Can I breastfeed if my throat hurts? Is it possible to breastfeed during a cold Contraindications from the mother

“Love will suddenly come when you don’t expect it at all.” Just as inadvertently, pregnancy can also occur right during the breastfeeding period of a newly born baby. And immediately a reasonable fear arises: will the current and future mother have enough resources to carry one child and feed another. Indeed, at the same time, the mother's body itself needs nutrients, which have to be literally distributed right and left.

Should the baby be weaned?

At first glance, the problem is solved quite simply. The female body is configured in such a way that during pregnancy the priority is to supply the growing fetus with a maximum of nutrients.

If, at the same time, the expectant mother also has to breastfeed a recently born baby, then the second priority in the female body is to ensure normal, and the supply of everything necessary for the female body itself recedes into last place.

That is, in this situation, the mother herself suffers the most.

Of course, she can try to somehow compensate for the leakage of vitamins, minerals and other substances necessary to maintain health with a mountain of food and drink, but at the same time she will have to spend a lot of additional energy and, again, health to process such a mass of products.

That is why the Western branch of world medicine recommends to remove the most painless element from this vicious circle of problems - to stop breastfeeding during a new pregnancy.

Say, the modern nutrition industry has developed such perfect species that they can be weaned from the mother's breast quite safely.

Did you know? It turns out that women in labor carefully observe working days and weekends, since the least number of births occur on Saturday and Sunday. And the most active birth day falls on Tuesday.

And it looks like everyone wins:

  • the fetus will not experience any nutritional deficiencies that can still occur with parallel breastfeeding of his older sister or brother;
  • the infant will not be subject to possible troubles associated with;
  • the mother herself will not experience a constant feeling of hunger and quite frequent problems with pain in the nipples.

An additional argument in favor of a woman's refusal to breastfeed during pregnancy, which many experts put forward, is a noticeable increase in the level of the hormone oxytocin produced during lactation, which can provoke or preterm birth.

Physicians are also afraid of the reverse process, when pregnancy causes an increase in the content of the hormone progesterone in the body of a woman, which inhibits the production of milk.

However, at present, most experts agree that, with some exceptions, the vast majority of pregnant women can continue breastfeeding until the baby is six to seven months old.

Just a real and expectant mother will have to pay special attention to the saturation of her diet with vitamins, amino acids, minerals and other essential nutrients.

Did you know? Only 10% of children on the planet are born exactly at the time set by nature, and all the rest come into this world either ahead of schedule or late.


When You Can't Continue Feeding

However, sometimes there are objective obstacles that force a pregnant woman to stop breastfeeding.

The main ones usually include:

  • stable weight loss of a woman;
  • previous cases of termination of pregnancy;
  • pain in the nipples;
  • recurrent pain in the pelvic area.

In addition, the combination of lactation with pregnancy can prevent the normalization of hormonal levels in a woman's body.

An abrupt increase in progesterone levels negatively affects women's emotions, leading to frequent mood swings.

To prevent the onset of depression, doctors in such cases usually recommend stopping breastfeeding.

But this cannot be done instantly. To complete breastfeeding of an infant, it is necessary to gradually reduce the frequency and duration of feedings, while simultaneously introducing milk mixtures, cereals, vegetables and fruits into the children's diet.

Since the abundant use of warm drinks stimulates lactation, it should be limited. It is also necessary to make changes in the way of expressing milk, carrying it out not until the chest is completely empty, but until the first feeling of relief appears.

Is the amount of milk decreasing?

Most pregnant women record a really reduced amount of milk produced.

This leads to a constantly increasing level of the hormone progesterone in the body of a pregnant woman, which, along with preventing the maturation of eggs and preparing muscles and ligaments for the process of childbirth, also actively inhibits lactation.

That is, the closer to childbirth, the less milk is produced in the body of a pregnant woman. Shortly before birth, milk is generally replaced by colostrum.

Important! If in all other respects the simultaneously pregnant and lactating mother has no other problems, it is recommended to continue breastfeeding until the baby is six months old.

Does the taste of milk change during pregnancy?

As pregnancy progresses, the body inevitably changes in preparation for childbirth. Around the middle of pregnancy, colostrum begins to appear in full-fledged milk, which is intended to nourish the future newborn and which somewhat changes the taste of milk.

