Almost all mothers can breastfeed and practically all mothers have milk.
The cases in which breastfeeding is not recommended are very rare and very special and are described in the recommendations on breastfeeding of the Italian Neonatology Society (SIN). In summary, however, natural breastfeeding is contraindicated in the case of some maternal diseases (current hepatitis B, HIV and HTLV infection), drug addiction, alcoholism and addictive smoking, severe debilitation of the mother, some inborn errors of metabolism (for example, galactosemia), local breast problems (for example, breast cancer), intake of absolutely contraindicated drugs.
All other mothers can theoretically breastfeed. Of course, it is not certain that they want to do it, and that of breastfeeding must always remain a choice; every woman must feel free to decide to use formulated milk.
With this article we simply want to provide a reassurance to all those mothers who want to breastfeed but find it difficult to do so. It is often just a matter of taking the pace. According to the WHO, in fact, potentially all women can produce milk, the cases in which this cannot happen for physiopathological reasons are very rare. Let's see how to promote breastfeeding.
Promote breastfeeding
Breastfeeding on request
A question often asked by mothers who are breastfeeding is: how often ? The truth is that there is no pre-established interval between one breastfeed and another, natural breastfeeding must be free, "on request"; that is, the child must be attacked as often as he wishes. Of course, especially in the early days, it is difficult to understand when the baby is looking for the breast because it is hungry or to find some comfort. In any case, it is not wrong to offer it for comfort, moreover the frequent sucking favors the production of milk.
Correct breast attachment
Proper attachment is essential to prevent fissures and prevent the feeding being insufficient. In case of problems or if you do not know the correct way to have the newborn attacked, it is advisable to ask the help of a midwife; just contact the nearest counseling center.
Exclusivity
To promote breastfeeding, this should be exclusive. Unless there are real reasons to offer the infant an addition of formulated milk, which should still be evaluated by a pediatrician, the baby fed on the breast does not need anything else. Water is not even needed in the feeding of breast-fed infants, let alone the herbal teas. Supplements, in fact, interfere with the natural process of breastfeeding because they influence the feedback mechanism between mother and baby, which is the basis for the adequate calibration of the supply of breast milk.
Pacifiers and baby bottles
The pacifier can be seen by the mother as a valid aid, since the first days of life of the children. In reality, however, there is a theory called nipple confusion which emphasizes how pacifiers and baby bottles can negatively influence the good outcome of breastfeeding, firstly because they reduce the time spent by the baby sucking at the breast which, like already mentioned, it is very important to promote milk production. Furthermore, the breast sucking technique is different from the pacifier or baby bottle technique and therefore the baby, getting used to suck at the teat (which is also less tiring) may have more difficulty attaching to the breast.
