Home
> Breastfeeding
> Jack Newman's Breastfeeding
Handouts
Some Breastfeeding Myths
Handout #11 Some breastfeeding myths. Revised
January 2005
Written by Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC. © 2005
1. Many women do not produce enough
milk.
Not true! The vast majority of women produce
more than enough milk. Indeed, an overabundance of
milk is common. Most babies that gain too slowly, or lose weight,
do so not because the mother does not have enough milk,
but because the baby does
not get the milk that the mother has. The usual reason that
the baby does not get the milk that is available is that he is poorly
latched onto the breast. This is why it is so important that the
mother be shown, on the first day, how
to latch a baby on properly, by someone who knows
what they are doing.
2. It is normal for breastfeeding
to hurt.
Not true! Though some tenderness during the
first few days is relatively common, this should be a temporary
situation that lasts only a few days and should never be so bad
that the mother dreads nursing. Any pain that is more than mild
is abnormal and is almost always due to the baby latching on poorly.
Any nipple pain that is not getting better by day three or four
or lasts beyond five or six days should not be ignored. A new onset
of pain when things have been going well for a while may be due
to a yeast infection of the nipples. Limiting feeding time does
not prevent soreness. Taking the baby off the breast for the nipples
to heal should be a last resort only. (See handout #3a Sore
Nipples).
3. There is no (not enough) milk
during the first 3 or 4 days after birth.
Not true! It often seems like that because
the baby is not latched on properly and therefore is unable to get
the milk that is available. When there is not a lot of milk (as
there is not, normally, in the first few
days), the baby must be well
latched on in order to get the milk. This accounts for "but
he's been on the breast for 2 hours and is still hungry when I take
him off". By not latching on well, the baby is unable to get
the mother's first milk, called colostrum. Anyone who suggests you
pump your milk to know how much colostrum there is, does not understand
breastfeeding, and should be politely ignored. Once the mother's
milk is abundant, a baby can latch on poorly and still may get plenty
of milk.
4. A baby should be on the breast
20 (10, 15, 7.6) minutes on each side.
Not true! However, a distinction needs to be
made between "being on the breast" and "breastfeeding".
If a baby is actually drinking for most of 15-20 minutes
on the first side, he may not want to take the second side at all.
If he drinks only a minute on the first side, and then nibbles or
sleeps, and does the same on the other, no amount of time will be
enough. The baby will breastfeed better and longer if he is latched
on properly. He can also be helped to breastfeed longer
if the mother compresses the breast to keep the flow of milk going,
once he no longer swallows on his own (Handout #15 Breast
Compression). Thus it is obvious that the rule of thumb
that "the baby gets 90% of the milk in the breast in the first
10 minutes" is equally hopelessly wrong. To see how to know
a baby is getting milk see the videos at www.thebirthden.com/Newman.html
5. A breastfeeding baby needs extra
water in hot weather.
Not true! Breastmilk contains all the water
a baby needs.
6. Breastfeeding babies need extra
vitamin D.
Not true! Everyone needs vitamin
D. Formula has it added at the factory. But the baby is born
with a liver full of vitamin D, and outside exposure allows the
baby to get the vitamin D from ultraviolet light even in winter.
The baby does not need a lot of outside exposure and does not need
outside exposure every day. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and
is stored in the body. In some circumstances (for example, if the
mother herself was vitamin D deficient during the pregnancy) it
may be prudent to supplement the baby with vitamin D. Exposing the
baby to sunlight through a closed window does not work to get the
baby more vitamin D.
7. A mother should wash her nipples
each time before feeding the baby.
Not true! Formula feeding requires careful
attention to cleanliness because formula not only does not protect
the baby against infection, but also is actually a good breeding
ground for bacteria and can also be easily contaminated. On the
other hand, breastmilk protects the baby against infection. Washing
nipples before each feeding makes breastfeeding unnecessarily complicated
and washes away protective oils from the nipple.
8. Pumping is a good way of knowing
how much milk the mother has.
Not true! How much milk can be pumped depends
on many factors, including the mother's stress level. The baby who
nurses well can get much more milk than his mother can pump.
Pumping only tells you have much you can pump.
9. Breastmilk does not contain enough
iron for the baby's needs.
Not true! Breastmilk contains just enough iron
for the baby's needs. If the baby is full term he will get enough
iron from breastmilk to last him at least the first six months.
Formulas contain too much iron, but this quantity may be
necessary to ensure the baby absorbs enough to prevent
iron deficiency. The iron in formula is poorly absorbed,
and the baby poops out most of it. Generally, there is no need to
add other
foods to breastmilk before about 6 months of age.