This change, in most cases, has practically no effect on the baby's appetite, but there are still many cases when a change in the taste of milk entails a noticeable deterioration in the baby's appetite, or even its complete rejection of the breast.

Nipple sensitivity

According to statistics, it is pain in the chest and especially in the nipples that are the most common reason why pregnant women stop breastfeeding.

And the culprit for this is the same hormone progesterone, coupled with, that is, this is a purely hormonal manifestation. It is not curable, but can be alleviated with oak bark infusion or ice cubes.

The nipples lubricated by them significantly reduce the feeling of discomfort in a nursing pregnant woman.

Important! Experience shows that if, before the onset of menstruation, a nursing woman experienced pain in the nipples, then the pain will almost completely manifest itself during pregnancy.

Balanced diet

The expression "eating for three" is quite applicable to a nursing pregnant mother in the most direct sense. After all, it should provide vitamins, micro- and macroelements, amino acids and other nutrients to the fetus, the infant, and itself.

Her diet should not differ from the balanced diet of expectant mothers in different trimesters of pregnancy, but at the same time it is forced to be more quantitatively saturated. It should also be supplemented with a plentiful and warm drink to stimulate lactation.

The time in a woman's life when she simultaneously bears the unborn child and feeds the one already born, sometimes comes by chance, and sometimes is deliberately planned by spouses who want to have children of the same age.

With the normal course of these two most important processes and with the observance of simple, but necessary rules, this period can become one of the most remarkable in a woman's life.

Many women dream of breastfeeding for a long time after the birth of a child, but there are various situations that baffle: infectious diseases and somatic pathologies in the acute stage, the need to take medication, travel or study at a university, work several hours a day. When a mother cannot breastfeed, what reasons can be an unequivocal ban on breastfeeding? According to WHO, breastfeeding should be maintained as much as possible, at least up to a year, and preferably two years..

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In reality, there are not many situations in which breastfeeding is prohibited or should be limited, most of the contraindications that cause mothers to stop breastfeeding are far-fetched and refer to false, not true contraindications.

Most of the common pathologies allow breastfeeding, and for a while, until it should be canceled, you can feed the baby with expressed milk. What situations are acceptable with HB, and in which of them it is definitely impossible to feed?

Table of contents:

Types of contraindications to HB

Contraindications to breastfeeding can be divided into two groups:

  • true when the situation does not really allow breastfeeding, temporary or permanent,
  • false contraindications when there were no real prerequisites for weaning the baby from the breast.

In addition, there are:

  • absolute contraindications when, under any conditions and circumstances, GV is prohibited
  • relative when it is possible to breastfeed, but only in certain cases and under special conditions.

Also, contraindications for breastfeeding can be present both on the part of the mother and on the part of the child. And in terms of contraindications can be like permanent when weaning is needed on a permanent basis, and temporary when breastfeeding is prohibited for some time, for example, at the time of taking medications.

The most common reasons for refusing breastfeeding are severe illnesses of the mother, in which she is either in a serious condition, or she needs to take drugs that are incompatible with breastfeeding, she needs surgery or other interventions. If these are problems of the child, then this is intolerance to breast milk, dangerous diseases of the crumbs, the inability to suck on their own, with cleft palate, developmental anomalies, etc.

Maternal contraindications

There are a number of pathologies and diseases of the mother in which breastfeeding is prohibited by doctors and consultants on breastfeeding. These include:

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A special issue is the admissibility of feeding at, about which there are many disagreements among scientists of the world. It is believed that feeding is permissible in the absence of virus circulation in the blood plasma and with overlays, but if it is active viremia (the virus is found in plasma in very high titers), it is forbidden to feed.

Somatic pathologies of the mother and the ban on breastfeeding

There are also a number of contraindications that relate to chronic pathologies of the mother, which could worsen during pregnancy or childbirth. In this case, the issue of indications and prohibitions is decided on an individual basis in each case. So, a ban on attachment and sucking, or their significant limitation for time, is possible with:

  • chronic plan, with severity from the second degree or more severe
  • Infectious, exacerbation of rheumatic heart disease
  • with severe manifestations, and in some with limited nightly applications
  • Any heart defects with enrichment of the systemic circulation, in the presence of pulmonary hypertension, significant heart rhythm disorders
  • Cardiomyopathy with dilated chambers of the heart
  • above the second degree
  • With symptoms of circulatory disorders in the brain area, threatening stroke,.
  • in all stages or acute disorders
  • Severe lesions of the liver tissue with the development of hypertension in the portal vein system or esophagus
  • Decompensated with ketoacidosis
  • With respiratory functions with shortness of breath and hypertension of pulmonary origin.

