. When dd started solids, I depended on avacados a great deal and now she eats a ton of nuts. There are other ways to get healthy fats into a child's diet in addition to your perfect breastmilk.

yes, your son absolutely needs whole milk at this age.

but unless you've been pumping and skimming the fat off, your milk is whole milk. :lol



what she said. :bouncy