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1.
A breastfeeding mother has to be obsessive about what she eats.
Not
true! A
breastfeeding mother should try to eat a balanced diet, but
neither needs to eat any special foods nor avoid certain foods.
A breastfeeding mother does not need to drink milk in
order to make milk. A
breastfeeding mother does not need to avoid spicy foods, garlic,
cabbage or alcohol. A
breastfeeding mother should eat a normal healthful diet.
Although there are situations when something the mother
eats may affect the
baby, this is unusual. Most
commonly, "colic", "gassiness" and crying
can be improved by changing breastfeeding techniques, rather
than changing the mother's diet. (Handout #2 Colic
in the Breastfed Baby).
2.
A breastfeeding mother has to eat more in order to make enough
milk.
Not
true! Women on even
very low calorie diets usually make enough milk, at least until
the mother's calorie intake becomes critically
low for a prolonged period of time.
Generally, the baby will get what he needs. Some women worry that if they eat poorly for a few days this
also will affect their milk.
There is no need for concern.
Such variations will not affect milk supply or quality.
It is commonly said that women need to eat 500 extra
calories a day in order to breastfeed.
This is not true. Some
women do eat more when they breastfeed, but others do not, and some even
eat less, without any harm done to the mother or baby or the
milk supply. The
mother should eat a balanced diet dictated by her appetite. Rules
about eating just make breastfeeding unnecessarily complicated.
3.
A breastfeeding mother has to drink lots of fluids.
Not
true! The mother
should drink according to her thirst.
Some mothers feel they are thirsty all the time, but many
others do not drink more than usual.
The mother's body knows if she needs more fluids, and
tells her by making her feel thirsty.
Do not believe that you have to drink at least a certain
number of glasses a day. Rules
about drinking just make breastfeeding unnecessarily
complicated.
4.
A mother who smokes is better not to breastfeed.
Not
true! A mother who
cannot stop smoking should breastfeed.
Breastfeeding has been shown to decrease the negative
effects of cigarette smoke on the baby's lungs, for example. Breastfeeding confers great health benefits on both mother
and baby. It would
be better if the mother not smoke, but if she cannot stop or cut
down, then it is better she smoke and breastfeed than smoke and
formula feed.
5.
A mother should not drink alcohol while breastfeeding.
Not
true! Reasonable
alcohol intake should not be discouraged at all.
As is the case with most drugs, very little alcohol comes
out in the milk. The
mother can take some alcohol and continue breastfeeding as she
normally does. Prohibiting
alcohol is another way we make life unnecessarily restrictive
for nursing mothers.
6.
A mother who bleeds from her nipples should not breastfeed.
Not
true! Though blood
makes the baby spit up more, and the blood may even show up in
his bowel movements, this is not a reason to stop breastfeeding
the baby. Nipples
that are painful and bleeding are not worse than nipples that
are painful and not bleeding.
It is the pain the mother is having that is the problem.
This nipple pain can often be helped considerably.
Get help. (Handout
#3 Sore Nipples and #3b
Treatments
for Sore Nipples and Sore Breasts).
Sometimes mothers have bleeding from the nipples that is
obviously coming from inside the breast and is not usually
associated with pain. This
often occurs in the first few days after birth and settles
within a few days. The
mother should not stop breastfeeding for this.
If bleeding does not stop soon, the source of the problem
needs to be investigated, but the mother should keep
breastfeeding.
7.
A woman who has had breast augmentation surgery cannot
breastfeed.
Not
true! Most do very
well. There is no
evidence that breastfeeding with silicone implants is harmful to
the baby. Occasionally
this operation is done through the areola.
These women do have often have problems with milk supply,
as does any woman who has an incision around the areola line.
8.
A woman who has had breast reduction surgery cannot breastfeed.
Not
true! Breast
reduction surgery does decrease the mother's capacity to produce
milk, but since many mothers produce more than enough milk, some
mothers who have had breast reduction surgery sometimes can
breastfeed exclusively. In
such a situation, the establishment of breastfeeding should be
done with special care to the principles mentioned in the
handout #1 Breastfeeding—Starting
Out Right. However,
if the mother seems not to produce enough, she can still
breastfeed, supplementing with a lactation aid (so that
artificial nipples do not interfere with breastfeeding).
