Know When You Shouldn't Be Breast Feeding Your Child

The decision as to whether or not to breast feed your child is a very personal one. For some mothers there is no way they would miss that close initial bond that develops from breast feeding.

Others have to work or rely on bottled formula for various reasons. Whatever your choice, it's ok. Your baby will grow up just fine if you give them the care they need.

However, there are a few times you should not breast feed, no matter what. Here are a few of those times:

- If you are infected with HIV, or your HIV has progressed to AIDS, you should not breast feed. You can pass the HIV or AIDS to your baby, thus endangering his or her health.

Your physician will recommend that you not engage in breast feeding if this is your situation and you should take note. If you are adamant about providing breast milk, you can purchase it at a milk bank.

Do not feed him or her your own milk, though. This advice also applies if you are on antiretroviral medications. You may not know if you have HIV or AIDS, but these medications can transfer between you and your baby, and so can any disease you have.

- If your baby suffers from galactosemia then your breast milk will be detrimental to their health as they will be unable to digest the sugar in your milk.

- If you have active tuberculosis. This is another disease you can pass to your child via breast milk, and since your baby is just starting to develop an immune system, this could be deadly.

- If you are undergoing treatment for cancer. Chemotherapeutic agents can save your life, but they can affect your milk and your baby. Also, if you are having radiation, you may have to stop breast-feeding temporarily.

Talk to your doctor for more information on breast-feeding and your particular cancer treatment.

- If you have a dependency on a drug, such as cocaine. Breast-feeding can cause damage to your child and even make them addicted to the drug.

As well as addiction, other side effects can include sleep problems, tremors and other negative effects.

There are circumstances in which a mother may feel afraid to breast-feed even though it's perfectly safe. One of these instances is when a mother has the flu or a cold.

When this happens, your milk will have antibodies in it, since you're producing them in your own body. This will actually help protect your child from the disease, so breast-feeding is actually beneficial while you have these minor illnesses.


------

Jared Wright is a dad who works from home writing and sharing his knowledge and interests online. His latest website offers a range of useful information about breast pumps reviews and medela breast pump accessories.