In general, the process of a mother breast feeding baby provides a sense of bonding between the two. There are many perspectives with regard to breast feeding but the former is probably the most important element for mothers when it comes to not resorting to baby formula for their children as much as they can. There are a number of discussions on whether or not breast milk is the best source of early nutrition for a child. There have been inconclusive results deeming breast milk as the better choice.
A number of people also rely on the bottled formula when feeding baby for a number of different reasons including the most basic one wherein mothers cannot produce a significant amount of breast milk to feed their children with. With breast milk or formula, both are good options and whichever you choose your child will still grow healthy given that you provide him or her with the nurturing hand as he or she is growing up.
On the other hand, feeding baby with breast milk becomes a complicated matter when there are health conditions to consider. A mother infected with HIV or AIDS for that matter should by all means refrain from giving her child her breast milk as this can endanger the life of the child as the virus can be contracted through the milk. Doctors will automatically advise mothers against breast feeding when a situation like this occurs. If a mother really wants her child to be given breast milk then she has the option of going to a milk bank for the breast milk to feed the baby with.
Mothers on any kind of medication should also refrain from giving the children their own breast milk. May the drugs be antiretroviral or other medications it is always better to be safe than sorry later on. A mother may also not know of she has the HIV or AIDS virus not to mention other diseases at the time of her child’s birth and so remember that when any kind of medication is taken you should not breast feed a child. Read the following article for more information about what to remember when feeding your baby:
Things to remember when feeding your baby
Be alert when feeding your baby
This applies regardless of whether you have or do not have any lingering diseases but are taking medications. Similar with the HIV factor, tuberculosis sufferers should not breast feed in any way as feeding baby can result to the mother transmitting the disease to her child. The same applies with chemo patients. Be aware if you child suffers from any lactose intolerance. If a child has this then breast feeding baby will only be endangering his or her life because the child will not be able to digest the sugars properly. Always consult with a doctor before breast feeding.
