If you read our recent post titled “Toxic Breast milk”, then you know some of the background of my friend, Kathy, who came to the difficult decision to stop nursing her second child.  For those of you who didn’t read it, you may do so by clicking on “Toxic Breast milk? Part 1.”  Kathy’s message is not that formula-feeding is necessarily less toxic than, or superior to, nursing.  She is simply sharing her personal experience of having an above-average level of toxins in her body and, therefore, in her breast milk.  She’s also trying to raise awareness that through a mom’s diet, personal care products, and other factors, a mom is introducing toxins into her milk supply. Kathy has been generous enough to share a follow-up post, which is below.

I knew my post about toxic breastfeeding would be controversial but I hate to think that I made anyone feel demoralized.  For many, breastfeeding is best, but not for me and I do think mine is an important story.  It’s also America’s story and I believe the direction that our children are headed if we don’t start making healthier choices and forcing lawmakers to regulate chemicals in our beauty products, food, toys and items we use every day.

I believe my son is toxic because I nursed him, but only because I am especially toxic.  More so than other people and no one knows why.  Perhaps it’s DNA and my body doesn’t dump toxins as well as other people, or perhaps I was exposed to more chemicals than the average person.  What I do know is that if I don’t do something I could end up with an auto immune disease called Chrone’s and I am determined to reverse the damage if I can.

I have a precursor to Chrone’s Disease called Leaky Gut Syndrome.  This is not a disease that most Western doctors recognize.  They diagnosed me with Irritable Bowl Syndrome, which my own doctor admitted is a label “they” give when they don’t know what’s wrong.  They pump you full of steroids or remove part of your colon and tell you to eliminate stress and stop eating foods that trigger it.  Naturopaths call this Leaky Gut and say I can reverse the damage if I work hard to detox my body.  Leaky Gut Syndrome is caused by a toxic buildup of chemicals, pesticides, antibiotic or NSAID pain relievers that disrupt the intestinal flora.  The wall of the intestine becomes so caked in mucous and yeast (Candida) that tiny holes develop in the wall and allow food particles to enter the blood stream.  The body sees these food particles as foreign invaders and begins to attack, causing an allergic reaction to the food.

My first sign was 7-years ago when I suddenly, without warning, became allergic to gluten.  I was never officially diagnosed with Celiac disease because I didn’t want to put my body through an invasive colonoscopy when the only treatment is to avoid gluten.  Eliminating gluten solved the problem and though I missed bread terribly, I got used to it, and thought everything was fine.  It was fine for years, but then suddenly apples caused the same painful allergic reaction, then corn, peas, potato, beef, dairy, vinegar, onions, nuts and now any type of rice.

It is quite literally a chore to feed myself and I never know what will make my stomach hurt next.  I suffer from arthritis in my right hand when I eat something I shouldn’t and chronic insomnia.  I look back and think about what I wish I knew sooner.  How non-organic foods and beauty products literally poison your body and if I had known the pain it would cause I would have chosen an organic lifestyle a long time ago.  Luckily I am strong and I know I can heal this.  I hope you will follow my journey as I do.

Related Content:

• Toxic Breast milk?  Part 1.
• Our Internal Pollution

Below is the less traditional breastfeeding experience of my friend, Kathy.  The first time I heard the story, I thought it was fascinating (since I had never heard of an experience like this), and a story worth sharing.  I hope that this story leads other moms in similar situations to feel less alone, and to lead an even broader group of moms to be more compassionate towards those who are not breastfeeding.  I never thought I would think this before, but, breast is not always best.

My son is hyper.  We never realized how active he was until we had our second son, but now there’s no escaping it. Managing our 4-year-old’s extra energy is part of our daily routine, and it’s a constant battle. When he was a toddler I thought it was normal that he needed to go to the park every day and that he jumped off chairs and beds and couldn’t sit still for dinner.  Then his brother was born and it all become so clear.  This baby was calmer, a better sleeper, more content, less agitated.  Now of course, they are two different people with different temperaments, but there are also very clear signs that my younger son is healthier.  The difference?  I think its breastfeeding.

Now, before you say “No! The breast is best!” hear me out.  I absolutely believed that breastfeeding was best for my baby and was devastated when he was was diagnosed with a high palate.  No one could help.  The private lactation consultants, chiropractors and cranial sacral therapists could not get him to suck, and while I ignored the pediatrician’s pleas to give him formula, I finally understood that he was starving to death. So, after 8-weeks of struggling to nurse I threw in the towel and bought a can of Earth’s Best Organic formula.  I insisted on organic, as much as my heart hurt to do it and I am not one to easily give up.  Immediately he started to gain weight and was a happier baby, but I continued to beat myself up about not being able to breastfeed.   I nursed my oldest until he was 18-months and I was so proud of my accomplishment.  At this point my mother chimed in that it might not have been much of an accomplishment after all.    Many doctors believe the best way to detox a mother’s body is to nurse.  Apparently the chemicals from the mother go through the breast milk and straight into the baby, so if a woman is especially toxic, it’s extremely dangerous.  There are significant studies to prove it, like the Toxic Fire Retardants (PBDEs) in Human Breast Milk report from The Environment Working Group which shows American women have higher levels of brominated fire retardants in their breast milk than women in other parts of the world.   These fire retardants impair attention, learning, memory, and behavior in laboratory animals at surprisingly low levels and they are found in hundreds of products we use every day, including furniture, computers, TV sets and cars.

