Considering Bottle-feeding
Women may opt for formula feeding for a number of reasons. Some are simply not comfortable with the idea of breastfeeding, while others may have had a bad previous experience and not want to go there again. Whatever your reasons, this is a personal decision, and only you can decide what is right for you. In addition, health issues may mean you opt to bottlefeed. They include the following:
- If you have a chronic infection such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), formula feeding helps ensure that you don’t pass the infection to your baby via your breast milk. (Women who carry the hepatitis B virus can breastfeed as long as the baby has been vaccinated against hepatitis B.)
- If you have inverted nipples, breastfeeding can be extremely difficult. Inverted nipples are often confused with flat nipples, which can be ‘coaxed out’ using nipple shields or stretching exercises. A truly inverted nipple is still attached to the chest wall.
- If you have had previous surgery on your breasts, bottle-feeding may be your best bet as you may not be able to breastfeed. Sometimes, surgery means cutting the milk ducts from the nipple, which can make it physically impossible to breastfeed.
- If you take certain medications, bottle-feeding may be best. Certain medications can pass through the breast milk and affect the baby adversely. Drugs to be wary of include anti-cancer drugs such as cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, methotrexate, and ciclosporin; bromocriptine; lithium; and some migraine treatments, particularly ergotamine. Ask your GP about any medications you take regularly before you start breastfeeding.
- You may simply find breastfeeding too painful or exhausting. You may also feel you’re not producing enough milk – although this is a common misconception, as about 95 per cent of women produce the right amount of breast milk.
Even if you’re planning to bottle-feed, you’ll probably be encouraged to breastfeed in the very early days so that your baby can benefit from your colostrum, the antibody-rich pre-milk that your body produces before your milk comes in. Check the post about breastfeeding (‘Choosing to Breastfeed’).
Tags: bottle feeding baby
Posted in Children's Health
Comments (1)
Your blog is interesting!
Keep up the good work!