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Breast Feeding Basics

Could you suggest some Breast Feeding Basics that will benefit my baby?
(July 28, 2011)

Can you breastfeed while smoking?    


Smoking is not something that can be given up so easily. While some women are able to give up smoking when they are pregnant, other women are simply not able to do so, and since it is a hard habit to break, it is important to know how it will affect your baby. If you had been able to give up smoking during your pregnancy, it would be best if you could continue avoiding it even when you are breastfeeding. Anything that you consume is passed directly to your breast milk. It is important to consume nutritious foods so that the nutrition is passed on to your baby.




Smoking cigarettes while breastfeeding may change the taste of your milk as the nicotine is passed into it. However, the nicotine also breaks down very fast when you are breastfeeding, so it is possible that if you breast feed your baby a few hours after smoking, the nicotine may have passed through the milk completely. The effects of smoking while breastfeeding on the baby are usually not as dire as the effects of smoking when you are pregnant. Also, smoking a hookah while breastfeeding is just as harmful to your baby as is smoking regular cigarettes, so try to avoid both.
Submitted by N on July 28, 2011 at 11:55

 

Does drinking while breastfeeding affect the baby?    


Social drinking, or drinking occasionally, does not have any dire consequences for your child. Even if you are a nursing mother, consuming small quantities of alcohol now and then could not cause much damage. On the other hand, habitual drinking, or drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, could affect your milk production.

Alcohol tends to pass on to mother’s milk and from there to the baby. This causes the baby to have severe health problems. The baby may develop poorly, and it is possible that there may be long lasting effects on the mental acuity and IQ.

Drinking beer while breastfeeding, if kept in check, should be relatively harmless. It is, however, advised that you should not consume alcohol at all during your pregnancy. It should be noted that drinking during your pregnancy is much more harmful to your baby than drinking when you are nursing a baby. When you have alcohol, it remains in your blood stream for quite some time. However, the alcohol peaks in your milk about 30 minutes after you have consumed it. If you keep breastfeeding, your milk will be clear of alcohol very soon. Alcohol effects during breastfeeding are usually mild, if the consumption is light to moderate.
Submitted by N on July 22, 2011 at 11:53

 

Can you eat honey while breastfeeding?    


While there is not much danger when eating honey, it must be understood that honey is a raw food and has all the dangers to your health that raw foods pose. During pregnancy or breastfeeding, it is best to make sure that you do not consume any raw foods, as this could lead to botulism, which is an ever present danger. From the mother’s womb or the milk, the baby can contract this infection, which causes permanent damage to your child’s brain.

Thus, it is better to avoid raw foods, including honey, when you are pregnant or breastfeeding. For some women, consuming honey while breastfeeding may not cause any disease. However, since honey for a breastfeeding mother may cause botulism, it is best avoided. Both cooked and raw honey while breastfeeding could cause you and your baby harm.

Instead you should consume cooked foods, avoiding even deli meats and fish. Some women prefer not to eat meats and foods that spoil easily when they are pregnant. If you do need to consume honey for some reason, honey that comes with quality assurance, or manuka honey, which is brewed for a few days before consumption, is much safer than others. Honey mustard, on the other hand, is relatively safe.
Submitted by N on July 17, 2011 at 11:52

 

Do breast implants affect breast feeding?    


Breast augmentation and enhancement is a popular elective surgery that many women opt for. However, this could cause several problems, especially in breastfeeding. Breast implants and breastfeeding have a deep interrelation, especially because the scarring caused by the breast implants can pinch the normal tissue and nerves. The surgery, if not performed extremely carefully, could also cause damage to the milk ducts and the milk glands.

Damaged milk ducts severely decrease the amount of milk that the breasts can produce, therefore preventing you from breastfeeding normally. If the nerves in your breasts get damaged during your surgery, it can severely decrease feeling in the nipple area, thus decreasing the led down response. This also makes your breasts unable to produce milk when it is required.

Effects of breast implants during breastfeeding are usually severely negative. In case a hematoma builds up in your breast, it could lead to further complications. Breast implants and lactation are also interconnected since the implants could cause a decrease in the production of milk. If there are problems in your initial breast augmentation surgery, you may need to have further surgeries for correcting these problems and anomalies. Further surgeries may put you at risk of developing newer complications.
Submitted by N on July 11, 2011 at 11:51

 
Breastfeeding Tips And Tricks: Breastfeeding is the most natural way to feed a baby and most mothers are able to successfully breastfeed their children. Breastfeeding provides complete nutrition to the infant for the initial six months of life and during this time, the baby should be only breastfed. Other food, fluids and even water is not necessary. A baby must be breastfed soon after birth. This is in order to give the child colostrum, which is the yellowish breast milk that the mother produces during the early days after birth. Colostrum is high in protein and carbohydrates and low in fat. It contains many antibodies that help the baby in fighting illnesses. It is also very easy to digest and hence is the ideal food for a newborn baby. Babies must be breastfed without any restrictions as this is the only food they consume. Bottle feeding is unnecessary and could cause digestive problems for the child. There are no commercially available formulas which can compare to breast milk in nutritional quality.

Breast Feeding Positions: All mothers should learn the proper breastfeeding skills that will allow better transfer of milk to the infant. This includes positioning the baby properly at the breast and proper feeding. The baby may be fed in any position that is comfortable such as lying down sideways or sitting up. The baby should be able to have full access to the breast because if he is not positioned comfortably, he will not be able to attach to the nipple properly. While feeding, hold the infant with the head straight and face him to the breast. His nose should be opposite to the nipple and his body should be held close. Support his entire body and touch the nipple to the baby’s mouth. Once he opens his mouth wide, offer the whole breast to allow for proper attachment.

Breast Feeding Techniques: Babies suckle when they are hungry and also for comfort and closeness. If they are not attached properly, they will not be able to suckle well. This could lead to pain in the nipples and the breasts may swell due to accumulation of milk. Some babies suckle for about 5 to 10 minutes, while others may need more time. Allow the baby to decide the duration of the feed. Babies are to be fed on demand and this is likely to be more than eight feeds each day. Frequent feeding may be required even at night, if the baby wakes up hungry. Breastfeeding in the night helps to regularize the milk supply as prolactin production is more at night.
Submitted by C N on July 15, 2010 at 01:25

 
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