Breastfeeding Challenges

Information and resources on how to address breastfeeding challenges.  Many mothers have been able to successfully breastfeed when they access correct information and resources.  Below are examples of situations and links to websites and information addressing specific issues, as well as experts and resources in our community who can help.

Special Circumstances 

Mother (go to Index for more resources)

Hospitalization

    Baby:

  • Babies who are sick need mother's milk and her presence                                                                                                                                Breastfeeding Your Hospitalized Baby

    Mother

Medications and Anesthesia
Use Lactmed to look up specific medications

 

Illnesses

   Baby   

   Mother

  • Most breastfeeding mothers can continue to breastfeed even when hospitalized

Professional information  

  • Tongue Tie
  • Tuberculosis
    • "Breastfeeding should not be discouraged for women being treated with the first-line antituberculosis drugs because the concentrations of these drugs in breast milk are too small to produce toxicity in the nursing newborn. For the same reason, drugs in breast milk are not an effective treatment for TB disease or LTBI in a nursing infant. Breastfeeding women taking INH should also take pyridoxine (vitamin B6) supplementation." (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
    • (Newly-delivered mother may need temporary interruption when initiating medications) (New York State Department of Health)

If you are told not to breastfeed

     (CDC website www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/disease/index.htm)

  • HIV/SIDS (See Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the Index)
  • Illicit Drug use (See Drug Dependence and Breastfeeding in the Index)
  • Medications     
  • Illnesses