quote:

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Especially does responsibility rest upon the mother. She, by whose lifeblood the child is nourished and its physical frame built up, imparts to it also mental and spiritual influences that tend to the shaping of mind and character. It was Jochebed, the Hebrew mother, who, strong in faith, was "not afraid of the king's commandment" (Hebrews 11:23), of whom was born Moses, the deliverer of Israel. It was Hannah, the woman of prayer and self-sacrifice and heavenly inspiration, who gave birth to Samuel, the heaven-instructed child, the incorruptible judge, the founder of Israel's sacred schools. It was Elizabeth the kinswoman and kindred spirit of Mary of Nazareth, who was the mother of the Saviour's herald. {MH 372.1}

God had important work for the promised child of Manoah to do, and it was to secure for him the qualifications necessary for this work, that the habits of both the mother and the child were to be so carefully regulated. "Neither let her drink wine or strong drink," was the angel's instruction for the wife of Manoah, "nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe." The child will be affected for good or evil by the habits of the mother. She must herself be controlled by principle, and must practice temperance and self-denial, if she would seek the welfare of her child. {Te 90.3}

The work of the mother is very important and sacred. She should teach her children from the cradle to practice habits of self-denial and self-control. If her time is mostly occupied with the follies of this degenerate age, if dress and parties engage her precious time, her children fail to receive that education which it is essential they should have in order that they may form correct characters. The anxiety of the Christian mother should not be in regard to the external merely, but that her children may have healthy constitutions and good morals. {CH 606.2}

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Even so come, Lord Jesus
Linda

Smoking along with drinking are among the worst things you can do for your baby. Babies born to smoking mothers have a greater incidence of lower birth weights. The infants are more likely to suffer from respiratory and ear infections which are often aggravated by the continual contact with tobacco smoke after they go home.

There is also a possibility that limb defects can be caused by maternal smoking. There is an increased risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Studies are also showing that it increases bahavior problems in children.

Children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy are more likely to show the following:

• decreased newborn Apgar scores (if smoking more than one pack a day)
  
• decreased mental performance scoring at age one year
  
• decreased academic performance scores in the school-age child
  
• reduced IQ
  
• shorter stature (by one to two centimeters)
  
• smaller head circumference as infants
  
• increased learning difficulties (children were 25 percent more likely to have learning disabilities if their mother smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day)
  
• increased hyperactivity
  
• increased behavioral problems
  

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Previous studies already have linked maternal smoking to juvenile delinquency. And when researchers evaluated data collected on more than 4,100 Danish men born between 1959 and 1961 and the smoking records of their mothers, they found an increase in adult arrests that corresponded with maternal prenatal smoking. The association appeared strongest for persistent criminal behavior. It remained after researchers allowed for other risk factors for criminal activity, such as socioeconomic status, parental psychiatric hospitalization, and paternal criminal history. (Christine Kuehn Kelly)

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Here are some facts about FAS:

• FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation in western civilization. But... Most persons with FAS have an IQ in the normal range.
  
• The incidence of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in America is 1.9 cases per 1,000 births (1/500). Each year in the US 5,000 babies are born with FAS.
  
• Incidence of babies with disabilities resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure: 1/100! Ten times as many are born with alcohol related disorders.
  
• FAS/FAE is a major health issue in western civilization today. More American babies are born with FAS than with Down Syndrome, MD, and HIV combined.
  
• "Alcohol causes more neurological damage to the developing baby than another other substance." Institute of Medicine report to Congress
  
• FAS causes serious social and behavior problems.
  
• No amount of alcohol is known to be safe during pregnancy.
  
• Alcohol causes more damage to baby than any other drug.
  
• FAS and related conditions are 100% preventable.
  

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Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a series of mental and physical birth defects that can include mental retardation, growth deficiencies, central nervous system dysfunction, craniofacial abnormalities and behavioral maladjustment's. Fetal Alcohol Effect [FAE] is a less severe set of the same symptoms.

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Of FAE Individuals between the ages of 12 and 51:

• 95% will have mental health problems
  
• 55% will be confined in prison, drug or alcohol treatment centers or a mental institution
  
• 60% will have "disrupted school experience"
  
• 60% will have trouble with the law
  
• 52% will exhibit inappropriate sexual behavior
  

• 82% will not be able to live independently
  
• 70% will have problems with employment
  
• More than 50% of males and 70% of females will have alcohol and drug problems
  

She was trying to breast feed, but he wasn't nursing well. She kept telling me to look at his chin, that it didn't look normal, it receded too much. I felt so sorry for her, but I didn't know what was wrong. It was obvious, though, that something about her little boy wasn't normal. They moved soon after and I have never seen the child again.

It was in 1986, six years after our babies were born, that FAS was described and given a name. When I read that information my thoughts went back to that baby boy and I knew then what I had seen. A baby born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. His chances for a normal life were greatly diminished all because his mother liked to drink.

More information is available at these web sites:
http://www2.potsdam.edu/alcohol-info/FAS/FAS.html
http://come-over.to/FAS/

This page has a photo of an affected child.

