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Expert: - 9/18/2005


Question
Are there reasons a healthy mother should NOT breastfeed her healthy baby? If so what? i.e. Mother's past medical history, etc.      Thanks

Answer
Dear J,

I don't know of any reason why a healthy mother should not breastfeed her healthy baby. As I wrote in my book (see below), there are a few situations when breastfeeding may be either inadvisable or impossible. Here's the excerpt from my book:

"WHEN BREASTFEEDING MAY NOT BE AN OPTION

  * When the mother has had surgery or trauma to the breasts that has severed the ducts. (In some cases the ducts have been known to reconnect, however, and therefore some women give nursing a try while closely monitoring their babies' weight and hydration status.)
  * When the mother is so ill that she can't be with her baby and is too sick to pump her breasts.
  * When the mother is infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that can be passed to the baby through breast milk. HIV has been linked to the disease known as AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). Although some research suggests that the risk of a child's contracting at least one type of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) by breastfeeding is low even if the mother was infected with it prenatally, most public health advocates in developed countries advise against an HIV-infected mother's breastfeeding when a safe alternative is available.
  * When the mother has insufficient glandular tissue, a very rare condition that affects fewer than 2 percent of women and usually can be detected in a prenatal breast examination (an important reason why your obstetrician should examine your breasts before you give birth). In this kind of situation, the baby can still be put to the breast, if he is receiving appropriate supplements to ensure proper nutrition for growth and development.
  * In those rare circumstances when the baby has some condition or illness that makes it impossible to nurse. In such cases the mother's expressed breast milk may be given to the baby, if the baby is being closely monitored for proper growth and development. "

Best regards,

Sally

Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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