Since the beginning of the last century, people have been led to believe that there is no discernable difference between formula and breast milk. However, research in recent years has shown otherwise. There is no substitute for breast milk when it comes to giving your baby the best possible start in life.
There may, of course, be exceptional circumstances under which you are unable to breastfeed your child and in that case, bottle-feeding may be necessary. However, there are many common misconceptions surrounding reasons women are unable to breastfeed such as:
- Many women do not produce enough milk; In fact, quite the opposite is true. Most women produce an over abundance of milk. The more likely reason is that your baby is not latched correctly on the breast.
- If the mother has an infection she should not breastfeed; there are very few cases where a mother would need to stop breastfeeding due to an infection. It is almost always advisable to continue breast feeding if you have an infection as this will protect your baby from getting an infection. Breast infections, are not a reason to stop breastfeeding, although painful, the infection is more likely to heal quicker by continuing to breastfeed.
- If the mother is taking medication she should stop breastfeeding; there are very few medications that a mother cannot take while breastfeeding. While, most medications do show in the milk they are usually in such small amounts that they are of no significance. If a particular medication is of concern, it is usually possible to find an alternative medicine.
If you are in doubt about whether you can or cannot safely breastfeed you should always contact your G.P. However, if you have a choice you should always choose to give your child a healthy head start and breastfeed for as long as possible. Breastfeeding has numerous benefits, including being a great way to bond with your baby and is also a wonderful way of providing her with comfort and reassurance. Breastfeeding has long since been the natural choice to feed your baby while formula is a relatively new invention.
Find out more about breastfeeding myths
