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. (See handout
#3 Sore
Nipples).
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 (Handout #4 Is
my Baby getting enough milk?).
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. (Handout #9 You
can still breastfeed).
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. (Handout
#9 You
can still breastfeed).
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
(Handout #9 You
can still breastfeed).
Handout
#11. Some Breastfeeding Myths. Revised January 1998
Jack
Newman, MD, FRCPC is a pediatrician, a graduate of the University
of Toronto medical school. He started the first hospital-based
breastfeeding clinic in Canada in 1984. He has been a consultant
with UNICEF for the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative in Africa.
Dr. Newman has practiced as a physician in Canada, New Zealand,
and South Africa.
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