A number of other diseases are also distinguished by specialists, in case of severe course of which and the need for active drug therapy, a temporary prohibition of breastfeeding is possible.

Cases of contraindications to breastfeeding for an infant

There will be a permanent ban on breastfeeding due to the detection of:

  • with high levels of phenylalanine in the blood
  • Galactosemia (metabolic pathology associated with gene defects)
  • Diseases of leucinosis, when the urine smells like "maple syrup".

For some time, breastfeeding may be limited with:

  • Congenital malformations of the brain, heart, lungs in the presence of a serious condition in which any physical activity is prohibited for the child
  • For severe intrauterine infections
  • Liver and kidney damage
  • Deep when unable to breastfeed
  • newborns.

Common misconceptions about breastfeeding and infections

There are a number of misconceptions regarding some infections and their effect on HBs. For example, it does not apply to a contraindication for breastfeeding if the mother has


The common cold is an extremely unpleasant and very common disease that can happen to anyone. A nursing mother is no exception, and colds do not bypass her. It is especially likely to get the disease in autumn, winter and early spring, in the midst of an influenza and SARS epidemic. What to do with a cold nursing mother?

Feeding the baby

Most women who are expecting a baby are determined to breastfeed their baby. Some young mothers plan to breastfeed their baby at least up to 6 months, others intend to continue lactation up to 2 years, as recommended by WHO. In reality, not all women manage to feed their baby for at least the first few months. And the point here is not at all a lack of milk, but the wrong organization of breastfeeding. What causes women to switch their child to artificial formula?

One of the common reasons why a baby begins to receive formula at an early age is a cold. The determination to breastfeed a child until self-weaning disappears as soon as a young mother is faced with an illness. Fear for the health of the baby, the need to take medications makes women curtail lactation. Is it really necessary?

The most important question that worries every young mother: is it possible to continue breastfeeding a baby with a cold? Many women fear that during feeding, the baby will receive all the dangerous bacteria with milk and immediately get sick. Some nursing mothers even leave the baby for dads and grandmothers until full recovery. Such tactics do not make any sense and only lead to the creation of a tense situation in the house. What should a nursing mother do with a cold?

Modern pediatricians and breastfeeding experts say: with a cold, you can breastfeed your baby. If the mother is sick, she does not need to stop lactation and transfer her baby to the mixture. With mother's milk, the baby receives not only all the necessary nutrients. Protective antibodies are also passed through breast milk to help fight infection. These antibodies are produced in the woman's blood and are passed into the baby's blood in finished form. As a result, the baby in the earliest stages of the disease receives powerful protection from viruses and bacteria. In this regard, breast milk works much more effectively than all known immunomodulators, protecting the baby from most respiratory diseases.

Feed your baby on demand - this will increase his chances of getting all the nutrients in full.

It is noticed that children who are breastfed get sick less often than their peers who receive an artificial mixture. But weaning in the midst of a cold can adversely affect the condition of the child. The baby's body is fighting hard against the infection, and here it creates additional stress. The child begins to get sick, and protective antibodies no longer enter his blood. Babies who are switched to formula during their mother's cold get sick more severely and for longer than those who continue to receive milk throughout the illness.

Forced weaning

It happens that a nursing mother is forced to stop lactation for objective reasons. The following situations can lead to this:

  • taking medications that are not compatible with lactation;
  • the serious condition of the woman, not allowing her to breastfeed the baby;
  • purulent mastitis against the background of the underlying disease;
  • hospitalization of a woman.

Such situations are not typical for the common cold and indicate the development of serious complications. In this case, the woman has no choice but to transfer the baby to the mixture. Can I return to breastfeeding after recovery?

Experts assure: nothing is impossible. All the while a woman is undergoing treatment, she needs to regularly. Pumping should go at least every 3-4 hours without a break for the night. At the same time, the milk is poured out, and the child receives an artificial mixture.

