Put a Little Breast Milk On It…

…and another dose for good measure.  I’d heard about the healing powers of breast milk, but had not had the occasion to try it out…until D was diagnosed with the beginnings of conjunctivitis.  I’d seen snippets about women using their milk on everything from cradle cap to eczema, and we’re instructed, from the very start, to rub excess milk into our nipples to  help with sore/cracked nipples.  I’m all about using natural, organic remedies to help manage symptoms and possibly cure illness, and wish to limit D’s (and my) exposure to unnecessary chemicals; I do, however, go to the doctor if the condition warrants it.  I used natural remedies when I was pregnant, took placenta pills immediately postpartum, and used both breast milk and organic ointment to help relieve my sore nipples in the early days of breastfeeding.  In my experience, these have all worked, why not give my milk a ‘shot’ at D’s conjunctivitis?
This is Declan at the onset (swollen, puffy eye producing discharge):

I pumped what I could (I don’t produce much more than what D eats, and we don’t bottle feed) and ‘flushed’ his eye three times to begin with.  The interesting thing is that the breast milk didn’t bother him a bit – he had no reaction to it being poured into his eye, yet he reacts when he gets water in his eyes during bathtime.  Immediately, I saw results – the gunk was cleared out and this was the immediate result:

I flushed his eyes two more times before bed.  When he woke this morning – there was no gunk or eye crust to be found.  In just over 12 hours, this is the result (after a morning flush with BM):

And just 17 hours and 4 flushing ‘sessions’ later, this handsome fella:

While he’s still a little puffy in the face, the result is much improved.  I think I’m a believer.  For more resources on breast milk’s uses, or breastfeeding in general, I recommend KellyMom – an amazing collection for everything natural parenting.