Breast Is NOT Always Best...

[ElijahsMommy58]

Just a little info for you:

I've never breast fed my son. I've never even attempted. I've never even pumped my breastmilk for him. So is your first thought of me a selfish mother who doesnt want to do whats best for her newborn child? Because that is not the case!

I do realize that in the majority of cases, breast milk is the best thing for a child. But not mine. There are some people out there who cannot breast feed due to medical conditions and I am one. I was advised by several specialists not to breastfeed.

My Grandmother, Fuji Tonigawa, was full Japanese. She had Human T-Cell Lymphoma Virus-1 (HTLV-1). She passed it on to my mother (thru breast milk) my mother passed it to me, and I decided that it wasnt worth it. My mom is suffering from this so badly. She's 52 & has been losing the muscles in her legs for the past 10 years. I had to watch her go from an active mother who loved taking walks to the park with her kids, to walking more slowly every year, to having to use a cane, and now she has to walk with a walker because she fell & broke her hip & her legs just arent strong enough. Doctors say she'll use that walker/wheel chair for the rest of her life. And it really kills me that she cannot pick up her grandson or really get up & play with him.

Here's a little bit of info on HTLV-1. There are so many people out there who think its an STD and related to HIV/AIDS... its not! lol

What is HTLV and where is it found?

HTLV stands for human T cell lymphotropic virus, as it infects a type of white blood cell called a T-cell or T-lymphocyte.

There are two types of HTLV: HTLV-I and HTLV-II. They are retroviruses

HTLV-I is a very old virus, which appears to have infected and moved with humans for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

HTLV-I is endemic (common) in the Caribbean, Japan, South America, and parts of Africa.

Who gets HTLV, and how do they get it?

From an infected mother to her baby. Up to 1 in 4 children born to mothers with HTLV-I infection become infected, with most infections occurring through prolonged breast feeding.

Through transfused blood from an HTLV infected donor. The risk of HTLV-I transmission through this route can be as high as 85%, depending on how the blood is handled and stored.

Through the sharing or re-use of needles and syringes to inject drugs.

HTLV infection is not passed from person to person by coughing, sneezing, kissing, cuddling or daily social contact.

Does HTLV cause any disease?

The great majority of people infected with HTLV do not develop any related disease.

A small minority of individuals, about 1 in 20 of these infected, will develop disease due to HTLV, but this usually occurs after several decades of infection.

There are two main types of disease caused by HTLV-I:

Adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATLL): this is a rare form of cancer of the blood

HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM): this is also known as tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP).

It is an inflammation of the nerves in the spinal cord that causes stiffness and weakness of the legs, backache, a 'weak' bladder and constipation.

 (In red is what my mom has)

My mom in Seattle :)

[mcquistionmom2]

Jun. 23, 2009 at 3:40 AM

I don't think you are selfish...you are doing what you can to provide your child with the best life possible which makes you unselfish. I have 3 children....all bottle fed. I have cysts in the milk ducts in my breasts so my first son practically starved when I tried bfing. I had a lump during my 2nd pregnancy...thankfully it was just an enlarged cyst but the specialist I saw told me I would have difficulty bfing no matter what because my breasts are full of tiny cysts blocking most of the ducts. I've had other people, including nurses, tell me that I can still do it though and when I say I can't they look at me like I am being selfish. It is just not meant for some people and thats ok!

[eminelson]

Jun. 23, 2009 at 8:37 AM

Not selfish at all...very wise decision! Thank you for talking about this and your mom and her picture, God bless her.

[Kat770]

Jun. 25, 2009 at 10:46 AM

I'm a BFing mom, but I want to say kudos to you for making the best decision for your baby!  That's such a rare thing, and the risk of it being passed on sounds like it would have been great.