Many children, having got used to a bottle, refuse to breastfeed in the future. Can this be avoided? Yes, if you feed the baby with a special soft spoon. The handle of the spoon is shaped like a small bottle into which baby formula is poured. For the entire period of feeding with the mixture, it is not recommended to use pacifiers - the child also gets used to them quickly enough.

Child safety

Most pediatricians recommend that a sick mother wear a disposable mask when feeding. Using a mask somewhat reduces the risk of infection of the baby, but does not give a 100% guarantee that the baby will not get sick. The thing is that viruses and bacteria begin to stand out long before the first symptoms of a cold appear. A nursing mother does not yet know that she is sick, and her child already has every chance of becoming infected. In this regard, the use of a mask after the onset of obvious symptoms of a cold does not make much sense.

The good news is that antibodies in the mother's body also begin to be produced quite quickly. The baby receives protective substances along with milk in the earliest stages of the disease. This in particular explains the lower incidence of colds among breastfed children.

Some women, fearing for the health of the child, express and boil breast milk. Under no circumstances should this be done! Boiled milk loses all its useful substances, including protective antibodies. The risk of catching a cold after boiling baby food is not at all reduced.

How can you protect your child from a cold?

  1. Frequent ventilation of the room.
  2. Daily wet cleaning.
  3. Air humidification (you can purchase a special room humidifier).
  4. Use of an ultraviolet germicidal lamp indoors (10 minutes 4 times a day).
  5. Frequent hand washing throughout the day.
  6. Regular walks with good health.
  7. Cleansing the baby's nose with saline solutions.

Breastfeeding mother treatment

Treating a cold during lactation is not an easy task. Many conventional drugs are prohibited for use in nursing mothers. Products that pass into breast milk can harm the baby and slow down its growth and development. What can be taken for a cold during lactation?

  • Non-drug therapy.

Bed rest until the temperature returns to normal, healthy sleep and rest - this is what a nursing mother needs to quickly restore strength. To reduce intoxication, doctors recommend drinking as much liquid as possible. It can be pure water, weak tea, berry fruit drinks or fruit compotes. It is better to refrain from sugary juices and carbonated drinks until recovery.

  • Medical therapy.

High body temperature is not very characteristic of the common cold. Thermometer values ​​for SARS rarely exceed 38 degrees. It is not necessary to bring down this temperature. If the fever continues and the temperature stays around 39 degrees, you can take antipyretic drugs. When breastfeeding, paracetamol is allowed for use. Ibuprofen is used with great caution. Analgin for nursing mothers is prohibited.

Salt solutions can be used to cleanse the nasal mucosa. You can spray in the nose every two hours throughout the day. Salt solutions facilitate nasal breathing, cleanse the nose of pathogens and speed up recovery. With severe nasal congestion, you can use vasoconstrictor drops that are allowed during lactation.

Local antiseptics in the form of tablets and sprays will help relieve a sore throat. Before using any drug, you should make sure that it is allowed for lactation. Gargling with decoctions of herbs (chamomile, calendula, eucalyptus) gives a good effect. Mucolytics and antitussive drugs are used only on prescription.

In most cases, a nursing mother can easily cope with a cold at home. If the condition worsens, as well as in the absence of the effect of treatment within 3 days, you should definitely consult a doctor.

It has long been believed that for a baby there is nothing better and healthier than mother's milk.

However, the development of such a pathological process as mastitis confuses a woman, against the background of a painful condition and fatigue, she does not know whether it is possible with mastitis of a child, and what actions should be performed first of all in order to quickly restore her health.

Mastitis is characterized by the development of an inflammatory process in the mammary gland. It occurs as a result of the penetration of microbes from the skin (in most cases through cracks in the nipples).

Microorganisms, getting into the breast, contribute to the sourness and thickening of milk, which leads to clogging of the milk ducts. An edema is formed that compresses the adjacent ducts, also causing stagnation of milk and the development of infection there. Ultimately, an extensive inflammatory process matures and an abscess may form.

The main causative agents of mastitis are staphylococcus aureus and streptococcus. In this case, to a greater extent, this disease develops due to the penetration of a staphylococcal infection.

Causes of mastitis:

  • characterized by prolonged stagnation of milk in the breast;
  • improper attachment to the breast, which leads to poor emptying of the breast;
  • various damage to the nipples;
  • low immunity contributes to the weakening of the body's defenses.

