The Mook Report

I am still lurking on the lactation consultant listserv, learning about details of breastfeeding. There was a whole thread that went on for days about alternate uses of human milk - drops in the ear for ear infections, as a skin treatment for psoriasis, a cure for viral infections of the eye, etc. It has high immune properties, it seems, that even work topically. Fascinating.

Sprout continues to have regular bouts of eczema on his head - red, itchy, raised bumps, and we haven't figured out what causes it. We have been treating it with a whole spate of different medicated creams, including steroidal creams, which make me very nervous. The problems of bumps on his head is now compounded with the possibility that they are simply mosquito bites - and I don't really want to be putting steroidal cream on mosquito bites.

(The regular morning yoghurt shakes with flax oil seem to have helped somewhat, but have not put the eczema in abeyance, by the way.)

And so I thought, "What the heck." About two weeks ago, we stopped using medicated creams and have started putting breastmilk on his head bumps instead. The jury is still out on whether this is working or not, but with the bumps we've seen, the breastmilk seems to work as well as the steroids. Neither has sent the bumps away permanently yet, but they both make it more manageable and less itchy. And if I never have to use another steroid cream on Sprout's head, I'll be a happy camper.

Sprout is completely happy with this treatment too, since he gets to drink whatever 'mook' is left over. Try doing THAT with other kinds of medicine!