See also Breastfeeding and Maternal Illness Part 1 Some infectious diseases A full discussion of all infectious diseases and breastfeeding could result in a book the size of War and Peace, so I will try to deal, briefly, only with those that seem to cause the most problems
Mothers are frequently told they must stop breastfeeding if they are sick, either acutely or chronically. In fact, it almost seems as if maternal illness is taken as an opportunity to “give mothers permission to stop breastfeeding” instead of re-assuring them that they can safely continue
When a baby is ill, either with an acute or a chronic illness, it is important to make every effort to ensure that the mother continue breastfeeding him. In fact, it is not only possible, but good for both the baby and the mother to
This article specifically discusses infection of the gastrointestinal tract because it is the most common acute infant illness that too many physicians and other health professionals insist require the mothers to interrupt breastfeeding. Unfortunately, any and all possible acute infections in their breastfeeding baby or toddler
There is no lack of “opinions” about the breastfeeding of a toddler. “If he’s old enough to ask for it, he’s too old.” “If he’s got teeth, it’s nature’s way of saying, it’s time to stop.” And not rarely: “Breastfeed a 1 year old? That’s
Here is one of the most common breastfeeding questions I receive: “I have been put on drug x and have been told I cannot breastfeed. Is that true?” The short answer is: Almost no medication taken by the mother requires her to stop or interrupt breastfeeding.
Supplementing breastfeeding with a lactation aid at the breast Many mothers feel, rightly or wrongly, that they do not produce enough milk for their babies and end up supplementing their babies with donated breastmilk or formula. Their belief usually starts immediately after birth because in too
What about “fortifiers”? I will start off by saying that when I finished my pediatric training at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto in 1981, I was a believer, more or less, in the way we did things with regard to breastfeeding the babies in
Premature babies cannot start going to the breast until 34 weeks gestation? This is simply not true. Experience and evidence (see references at bottom) from Scandinavia clearly show that babies can go to the breast well before 30 weeks gestation and as early as 27 weeks
If mothers and full-term babies do not get good help with the initiation of breastfeeding in most hospitals, and they don’t, mothers and premature babies get even less help and more undermining of breastfeeding. Part 1: premature babies need to be in incubators? This is simply not