Mastitis symptoms:

  • the occurrence of seals in the mammary gland;
  • the chest is significantly enlarged;
  • the skin area in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bdensification is hot and reddened;
  • feeding and pumping is painful;
  • blood or pus may appear in the milk;
  • fever, chills.

There are several forms of development of mastitis:

  1. Serous- this stage is characterized by high body temperature, general weakness, fatigue. The glands are inflamed and have seals. Pumping and breastfeeding is accompanied by pain. However, there is no relief.
  2. infiltrative- an increased content of leukocytes is detected in the blood. Dizziness appears, the body temperature is constantly high. Seals 2-3 cm in size are felt in the chest.
  3. Purulent- body temperature rises to 40 degrees. The infiltrate in the mammary gland becomes purulent, while the breast swells, significantly increases in size, acquires a pinkish tint. The temperature keeps fluctuating. When it falls, severe chills and sweating appear.

In turn, purulent mastitis (which should be classified as destructive forms) is divided into several stages of development:

  • Infiltrative-purulent.
  • Abscessing.
  • Phlegmonous.
  • Gangrenous.

At these stages, the infiltrate in the chest is completely replaced by pus. Urgent surgical intervention is required.

If at least one symptom appears, you should urgently consult a mammologist in order to exclude the onset of mastitis development or start its treatment in a timely manner. The earlier the therapy is started, the easier will be its consequences.

Whether to continue breastfeeding with mastitis

As a rule, with the development of mastitis, many women begin to worry about the possibility of further breastfeeding.

However, in such a situation, the mammary gland especially needs regular and high-quality emptying.

It follows from this that when this disease occurs, in no case should breastfeeding be stopped.

Contraindication to lactation:

  • The development of purulent mastitis. In this case, it is impossible to feed a sick breast, as the risk of infection entering the child's body increases. An alternative option is to continue feeding on healthy breasts, while the second should simply be expressed and discarded.
  • Therapy of mastitis with drugs that require a temporary cessation of feeding the child. Pumping should also continue.

The baby should be applied to the sore breast as often as possible. In addition, after feeding is completed, it is recommended to additionally use a breast pump for the final emptying of the mammary gland.

With mastitis, in addition to frequent breastfeeding, it is recommended to use Lactanza, the first probiotic for the mammary gland of lactating women based on beneficial Lc40 lactobacilli isolated from breast milk.

Lactobacilli, which are part of Lactanza, naturally control the level of pathogenic bacteria and inflammation in the mammary gland, restoring normal microflora and reducing pain.

Lactanza can be used both for prevention and during mastitis to reduce the frequency of further relapses and maintain healthy breastfeeding.

Rules for breastfeeding with mastitis

When breastfeeding with mastitis, you should follow these basic rules:

  1. It is necessary to ensure proper attachment to the chest this measure is of particular importance, since often the cause of lactostasis, and as a result, the development of mastitis, is the ineffective suckling of the breast by the child. At the same time, proper attachment protects the woman from damage to the nipples, and also contributes to sufficient emptying of the breast.
  2. During feeding, the breast should be squeezed and lightly massaged so that the milk comes out more easily.
  3. The child should be applied to the breast as often as possible.
  4. It is better to wash the chest once a day with ordinary water without soap. With too frequent hygiene, especially with cosmetics (soap, shower gel), a special protective lubricant is washed off the skin of the nipples, which helps soften them and also protects against the penetration of microbes.
  5. After each feeding, it is recommended to additionally express the breast with a breast pump.

Massaging the breast should be done with extreme caution, as rough pressure can lead to the penetration of excess milk into the soft tissues of the breast, which will only exacerbate the existing problem.

Likely consequences

Depending on the form of the transferred mastitis, its consequences can be divided into 2 groups:

  1. Serous mastitis is easily treatable and does not carry any serious consequences. In addition, about 80% of women continue breastfeeding. The only negative point is the occurrence of some psychological discomfort during breastfeeding, accompanied by fear of this process. However, with the right psychological help, a woman quickly rehabilitates herself and breastfeeds without problems during her next pregnancy.
  2. Destructive forms in 99% of cases require surgical intervention. The resulting breast abscess is opened, the pus is removed, and the cavity is washed with an antiseptic. As a rule, during such operations, secondary sutures are applied, which contributes to rapid healing.