There’s no denying that my body is riddled with chemicals and I am working as hard on myself to get rid of them as I am on my son.  I have a host of health problems and sometimes I lie awake at night blaming myself for passing my problems onto an innocent child.  If I could just go back in time and give him formula would he be calmer?  Would he be happier?  My only comfort is knowing that I couldn’t have known.  Who would have thought? I will say that he and I do share a special bond.  Maybe it was the hours of nursing that brought us closer together, and I’m grateful for that, but I know now that my militant support of breastfeeding has changed.

Stunned by the creativity and beauty of all the styles below — from one piece of fabric, I purchased my first Angel Rox dress / top / skirt when I was pregnant last year.  It worked great with my expanding… everything… and looks even better with my shrinking everything.  It’s also the only dress I wear now that I’m nursing because I can wear it with nursing tops and still nurse more discreetly in public with this dress than with most others.

Click for Larger Image

As fate would have it, I ran into the founder of Angel Rox a few weeks ago at a Go Green Expo exhibit.  She is generously offering a 30% discount to readers of The S File.  Check out her store at www.angelrox.com and enter coupon code “SFile” at checkout!  You can check out video demonstrations of how to wear her wrap dresses : Angel Rox Video.  There are other beautiful options on her website as well.

As I have written in the past, I have discovered certain nursing tops with my second daughter that I was not aware of (or, maybe did not exist) during the nursing of my first daughter.  These tops provided me with much more freedom to leave the apartment because I can now very easily nurse discreetly.  With my first daughter, I rarely left my apartment because I was nervous about flashing the public with a sometimes uncooperative infant!

I first discovered them with YummyMummy (a retail store on the Upper East Side of Manhattan), who sells them for at least $69 per top.  I later discovered very similar Momzelle tops that provide the same functionality — and in organic Black — for $45 per top.  I’ve been using them for a few weeks and they’re great!  I ordered three different styles to try — long-sleeved, short-sleeved, and tank top — and I wear them all the time.  I love them, and the price tag as well!

Get a 10% discount if you use the discount code “SFile“ at Momzelle’s Website.  The offer expires 2010 December 31.  Let me know what you think if you try them!

Click below for a video explanation:

Related Content:

• Breastfeeding Mothers: My Must-Have Top!

I knew from my research 2.5 years ago when I had my first daughter that silicone bottle nipples were the healthiest choice.  However, recently, I have been reading that medical-grade silicone is the best because other, more harmful, chemicals are not added.  So, the search for these medical-grade silicone nipples began, which led me to discover delightful glass baby bottles by GreentoGrow and their medical-grade silicone baby bottle nipples.

I love these so much that I contacted the company to see if I could get my readers a discount.  Until 2010 July 31, The S File readers may get a 15% discount if you enter GREEN15 at www.greentogrow.com.  (I don’t financially benefit from GreentoGrow sales but I just like its products and value system.)

NOTE: My online store can only offer what Amazon.com sells, which sells BPA-free plastic bottles.  I prefer glass baby bottles, which have been harder to find.  For your convenience, however, the plastic baby bottles may be purchased by clicking below.  Check out TheSFile Store for more options.

With the birth of my most recent daughter (she’s 10 weeks old!), I recently discovered something that I really wish I knew about when I was nursing my first child 2.5 years ago: the Boob Long Sleeve Top!  Sold at YummyMummy, a store on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that provides a range of products and services that support nursing moms, this style top has a double-layer fabric design over the bust, allowing for discreet and comfortable nursing.

Yummy Mummy Boob Striped Sailor Top

With my first child, part of why I never left the home for the first 3-4 months was for fear of nursing in public.  Shortly before delivering my second child, a nursing friend introduced me to these style tops from YummyMummy and I stopped at the store right after I checked out of the hospital after delivering my youngest daughter.  The discretion it has provided me while nursing has also provided me with a lot more freedom to leave home since I am now much more comfortable nursing in public!  I highly recommend these types of tops to any nursing mom.

Note: My friend pointed out that she found the striped “sailor” tops to be more flattering than the solid colors.  I agree!  I’d recommend that you pay attention to the comparison if you go to the store to try them on.

Update on 2010 March 25:

I recently discovered very similar nursing tops at Momzelle.com and ordered a few (the organic fabric in black).  They work just as effectively as the YummyMummy tops but are only $50 versus the $69 tops at YummyMummy.  Readers of The S File may get a 10% discount if you use the discount code “SFile” at www.momzelle.com.  Let me know what you think if you try them!

Note: I have not received any discount or free items from either YummyMummy or Momzelle.  I just liked the nursing tops as a regular paying customer.

Related Content:

• Nursing Tops: My Newest Wardrobe Staple
• Beautiful Nursing Top / Dress / Cover
• Essentials for Infant Meals (including essentials for the nursing mom)