In case if breast feeding is going without any major problems, there are no disadvantages for the infant. It should only be pointed out, that babies, who are nursed with their mother’s breast milk, are to be given a vitamin D supplement of 400 IU per day from the age of between 2 – 6 weeks. Begin this after breast feeding is well established.
Therefore, to the possible disadvantages of breast feeding the following ones may be referred:
- Woman’s time is to have more demands on it because of the longer and more frequent feeding from her breasts, in comparison to the formula feedings;
- A woman will have less time to sleep between feedings;
- Every woman, who feeds her baby with her breast milk, is to follow the diet, which is to include:
- No caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate, sodas, some kinds of herbal teas), because it can cause baby problems;
- Some kinds of foods, which the breast feeding mother eats, may give her baby either gas or allergic reaction. In order to have specific advice, the mother should consult with her doctor;
- A breast feeding woman should not smoke, use drugs as well as drink alcohol while nursing.
- Breast feeding woman’s husband and older children, if there are any, may feel like “left out”, that is why it is extremely important to discuss the problem of breast feeding yet before the baby arrives in order to be sure that both parents understand, realize as well as support this choice. There is no doubt that most fathers wish their children would receive only the best possible nutrition from the very beginning of their life. And, without any questions, the best food for an infant is his or her mother’s milk. As for other members of the family, they may actively share in every aspect of taking care for and bonding with the baby, even if they do not feed the little one in a direct way. They can:
Provide cuddling, which is not connected with the process of nursing;
Burp the baby during feeding, bathe, diaper, hold and carry the little one;
Provide comfort for a baby and mother;
Take some responsibility for the household tasks or for other family members;
Feed the baby from a bottle with his or her mother’s breast milk, when the mother is not able to do it, for example when she is to be away from her baby for some period of time;
- There exist some possible complications of breast feeding, such as cracked and / or sore nipples, mastitis, engorgement, etc. in case if the breast feeding mother experiences any of the breast feeding complication, this does not mean at all that she is to stop, the best thing a woman can do is to get advice to care of them;
- There exist some medical circumstances, which can make breast feeding inadvisable, however, there are very few of them. To the possible one may be referred the following:
- The mother being extremely ill, then she may not be able to feed her baby with her own breast milk without interfering with her own recovery;
- There exist some certain medicines, which a woman may have to take, and which are not considered to be safe for baby. Anyway, a woman should consult her doctor about any medication, no matter whether it is prescribed or over the counter, which she may be advised to apply.
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