If mastitis has already acquired a gangrenous stage, the mammary gland is amputated.

The main consequences of surgery:

  • long recovery after surgery;
  • limitation of physical activity;
  • severe psychological state;
  • inability to continue breastfeeding.

With the timely detection of incipient mastitis, as well as the implementation of its high-quality treatment, the consequences of this disease are practically not felt.

Prevention of mastitis

In order to prevent the occurrence of mastitis, a woman should take the following preventive measures:

  • it is necessary to strictly observe the rules of personal hygiene;
  • the baby should be fed on demand, not on a schedule;
  • carefully ensure that the child takes the breast correctly;
  • prevent injury to the nipples, and if this does happen, it is necessary to accelerate their healing;
  • make sure that the baby sucks completely on each breast;
  • in the process of feeding a woman should periodically change the position of the body;
  • use underwear for nursing mothers.

Summing up, it should be noted that mastitis is a serious disease, the neglected form of which has very negative consequences. In this regard, it is extremely important to carry out the prevention of mastitis, and in case of suspicion, urgently seek help from a doctor. However, in some cases, you can safely continue breastfeeding.

Related video

In Soviet times, the rules of breastfeeding were established by medicine. Young mothers were taught in advance that before feeding they should wash their breasts, preferably with boiled water, after feeding they should express milk to an empty breast. It was supposed to feed the baby strictly at certain hours, not paying attention to whether the child was crying or sleeping. All these moments turned the care of the baby into flour. These rules have now been revised.

Previously, young mothers were advised to feed their children strictly on time, even if such a schedule did not suit the baby.

The World Health Organization (WHO) only at the beginning of this century made a statement that only mother's milk is absolutely harmless for a child under 2 years old. This thesis is very relevant, despite the development of medicine. Breast milk forms the child's immunity, promotes the development of the brain and nervous system.

Thanks to WHO, the policy of training medical staff in maternity hospitals has changed. Doctors, consultants and nurses began to be trained in breastfeeding techniques. They began to give the child to mothers in the first half hour after childbirth, plus, the mother and baby in the maternity hospital lie in the same ward. A woman after giving birth can ask the staff for information, but some tips for mothers should be read in advance.

When breastfeeding is supposed, experts give advice to the nursing mother on all issues that concern her. The most important advice is to stop worrying. There are women who have a lot of milk, there are those who have little. In the second case, it is necessary to apply methods to increase the amount of milk produced. How to do this will be described below. Lactostases and cracks in the nipples do not always appear. If they do appear, they just need to be cured.



Even if there is not enough milk, you should not rush with supplementary feeding - it is almost always possible to increase the volume of lactation

Even during pregnancy, you need to tune in to breastfeeding, enjoying these thoughts. Imagine how the baby lies in your arms, touches you with small hands, takes a nipple in his mouth. Talk to other mothers who are breastfeeding. Read specialized literature. Watch the programs of Dr. Komarovsky. Remember that only 3% of women cannot breastfeed a baby. The rest you just need to want, and everything will be fine. No reasons - unfavorable heredity, anatomical features of the structure of the breast, illness, are not the reason for refusing to breastfeed.

How to increase the amount of breast milk?

The first point is the choice of a maternity hospital. It is necessary to choose an institution in which, after giving birth, mothers are immediately placed on the stomach and chest of the baby.

The body of a woman, upon contact with a newborn, triggers the mechanism of lactation. While a woman does not produce milk, but colostrum is a very useful product for the baby. It transfers immunity from mother to baby, contains vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

A woman after childbirth experiences nervous tension. She worries about the baby, thinks that there is too little colostrum to feed the baby. This is not true. The substances contained in colostrum are quite enough to satisfy the needs of the baby in all useful substances. In no case should you start supplementing your newborn with formula milk, otherwise he will get used to easily getting food from the nipple and refuse to suckle. Milk will come in 2-3 days. Don't rush things.

One of the effective ways to improve lactation is the use of natural preparations based on the royal jelly of bees. For example, the drug Apilak Grindeks, which contains 10 mg of natural royal jelly, will provide the body with all the necessary vitamins and macro- and microelements to maintain vitality and comprehensive assistance to the body. It contains the same valuable substances as in breast milk: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, a group of vitamins (A, C, B1, B2 B3, B5 B6, B12, E, K, folic acid), macro and microelements (calcium , iron, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, sodium, potassium).
Apilac Grindeks has been clinically proven effective in the treatment of hypogalactia by gently stimulating milk secretion in women suffering from this problem.

