Precautions during breast feeding

1.     The majority of mothers can breast feed their babies if they have proper care. The baby should be put to both breasts for some time twice during the first 24 hours. The baby will get no real milk but colostrum for a few days which is equally good and of the same composition as human milk. A Lanolin applied to the nipples may prevent and also help sore nipples. The baby should not be allowed to over feed during the first three days.

2.     The mother’s diet during the feeding should be nearly the same as when pregnant except that she will need more fluids and perhaps more whole grain cereals. Besides this, she must have fresh air, sunshine and rest.

3.     Nervousness in a mother who is breast feeding her infant is considered by many doctors to be a factor that reduces milk production. This condition will return to normal again when the mother has overcome her nervousness.

 4.     Use of medicines during breast feeding.

Medicines should be used conservatively and cautiously during the time of breast feeding because most of the drugs are secreted into the breast milk and can prove dangerous for the nursing infants. Most medicines administered to lactating woman are detectable in breast milk. If the nursing mothers must take medication and the medicine is a relatively safe one, one should take it 30 to 60 minutes after nursing and 2-3 hours before the next feeding. Drug use by nursing mother’s should be avoided if possible, especially the drugs whose effects on the infants have not been studied so far. Some of the drugs like diaphragm, heroin, iodine, lithium, methadone, bromocriptifle, steroids, tetracyclines chloramphenicol etc., have significant side-effects on the baby, which also sometimes can prove fatal.