DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My 31-year-old granddaughter became a first-time mother. She is trying to nurse her baby but is having a hard time making enough milk. She’s been getting advice from well-wishers to drink a little beer. How much is “a little”? I am against this advice. I’m afraid it will hurt the baby. — A.T.

ANSWER: Your granddaughter is providing her baby with optimum nutrition. Human babies thrive best on human milk. In addition, breastfeeding prevents infant ear infections, lowers the risk of digestive-tract infections and makes the baby less apt to come down with asthma. And it benefits the mother by decreasing her risk for breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

Your daughter can judge if the baby is getting enough milk in a number of ways. Full babies generally sleep for two to four hours between feedings. A nursing baby averages 1 to 3 ounces of milk at every feeding and feeds six to nine times in 24 hours. Babies get enough milk if they aren’t losing weight by the end of the first week and if they are gaining weight by the end of the second week.

The greatest stimulus for milk production is emptying the breast at each feeding. The biggest reason for a failure to provide enough milk usually lies in the technique of nursing. The baby should be held close with hips flexed and the head in such a position that it doesn’t have to be turned to reach the nipple.

Alcohol for milk production is advice that has floated around for centuries. There is no proof that it works. It gets into breast milk and can make a baby groggy. I’m with you; I don’t think it’s a good idea.

Your daughter ought to discuss techniques of breastfeeding with her doctor. She can also get in touch with La Leche League (800-525-3243 or www.llli.org) for timely information, encouragement and contacting one of the league’s many local offices in North America. The league has promoted breastfeeding for many years and backs up its promotion with practical help.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I wonder if you will answer my question, which concerns our medical records. Are we, as patients, entitled to request our medical records in order to deliver them to a new doctor?

We have had to change to a new doctor and would like him to know our past medical history. He hasn’t received the complete file, including tests. Since our insurance pays for these tests, it seems to me that we should be able to request the originals or copies. — P.S.

ANSWER: Laws regarding the ownership of medical records vary from one state to the next. However, in most states, the doctor and hospital own the medical records.

However, you are entitled to get a complete copy of your records. The doctor or the hospital can charge a reasonable fee for copying them.

If the doctor or hospital refuses to comply, contact your county or state medical society.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 70-year-old woman. Instead of a salad for supper, I love to eat canned fruit and cottage cheese. I love canned vegetables too. Am I doing anything wrong? — S.L.

ANSWER: In short, you are on a vegetarian diet. Nothing wrong with that. Most of the world’s population lives on such a diet. You can get some whole grains in your diet with cereals in the morning. Put some fruit on them if you don’t like them plain.

Meat is the primary source of vitamin B-12. Check your labels to see if your food contains any. If it doesn’t, then take a multivitamin with B-12 or a plain B-12 vitamin. The same thing goes for iron, too. Iron also is found in many multivitamin preparations.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.

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