What rules to follow?

Old views on the sterility of the maternal nipple are being revised. Moreover, modern doctors believe that it is impossible to wash the chest with soap or gel. The nipples are very tender and can crack from the soap, which dries out the skin. Think about the smell - the baby will recognize the mother by the smell, and if she smells the same soap as the rest, he will not recognize her, get worried and may refuse to breastfeed. It makes sense to wash the breast no more than 2 times a day with warm water without soap.

The use of brilliant green and other disinfectants to lubricate the nipples can lead to overdrying of the skin and cracked nipples. The nipples are covered with a natural lubricant that protects them from external influences. You don't need to wash it off with soapy water.

If you feed your baby and he starts crying after 1-2 hours, breastfeed him again. Maybe he didn't have enough to eat last time. It is necessary to feed the baby at his first request, and not to maintain a schedule. The baby, of course, can cry for another reason - a wet diaper, a tummy ache or something else, but hunger is the most common reason for crying.



You should not interrupt the familiar and familiar aroma of mother's breasts with a sharp smell of soap or shower gel.

How often to feed the baby?

Babies suckle breasts in different ways, depending on their strength and character. There are children who suck actively and quickly fill up. Others breastfeed slowly, resting occasionally. The first days a woman feeds a baby very often. A regimen is gradually developed - eating every 1.5-2 hours. The mother and child should come to such a regimen on their own, without forcibly limiting the number of feedings.

Don't take your baby off the breast when you think he's full. At first, babies very often suck their mother also because feeding is a way for him to communicate with his closest person. During suckling, he calms down and can fall asleep.

No need to accustom a newborn to a pacifier. On the street, it is convenient to give him a pacifier so that he does not have to go home and breastfeed. This habit, however, does not increase lactation, unlike breast sucking. The more the baby suckles breastfeeding, the more lactation is stimulated. When part of the feeding is replaced by a dummy, the woman's milk gradually disappears. The psychological connection between the baby and mother is also present only during breastfeeding. A dummy does not establish such a connection.


A pacifier is more of an emergency measure than a panacea, so it should be used extremely rarely.

When is pumping necessary?

If the mother follows the above rules, there is no need to express the breast. Previously, when a mother fed a baby by the hour, her breasts would overflow with unclaimed milk. He had to be squeezed. When a newborn is breastfed on demand, there is no excess milk left. The baby, as it were, makes an order for a certain amount of milk - how much he eats this time, the same amount will arrive next. When pumping after feeding, the next time there will be more milk than the baby is able to eat. This can lead to lactostasis.

Pumping leads to another trouble. Thick milk, which contains lactase, is removed from the breast. This enzyme breaks down the sugar that is present in mother's liquid milk. When feeding, the baby will receive the liquid part of the milk with a lot of sugar. This sugar will enter the intestines, which can upset the stool. When there is a need to express:

  1. The mother leaves the house for a long time, another relative will have to feed the newborn with milk from a bottle (we recommend reading:). To do this, the mother stores breast milk in advance.
  2. The woman produces too much milk and the breasts harden. There is a danger of mastitis.
  3. Lactation is reduced, the mother is not able to provide the child with milk. This happens when the baby feels unwell and has little strength to actively suck on his mother.
  4. In connection with the illness of a woman, treatment with drugs prohibited for the baby was required. In this case, they are expressed to maintain lactation until the mother recovers.

Postures for feeding

How often should you change breasts while breastfeeding? This should be done no more than once every 2 hours. Only with this tactic will the baby receive both types of milk - liquid and thick.

In order for the milk not to stagnate, it is necessary to change the position of the child during feeding. Practice says that where the baby's chin rests, milk comes from there. Changing posture is an excellent prevention of mastitis.

When applying to the breast, pay attention to the area where the baby is grabbing the nipple. He must take into his mouth not only the nipple itself, but also the area around it - the areola. His lips will be, as it were, turned outward - with such a grip, feeding will be successful. If you do not follow the capture of the nipple, the baby will swallow air and his tummy will hurt.