________________________
Even so come, Lord Jesus
Linda

[This message has been edited by Linda Sutton (edited November 09, 2000).]

Chances are that almost any expert you ask-- your pediatrician, your obstetrician, your nurse-midwife-- will tell you that breastfeeding, not bottle feeding, is best for your new baby. But that doesn't mean it's always the right choice for every mother. And it's not necessarily an either-or proposition. Many mothers do both. Here's how the book "What to Expect the First Year" breaks down the advantages of both feeding methods.
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Breastfeeding Advantages

Customized Milk
Human breast milk contains at least 100 ingredients that are not found in cow's milk and cannot be replicated in the laboratory. In addition, the composition of breast milk constantly changes to keep up with the baby's needs.

Digestibility
Babies digest the protein and fat found in human breast milk much easier than the protein and fat in cow's milk.

Less Sodium and Protein
The higher sodium and protein levels found in cow's milk put extra stress on a newborn's developing kidneys.

Calcium Absorption
Human breast milk contains low levels of phosphorous, a mineral that tends to slow the absorption of calcium.

Reduced Allergy Risk
Babies are rarely allergic to their mothers' milk. But one out of 10 infants is allergic to cow's milk formula. Soy and hydrolysate formulas offer an alternative, but they have even less in common with human milk than cow's milk.

Reduced Risk of Constipation or Diarrhea
Breast milk has a laxative effect on the baby and as a result, few breast-fed babies get constipated. Breast milk also seems to help the baby's digestive system fight off the microorganisms that cause diarrhea.

Fewer Diaper Rashes
This advantage vanishes once the baby starts eating solid foods.

Healthier Babies
Nursing mothers pass along antibodies to their babies and those antibodies help build up immunity to disease. As a result, breast-fed babies tend to come down with fewer colds, ear infections and other diseases.

Sucking Satisfaction
Babies can continue sucking on an empty breast with no ill effects. On the other hand, sucking on an empty bottle fills babies' stomachs with air and makes them uncomfortable.

Better Mouth Development
A mother's nipple is a perfect fit for a baby's mouth. Bottle nipples cannot give an infant's jaws, gums and teeth as good a workout.

Convenience
Unlike formula, breast milk is always available, clean and at the right temperature.

Expense Factor
Breast milk is free. The costs of bottle feeding (bottles, nipples and formula) will add up over time.

Mother's Recovery
Breastfeeding helps the mother's uterus shrink back to pre-pregnancy size and helps her lose weight gained during pregnancy.

Enforced Rest
Breastfeeding forces the mother to take regular breaks, which are important during postpartum recovery.

Mother-Baby Bonding
This is the advantage that many mothers enjoy most. Breastfeeding gives the mother and her baby more opportunities to bond through eye contact, cuddling and cooing. Bottle feeding provides the same opportunities, but it doesn't require the mother to be around. Breastfeeding enhances the unique relationship between the mother and her child.

We can add the most important reasons of all:
[quote]The best food for the infant is the food that nature provides. Of this it should not be needlessly deprived. It is a heartless thing for a mother, for the sake of convenience or social enjoyment, to seek to free herself from the tender office of nursing her little one.

The period in which the infant receives its nourishment from the mother is critical. Many mothers, while nursing their infants, have been permitted to overlabor and to heat their blood in cooking; and the nursling has been seriously affected, not only with fevered nourishment from the mother's breast, but its blood has been poisoned by the unhealthy diet of the mother, which has fevered her whole system, thereby affecting the food of the infant. The infant will also be affected by the condition of the mother's mind. If she is unhappy, easily agitated, irritable, giving vent to outbursts of passion, the nourishment the infant receives from its mother will be inflamed, often producing colic, spasms, and in some instances causing convulsions and fits.

The character also of the child is more or less affected by the nature of the nourishment received from the mother. How important then that the mother, while nursing her infant, should preserve a happy state of mind, having the perfect control of her own spirit. By thus doing, the food of the child is not injured, and the calm, self-possessed course the mother pursues in the treatment of her child has very much to do in molding the mind of the infant. If it is nervous and easily agitated, the mother's careful, unhurried manner will have a soothing and correcting influence, and the health of the infant can be very much improved.

The more quiet and simple the life of the child, the more favorable it will be to both physical and mental development. At all times the mother should endeavor to be quiet, calm, and self-possessed. {AH 260-1}

I just noticed and correct a code problem in the title.

[This message has been edited by Linda Sutton (edited February 15, 2001).]

Less Frequent Feedings
Formula made from cow's milk takes longer to digest than breast milk. The curds it forms stay in the baby's stomach longer, allowing the baby to feel full for several hours. [Actually, that's not an advantage. Cow's milk protein is more difficult to digest.]

Easy Monitoring
Breastfeeding mothers sometimes have a hard time knowing how much their babies have eaten. Mothers who bottle feed can just look at the bottle for an accurate measure. [Too often, mothers end up trying to force a baby to drink a certain amount rather than relying of the baby to stop when full.]

