Mothers are more and more aware of the importance of breast milk, and they can breastfeed as much as possible, but when they encounter some situations, they wonder if it is a problem with breast milk, should they stop breastfeeding?
For example, some babies do not gain weight, and the mother wonders if the breast milk is not nutritious, should the breast milk be cut off and replaced with milk powder?
Today we will talk about some common misconceptions about breast milk:
Myth 1: The baby has breast milk jaundice and must stop breastfeeding
Breast milk jaundice generally appears about 7 days after the baby is born, lasts for 3 weeks, and lasts for 3 or 4 months, and can subside naturally.
As long as the baby grows normally, eats normally, and the jaundice does not worsen during breastfeeding, you can continue to breastfeed without stopping breastfeeding. (Note: When serum bilirubin > 14 mg/dl, i.e., 240 μmol/L, breast milk can be suspended for 3 days, and breastfeeding can be continued after jaundice has resolved.) ）
Myth 2: Don't breastfeed your mother when she is sick
Q1: Can my mother breastfeed if she has a cold or fever?
A: If your baby's fever is caused by mild mastitis or respiratory tract infection, you can continue breastfeeding as long as it is not an acute infectious disease. Mothers with colds should wear masks when breastfeeding, don't sneeze into their babies, and let family members who are not sick take care of their babies.
Q2: Can my mother breastfeed after taking medicine?
A: When the mother has a fever, she can continue breastfeeding if she takes antipyretic drugs such as acetaminophen, which is relatively safe for lactation.
For other medications, you need to follow your doctor's advice. As long as the medication is safe, you can continue breastfeeding. At the time of your appointment, be sure to tell your doctor that you are breastfeeding.
Q3: Can a mother breastfeed if she has mastitis?
A: If the mother has mild or moderate mastitis, she can continue to breastfeed, if she feels unbearable pain during breastfeeding, she can use a breast pump to suck it out and feed with a bottle.
Q4: Can I breastfeed with an inverted or broken nipple?
A: Mothers with inverted nipples should let their babies latch on to the areola instead of holding the nipple when feeding, and most babies can suck milk from flat or inverted nipples.
Mothers can continue breastfeeding if their nipples are lightly broken, express milk to feed their babies if their nipples are severely cracked and cannot breastfeed because of pain, or use nipple shields to suck breast milk.
Myth 3: Give up breastfeeding if you don't have enough breast milk
If you are unable to breastfeed due to insufficient milk supply or other reasons, you need to use milk substitutes (such as formula milk) to supplement your baby's nutrition, you need to mix feeding instead of giving up breast milk, and make sure that your baby suckles breast milk regularly every day.
Mixed feeding can be done using both supplementary and substitute feeding methods.
Catch-up method – breast milk followed by a certain amount of formula milk is applied to babies up to 6 months of age. It is characterized by the fact that the baby sucks breast milk first, so that the mother's breast is stimulated on time and keeps the milk secretion.
Substitute feeding – one breastfeeding and one formula feeding, alternating feedings, but the total number of feedings of cow's milk or milk replacer does not exceed half of the number of breastfeedings per day.
The substitute method is suitable for babies from 6 months onwards. This feeding method is easy to reduce breast milk, and gradually use cow's milk, milk substitutes, porridge, and rotten noodles to teach, which can cultivate the baby's chewing habits and prepare for future weaning.
Myth 4: Because the breasts are small, breast milk must be insufficient
The secretion of milk is related to the mammary glands, not to the size of the breast, and the size is only related to the fat of the breast.
Myth 5: Breast milk is no longer nutritious after 6 months
Some parents think that after 6 months, they should add complementary food to their babies, whether it is because breast milk is not nutritious.
On the one hand, the baby begins to add complementary food at 6 months because the iron stored in the liver obtained by the baby from the mother during the fetal period has been used up, and the food needs to supplement iron and other nutrients, and at the same time, the baby's activity increases, and the liquid milk can not meet the energy needs of the older baby;
The 6-month-old baby has the ability to digest and absorb complementary food, which is not only conducive to enhancing gastrointestinal digestion and absorption, but also conducive to the development of language and communication skills and the cultivation of good eating habits.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents, it is recommended to breastfeed exclusively until 6 months of age, continue breastfeeding until 2 years of age or longer, and supplement with other appropriate foods.
Mothers should keep in mind that breast milk is a natural nutritious food for their babies, and no food can replace it. According to the WHO, breastfeeding not only protects the baby from disease, but also promotes the recovery of the mother's body and reduces the risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and postpartum depression.
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