All About Breastfeeding - Breastfeeding
Myths part 1
1. Many women do not produce enough milk.
Not true! The vast majority of women produce more than enough
milk. Indeed, an overabundance of milk is common. Most babies that
gain too slowly, or lose weight, do so not because the mother does
not have enough milk, but because the baby does not get the milk
that the mother has. The usual reason that the baby does not get
the milk that is available is that he is poorly latched onto the
breast. This is why it is so important that the mother be shown,
on the first day, how to latch a baby on properly, by someone who
knows what they are doing.
2. It is normal for breastfeeding to
hurt.
Not true! Though some tenderness during the first few days is
relatively common, this should be a temporary situation which
lasts only a few days and should never be so bad that the mother
dreads nursing. Any pain that is more than mild is abnormal and is
almost always due to the baby latching on poorly. Any nipple pain
that is not getting better by day 3 or 4 or lasts beyond 5 or 6
days should not be ignored. A new onset of pain when things have
been going well for a while may be due to a yeast infection of the
nipples. Limiting feeding time does not prevent soreness.
3. There is no (not enough) milk during
the first 3 or 4 days after birth.
Not true! It often seems like that because the baby is not latched
on properly and therefore is unable to get the milk. Once the
mother's milk is abundant, a baby can latch on poorly and still
may get plenty of milk. However, during the first few days, the
baby who is latched on poorly cannot get milk. This accounts for
"but he's been on the breast for 2 hours and is still hungry when
I take him off". By not latching on well, the baby is unable to
get the mother's first milk, called colostrum. Anyone who suggests
you pump your milk to know how much colostrum there is, does not
understand breastfeeding, and should be politely ignored.
4. A baby should be on the breast 20 (10,
15, 7.6) minutes on each side.
Not true! However, a distinction needs to be made between "being
on the breast" and "breastfeeding". If a baby is actually drinking
for most of 15-20 minutes on the first side, he may not want to
take the second side at all. If he drinks only a minute on the
first side, and then nibbles or sleeps, and does the same on the
other, no amount of time will be enough. The baby will breastfeed
better and longer if he is latched on properly. He can also be
helped to breastfeed longer if the mother compresses the breast to
keep the flow of milk going, once he no longer swallows on his own
(Handout #15 Breast Compression). Thus it is obvious that the rule
of thumb that "the baby gets 90% of the milk in the breast in the
first 10 minutes" is equally hopelessly wrong.
5. A breastfeeding baby needs extra water
in hot weather.
Not true! Breastmilk contains all the water a baby needs.
6. Breastfeeding babies need extra
vitamin D.
Not true! Except in extraordinary circumstances (for example, if
the mother herself was vitamin D deficient during the pregnancy).
The baby stores vitamin D during the pregnancy, and a little
outside exposure, on a regular basis, gives the baby all the
vitamin D he needs.
7. A mother should wash her nipples each
time before feeding the baby.
Not true! Formula feeding requires careful attention to
cleanliness because formula not only does not protect the baby
against infection, but also is actually a good breeding ground for
bacteria and can also be easily contaminated. On the other hand,
breastmilk protects the baby against infection. Washing nipples
before each feeding makes breastfeeding unnecessarily complicated
and washes away protective oils from the nipple.
8. Pumping is a good way of knowing how
much milk the mother has.
Not true! How much milk can be pumped depends on many factors,
including the mother's stress level. The baby who nurses well can
get much more milk than his mother can pump. Pumping only tells
you have much you can pump.
9. Breastmilk does not contain enough
iron for the baby's needs.
Not true! Breastmilk contains just enough iron for the baby's
needs. If the baby is full term he will get enough iron from
breastmilk to last him at least the first 6 months. Formulas
contain too much iron, but this quantity may be necessary to
ensure the baby absorbs enough to prevent iron deficiency. The
iron in formula is poorly absorbed, and most of it, the baby poops
out. Generally, there is no need to add other foods to breastmilk
before about 6 months of age.
10. It is easier to bottle feed than to
breastfeed.
Not true! Or, this should not be true. However, breastfeeding is
made difficult because women often do not receive the help they
should to get started properly. A poor start can indeed make
breastfeeding difficult. But a poor start can also be overcome.
Breastfeeding is often more difficult at first, due to a poor
start, but usually becomes easier later.
11. Breastfeeding ties the mother down.
Not true! But it depends how you look at it. A baby can be nursed
anywhere, anytime, and thus breastfeeding is liberating for the
mother. No need to drag around bottles or formula. No need to
worry about where to warm up the milk. No need to worry about
sterility. No need to worry about how your baby is, because he is
with you.
12. There is no way to know how much
breastmilk the baby is getting.
Not true! There is no easy way to measure how much the baby is
getting, but this does not mean that you cannot know if the baby
is getting enough. The best way to know is that the baby actually
drinks at the breast for several minutes at each feeding (open
pause close type of suck). Other ways also help show that the baby
is getting plenty
13. Modern formulas are almost the same
as breastmilk.
Not true! The same claim was made in 1900 and before. Modern
formulas are only superficially similar to breastmilk. Every
correction of a deficiency in formulas is advertised as an
advance. Fundamentally they are inexact copies based on outdated
and incomplete knowledge of what breastmilk is. Formulas contain
no antibodies, no living cells, no enzymes, no hormones. They
contain much more aluminum, manganese, cadmium and iron than
breastmilk. They contain significantly more protein than
breastmilk. The proteins and fats are fundamentally different from
those in breastmilk. Formulas do not vary from the beginning of
the feed to the end of the feed, or from day 1 to day 7 to day 30,
or from woman to woman, or from baby to baby... Your breastmilk is
made as required to suit your baby. Formulas are made to suit
every baby, and thus no baby. Formulas succeed only at making
babies grow well, usually, but there is more to breastfeeding than
getting the baby to grow quickly.
14. If the mother has an infection she
should stop breastfeeding.
Not true! With very, very few exceptions, the baby will be
protected by the mother's continuing to breastfeed. By the time
the mother has fever (or cough, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, etc) she
has already given the baby the infection, since she has been
infectious for several days before she even knew she was sick. The
baby's best protection against getting the infection is for the
mother to continue breastfeeding. If the baby does get sick, he
will be less sick if the mother continues breastfeeding. Besides,
maybe it was the baby who gave the infection to the mother, but
the baby did not show signs of illness because he was
breastfeeding. Also, breast infections, including breast abscess,
though painful, are not reasons to stop breastfeeding. Indeed, the
infection is likely to settle more quickly if the mother continues
breastfeeding on the affected side.
15. If the baby has diarrhea or vomiting,
the mother should stop breastfeeding.
Not true! The best medicine for a baby's gut infection is
breastfeeding. Stop other foods for a short time, but continue
breastfeeding. Breastmilk is the only fluid your baby requires
when he has diarrhea and/or vomiting, except under exceptional
circumstances. The push to use "oral rehydrating solutions" is
mainly a push by the formula (and oral rehydrating
solutions)manufacturers to make even more money. The baby is
comforted by the breastfeeding, and the mother is comforted by the
baby's breastfeeding.
16. If the mother is taking medicine she
should not breastfeed.
Not true! There are very very few medicines that a mother cannot
take safely while breastfeeding. A very small amount of most
medicines appears in the milk, but usually in such small
quantities that there is no concern. If a medicine is truly of
concern, there are usually equally effective, alternative
medicines which are safe. The loss of benefit of breastfeeding for
both the mother and the baby must be taken into account when
weighing if breastfeeding should be continued
Growing Stronger, Growing
Better
Global Health
Healthcare Provider
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