Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated : December 12, 2017 8:12 PM IST
Most mothers find breastfeeding an easy-going affair, but there are mothers who need little help and initiation to get used to the process. Apart from the general breastfeeding problems engorgement, low milk supply, improper latch all of which can be tackled with right help and guidance, we don t hear much about conditions that can stop a mother from breastfeeding. But there are serious medical conditions which can prevent a mother from breastfeeding her child. We spoke to Dr Meghana Sarviya, consultant gynaecologist, Cloudnine Hospitals, Mumbai to learn about the conditions which can make it difficult for a mother to breastfeed. Here are a few of them:
1. HIV infection: If the mother is HIV positive, first a pre-pregnancy counselling and various tests need to be done to know if she is capable of bearing the child. For women who are HIV positive, there are high chances of passing the virus to the child in the womb. However, there are still chances of getting pregnant with an HIV infection if the viral load of the woman is low and she is on antiretroviral medications. But as a precaution mothers are advised not to breastfeed babies after delivery. There is always a possibility of a mother-to-baby transmission of HIV infection through breast milk. Even though the WHO advises mothers infected with HIV to breastfeed provided that both the mother and baby are on antiretroviral medications, still as a precaution many doctors advice mothers not to breastfeed their babies.
2. Tuberculosis: Women suffering from an active tuberculosis infection who are on anti-tuberculosis medications are advised to stay off from breastfeeding. There are high chances of the mother passing the infection to the child through breast milk. Breastfeeding can be started once again when the mother is cured of the tuberculosis infection or when the infection is under control after consulting with the doctor.
3. Herpes: If the mother is suffering from an active herpes infection in the breasts then breastfeeding is a complete no-no. If the mother breastfeeds in this condition then the child could get the infection too. Treating herpes in babies could be a painful procedure and would be too much for the little one to deal with. Once the infection settles and is completely cured only then a mother can start breastfeeding the baby again.
4. Chemotherapy: Cancers as such are not contraindicative to breastfeeding. But mothers who are under chemotherapy and are taking drugs for the same are advised not to breastfeed, as some of these drugs can hamper growth and development of the child, if passed through breast milk. These are strong medications that can hamper cell division in the baby. Here are some dos and don ts to follow when one is on chemotherapy.
5. Radiation: Especially, if the mother is receiving radiation in the chest area she is advised not to breastfeed. This could lead the cells in the area to shrink and it might not be viable to breastfeed the baby in such a condition. Once all cycles of radiation are over then depending on the condition of the mother breastfeeding can be started again after consulting the doctors.
6. Leukaemia: Mothers suffering from human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I or type II should not breastfeed their babies.
7. Swine flu: This viral infection doesn t spread through breast milk. However, the mother and child are kept separated from each other so that the infection doesn t pass through contact. In this case, even though the mother and child are separated, the mother can still pump her milk and give it to a secondary caregiver like the nurse or a family member to feed the baby. The chance of passing an H1N1 infection through breast milk is very skim.
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