10. It is easier to bottle feed
than to breastfeed.
Not true! Or, this should not be true.
However, breastfeeding is made difficult because women often do
not receive the help they should to get
started properly. A poor start can indeed make breastfeeding
difficult. But a poor start can also be overcome. Breastfeeding
is often more difficult at first, due to a poor start, but usually
becomes easier later.
11. Breastfeeding ties the mother
down.
Not true! But it depends how you look at it.
A baby can be nursed anywhere, anytime, and thus breastfeeding is
liberating for the mother. No need to drag around bottles
or formula. No need to worry about where to warm up the milk. No
need to worry about sterility. No need to worry about how your baby
is, because he is with you.
12. There is no way to know how
much breastmilk the baby is getting.
Not true! There is no easy way to measure
how much the baby is getting, but this does not mean that you cannot
know if the baby is getting enough. The best way to know is that
the baby actually drinks at the breast for several minutes at each
feeding (open mouth wide—pause—close mouth
type of suck). Other ways also help show that the baby is getting
plenty (Handout #4 Is
my Baby getting enough milk?). See the videos at www.thebirthden.com/Newman.html
13. Modern formulas are almost the
same as breastmilk.
Not true! The same claim was made in 1900 and
before. Modern formulas are only superficially similar to breastmilk.
Every correction of a deficiency in formulas is advertised
as an advance. Fundamentally, formulas are inexact copies based
on outdated and incomplete knowledge of what breastmilk
is. Formulas
contain no antibodies, no living cells, no enzymes, no hormones.
They contain much more aluminum, manganese, cadmium, lead and iron
than breastmilk. They contain significantly more protein than breastmilk.
The proteins and fats are fundamentally different from those in
breastmilk. Formulas do not vary from the beginning of the feed
to the end of the feed, or from day 1 to day 7 to day 30, or from
woman to woman, or from baby to baby. Your breastmilk is made as
required to suit your baby. Formulas are made to suit every
baby, and thus no baby. Formulas succeed only at making
babies grow well, usually, but there is more to breastfeeding than
nutrients.
14. If the mother has an infection
she should stop breastfeeding.
Not true! With very, very few exceptions, the
mother’s continuing to breastfeed will actually protect the
baby. By the time the mother has fever (or cough, vomiting, diarrhea,
rash, etc) she has already given the baby the infection, since she
has been infectious for several days before she even knew she was
sick. The baby's best protection against getting the infection is
for the mother to continue breastfeeding. If the baby does get sick,
he will be less sick if the mother continues breastfeeding. Besides,
maybe it was the baby who gave the infection to the mother, but
the baby did not show signs of illness because he was breastfeeding.
Also, breast
infections, including breast abscess, though painful, are
not reasons to stop breastfeeding. Indeed, the infection is likely
to settle more quickly if the mother continues breastfeeding on
the affected side. (Handouts #9a Drugs
and Breastfeeding and 9b Illness
in the mother or baby).
15. If the baby has diarrhea or
vomiting, the mother should stop breastfeeding.
Not true! The best medicine for a baby's gut
infection is breastfeeding. Stop other foods for a short time, but
continue breastfeeding. Breastmilk is the only fluid your
baby requires when he has diarrhea and/or vomiting, except under
exceptional circumstances. The push to use "oral rehydrating
solutions" is mainly a push by the formula manufacturers (who
also make oral rehydrating solutions) to make even more money. The
baby is comforted by the breastfeeding, and the mother is comforted
by the baby's breastfeeding. (Handout #9b Illness
in the mother or baby).
16. If the mother is taking medicine
she should not breastfeed.
Not true! There are very very few medicines
that a mother cannot take safely while breastfeeding. A very small
amount of most medicines appears in the milk, but usually in such
small quantities that there is no concern. If a medicine is truly
of concern, there are usually equally effective, alternative medicines
that are safe. The risks of artificial feeding for both the mother
and the baby must be taken into account when weighing if
breastfeeding should be continued (Handouts #9a Drugs
and Breastfeeding and 9b Illness
in the mother or baby).
Questions?
see
my book Dr. Jack Newman's Guide to Breastfeeding (called
The
Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers in the USA)
Handout #11 Some breastfeeding myths. Revised
January 2005
Written by Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC. © 2005
This
handout may be copied and distributed without further permission,
on
the condition that it is not used in any context in which
the WHO code on the marketing of breastmilk substitutes is violated
