- 1. The mother has HIV
- 2. The mother is having treatments
- 3. The mother is a drug user
- 4. The baby has phenylketonuria, galactosemia or another metabolic disease
- How to feed the baby that cannot be breastfed
Breastfeeding is the best way to feed the baby, but this is not always possible, because there are situations in which the mother cannot breastfeed, because she can transmit diseases to the baby, because she may need to do some treatment or because she uses substances that can pass to milk and harm the baby.
In addition, you should not breastfeed if the baby has any condition and is unable to digest breast milk.
1. The mother has HIV
If the mother has the HIV virus, she should not, at any time, breastfeed the baby, because there is a risk of the virus passing into the milk and contaminating the child. The same applies to diseases such as hepatitis B or C with high viral load or situations in which the mother is contaminated by some microorganism, or has an infection in the nipple, for example.
2. The mother is having treatments
If the woman is in the first week of treatment for tuberculosis, is undergoing cancer treatment with radiotherapy and / or chemotherapy or other drugs that pass into breast milk and may cause harm to the baby, she should not breastfeed.
3. The mother is a drug user
If the mother is a drug user or consumes alcoholic beverages, she should also not breastfeed because these substances pass into the milk, being ingested by the baby, which can impair her development.
4. The baby has phenylketonuria, galactosemia or another metabolic disease
If the baby has phenylketonuria, galactosemia or another metabolic disease that prevents him from digesting milk correctly, he cannot be breastfed by the mother and must drink a special synthetic milk for his condition.
Sometimes women who have had silicone in their breasts or had breast reduction surgery are also unable to breastfeed due to changes in the anatomy of the breast.
How to feed the baby that cannot be breastfed
When the mother cannot breastfeed and wants to give breast milk to her baby, she can go to the human milk bank closest to her home. In addition, you can also offer milk powder adapted for the baby, respecting the pediatrician's indication. Learn how to choose the best milk for your baby.
It is important to emphasize that the baby should never be offered pure cow's milk before the baby completes the first year of life, as it increases the risk of developing allergies and can also impair development, since the nutritional proportion is not adequate for babies this age.
Also learn how and when to stop breastfeeding.