More Freedom
Mothers who bottle feed find it easier to go places without their babies. Breastfeeding mothers can get away, but they need to express milk first so someone else can feed the baby later.

Fatherly Involvement
Bottle feeding gives fathers the opportunity to experience the kind of bonding that breastfeeding mothers keep to themselves. [There are other ways for fathers to bond with their infants rather than just holding a bottle in their mouths.]

Fewer Demands
Since anyone can bottle feed a baby, the entire workload does not have to fall on the mother. Although they may not always like it, fathers can handle three a.m. bottle feedings just as well as mothers.

More Fashion Options
Mothers who breastfeed have limited wardrobes. Dresses and blouses have to provide easy access for the baby. Mothers who bottle feed can wear whatever they like, if they're willing to cope with the damage done by baby drool and spit-up. [Since babies fed formula usually spit up much more than breast-fed babies.]

Dietary Freedom
Mothers who bottle feed don't have to worry about eating for two. They can eat and drink as they like without worrying about how it will affect their babies.

Public Acceptance
Many breastfeeding mothers are uncomfortable feeding their babies in public. It can be awkward and stressful, especially if the people around them don't seem to approve. Mothers who bottle feed don't have to deal with those pressures.

Sexual Freedom
The bodily and hormonal changes caused by breastfeeding often make it difficult for breastfeeding mothers to resume lovemaking. The mother and father of a bottle-fed baby will find they have fewer obstacles standing between them.

Most of these reasons to bottle feed are really non reasons when compared to the best reasons to breast feed rather than bottle feed. Most of them are the mother's advantage, not the infant's advantage.

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Even so come, Lord Jesus
Linda

Longer breast feeding may be good for the mother too.
Women who breast-feed their babies for two years or more cut their risk of breast cancer by 50 percent, a new study finds.

The Yale University study of women in rural China supports other research in China and the United States.

The researchers hope the findings will encourage more American women to breast-feed for longer periods of time.

In China and many other developing countries, breast-feeding for two years or more is the norm.

But in the United States, less than a third of mothers continue breast-feeding after their babies are 6 months old.

Researcher Tongzhang Zheng said women cannot control many risk factors for breast cancer, such as family history and environment.

But breast-feeding "is one factor people may be able to change," said Zheng, an associate professor of epidemiology and public health at the Yale School of Medicine.

The study did not explore reasons why breast-feeding lowers the risk of cancer.

But Zheng said one theory is that breast-feeding reduces exposure to estrogen and the regular female hormone cycles. Another theory is that fat-soluble carcinogens and pollutants are not stored as much in lactating breasts.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breast-feeding for the first year of life.

But women who try to breast-feed in public are subjected to leers, rude remarks and criticism, said Katherine Dettwyler, an associate professor of anthropology and nutrition at Texas A&M University, who has studied long-term breast-feeding.

"As long as our culture views breasts as sex objects, it's going to be difficult for women to breast-feed and have real lives," she said.

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The Lord is the strength of my life and my portion forever.

[This message has been edited by Cathy Sears (edited February 15, 2001).]

By Gailon Totheroh
CBN News Medical Reporter
July 26, 2001

Earlier evidence indicates a cow's milk protein found in many infant formulas as a cause of diabetes

CBN.com - In 1994, CBN News Medical Reporter Gailon Totheroh covered a story on initial research that raised serious health concerns about milk products given to babies. Now seven years later, more studies have come out confirming that report.

The earlier evidence indicated a cow's milk protein (BSA) found in many infant formulas as a cause of diabetes for some children — and not just any diabetes, but the most serious form, Type 1 which is also called juvenile diabetes.

This article contains an excerpt from that 1994 report and an interview update from Totheroh.

Nutrition scientist Dr. Woodrow Monte from Arizona State University is especially concerned about the children because his new research uncovered the BSA protein in powdered infant formulas.

"We found some pretty horrifying results actually. One of the most common used infant formulas has twice as much of this active agent as milk does," Dr. Monte said.

Monte worked primarily with nutrition researcher Dr. Carol Johnston on this study.

"We got interested because all of these investigations referred to cow's milk as a problem but none of them mentioned infant formula — and most infant formula sold in the United States is from cow's milk by-products," Johnston said.

Apparently research about the infant formula connection is something of a sacred cow.

"I think it's been done, but it hasn't been reported," Johnston said.

After all, there is big money at stake here.

In the case of diabetes, the body sees the BSA as a foreign substance and goes on a shooting spree targeted at BSA. The insulin-producing cells of the pancreas look, to the body, like BSA and get caught in the line of fire.

Monte says the research indicates that three things have to happen for this milk-induced diabetes to result.

First, there must be a genetic inclination. A person has to inherit the propensity toward it.

Second, exposure to BSA has to occur prior to about the sixth month of life — an age at which the body can identify BSA as a foreign substance.

Finally, an event has to take place, such as a disease or virus, which causes the immune system to gear up and produce the BSA-antibodies which destroy that part of the pancreas.

The resultant diabetes usually starts between the ages of eight and twelve but can occur as early as one year old or as late as thirty something.

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For I know that my redeemer liveth,
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.
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Linda