9.
Premature babies need to learn to take bottles before they can
start breastfeeding.
Not
true! Premature
babies are less stressed by breastfeeding than by bottle
feeding. A baby as
small as 1200 grams and even smaller can start at the breast as
soon as he is stable, though he may not latch on for several
weeks. Still, he is
learning and he is being held which is important for his
wellbeing and his mother's.
Actually, weight or gestational age do not matter as much
as the baby's readiness to suck, as determined by his making
sucking movements. There
is no more reason to give bottles to premature babies than to
full term babies. When
supplementation is truly required there are ways to supplement
without using artificial nipples.
10.
Babies with cleft lip and/or palate cannot breastfeed. Not
true! Some do very
well. Babies with a
cleft lip only usually manage fine.
But many babies with cleft palate do indeed find it
impossible to latch on. There
is no doubt, however, that if breastfeeding is not even tried,
for sure the baby won’t breastfeed.
The baby's ability to breastfeed does not always seem to
depend on the severity of the cleft. Breastfeeding should
be started, as much as possible, using the principles of proper
establishment of breastfeeding. (Handout
#1 Breastfeeding—Starting
Out Right). If
bottles are given, they will undermine the baby's ability to
breastfeed. If the
baby needs to be fed, but is not latching on, a cup can and
should be used in preference to a bottle.
Finger feeding occasionally is successful in babies with
cleft lip/palate, but not usually.
11.
Women with small breasts produce less milk than those with large
breasts. Nonsense!
12.
Breastfeeding does not provide any protection against becoming
pregnant. Not
true! It is not a
foolproof method, but no method is.
In fact, breastfeeding is not a bad method of child
spacing, and gives reliable protection especially during the
first six months after birth.
It almost as good as the pill if
the baby is under six months of age, if
breastfeeding is exclusive, and if
the mother has not yet had a normal menstrual period after
giving birth. After
the first six months, the protection is less, but still present,
and on average, women breastfeeding into the second year of life
will have a baby every two to three years even without any
artificial method of contraception.
13.
Breastfeeding women cannot take the birth control pill.
Not
true! The question
is not exposure to female hormones, to which the baby is exposed
anyway through breastfeeding.
The baby gets only a tiny bit more from the pill.
However, some women who take the pill, even the progestin
only pill, find that their milk supply decreases.
Estrogen containing pills are more likely to decrease the
milk supply. Because
so many women produce more than enough, this often does not
matter, but sometimes it does even in the presence of an
abundant supply, and the baby becomes fussy and is not satisfied
by nursing. Babies
respond to rate of flow of milk, not what's "in the
breast", so that even a very good milk supply may seem to
cause the baby who is used to faster flow to be fussy.
Stopping the pill often brings things back to normal.
If possible, women who are breastfeeding should avoid the
pill, or at least wait until the baby is taking other foods
(usually around 6 months of age).
Even if the baby is older, the milk supply may decrease
significantly. If the pill must be used, it is preferable to use
the progestin only pill (without estrogen).
14.
Breastfeeding babies need other types of milk after six months.
Not
true! Breastmilk
gives the baby everything there is in other milks and
more. Babies older than six months should be started on solids
mainly so that they learn how to eat and so that they begin to
get another source of iron, which by 7-9 months, is not supplied
in sufficient quantities from breastmilk alone.
Thus cow's milk or formula will not be necessary as long
as the baby is breastfeeding.
However, if the mother wishes to give milk after 6
months, there is no reason that the baby cannot get cow's milk,
as long as the baby is still breastfeeding a few times a day,
and is also getting a wide variety of solid foods in more than
minimal amounts. Most
babies older than six months who have never had formula will not
accept it because of the taste.
Questions?
(416) 813-5757 (option 3)
or
drjacknewman@sympatico.ca or
my book Dr. Jack Newman’s Guide to Breastfeeding (called The Ultimate
Breastfeeding Book of Answers
in the USA)
Handout
#12 More Breastfeeding
Myths. Revised January 2005
Written by Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC. ©
2005
This
handout may be copied and distributed without further
permission,
on the condition that it
is not used in any context in which the WHO code on the
marketing of breastmilk substitutes
is violated.
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