The problem of proper nipple latch can also affect the baby's weight gain - he will absorb less milk, and his weight will lag behind the age norm. The doctor in the clinic sometimes does not have the time or desire to think about the correct grip of the nipple, he will prescribe you complementary foods with milk formula, and this will lead to a decrease in lactation.

Take the baby in your arms and bring it to your chest. Put the nipple deep into his mouth, hold the baby firmly. In this position, the baby does not swallow air, he and his mother will be comfortable.



There are many poses for feeding, but in each of them the child must capture the areola area completely.

Is the baby eating?

How do you know if your baby is getting enough milk? This is where the wet diaper method comes in handy. In the first days after birth, the baby pees 5-6 times a day. Gradually, this number increases to 20-25 per day. If your child pees less than 6 times a day, he is not getting enough fluid. In this case, you need to contact the district pediatrician to avoid dehydration of the little man's body.

Should I give water to the baby?

Do I need to feed the baby? If the child is breastfed, he does not need to be supplemented. Milk consists of 80% water. It is heterogeneous in its structure. At the beginning of breast sucking, the baby drinks the liquid part of the milk, which he drinks. Then the milk goes thicker, which serves as food. These 2 types of milk fully meet the baby's needs for food and drink. If you give a baby water to drink, it will occupy a certain volume in his stomach, he will suck his mother less, lactation will decrease.

Do you feed at night?

You must breastfeed at night. It is at this time of day when feeding in large quantities that prolactin is produced - a very important hormone. Prolactin not only promotes lactation, but also stimulates the immune system, anesthetizes, and keeps ovulation during breastfeeding. Mom may not worry that she will become pregnant when the first baby is still too small (we recommend reading:).

So that it is not difficult for the mother to get up, take the child out of the crib, and so on, it is better to put the baby to sleep with you. When he turns over, mom can only give him a breast and sleep on. In the same bed with parents, the baby feels protected and quickly calms down. If you find it uncomfortable to sleep with your baby, place his crib so that he is close to you. Remove the partition between you and the child from it. Then the mother will be able to take the child to her bed only for the time of feeding.

When to introduce complementary foods?

Don't rush into feeding. Up to six months, a baby can easily manage with mother's milk. After 6 months, complementary foods can be introduced to introduce the baby to different flavors of food. Complementary foods should not replace breastfeeding. Mom's milk is much healthier than any vegetable puree. With early supplementation of feedings with baby vegetable purees, mother's milk is gradually replaced by other, less useful products.

What should a mother eat during lactation?



A healthy balanced diet for a nursing mother is very important for active lactation.

The nutrition of a woman must be thought out in advance (we recommend reading:). Many substances from food and medicine pass into mother's milk and can harm the baby. Some foods cause allergies, and drugs bring tangible harm. It is not necessary to prescribe treatment for yourself - this should be done by the therapist, taking into account your situation.

Mothers should exclude allergenic foods from their diet. Do not eat red and orange vegetables and fruits. Smoked meats, pickles, spicy and fatty foods should be excluded from the diet. Do not eat seafood, nuts, honey, chocolate.

It is necessary to limit the content in the mother's diet of products that cause fermentation. They will not harm the mother, and the baby will have a tummy ache. Such products include cabbage, grapes, radishes, radishes, chocolates and other sweets.

  • dairy products;
  • rice, buckwheat, oatmeal;
  • yellow and green vegetables and fruits;
  • vegetable soups;
  • lean meat;
  • durum wheat bread.


Dairy products are great for breastfeeding moms

How much to feed a child?

Until what age should a child be fed? Many women believe that it is enough to feed up to 1 year. This is wrong - you can feed up to 2 or up to 3 years. In a year, the baby receives many other products, but is in no hurry to refuse the breast. Sucking on his mother's breast calms him down. By forcibly stopping feeding, you will injure the child psychologically, and this will also affect the health of your mammary glands. Wait until the baby refuses breast milk on his own.



Some women breastfeed longer than the usual duration, but doctors actively support them in this.

Should I wean from the breast when the mother is sick?

When a mother is sick, the baby should not be weaned. Talk to your doctor about what medications you can take without stopping feeding. If a mother has a seasonal cold, only breastfeeding will save the baby from infection. Together with mother's milk, he will receive antibodies that will fight the infection. In case of infection, the baby will endure a cold much easier.



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