Breastfeeding support Flashcards
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (the College) strongly encourages women to breastfeed and supports each woman’s right to breastfeed. The College recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, with continued breastfeeding as complementary foods are introduced through the infant’s first year of life.
t
Enabling women to breastfeed is also a public health priority because, on a population level, interruption of lactation is associated with adverse health outcomes for the woman and her child, including higher maternal risks of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, and greater infant risks of infectious disease, sudden infant death syndrome, and metabolic disease
t
Contraindications to breastfeeding are few and include those women who have an infant with galactosemia, are infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I or type II, and have active untreated tuberculosis or varicella or active herpes simplex virus lesions on the nipple. Most medications are safe in breastfeeding, with rare exceptions such as cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs. Use of drugs or illicit substances or treatment for such may not be a contraindication to breastfeeding. For example, women on stable doses of methadone should be encouraged to breastfeed
t
The obstetrician–gynecologist and other obstetric care providers should collaborate with the pediatric care provider to share this information as soon as a preterm birth is anticipated because initiation of milk expression within 6 hours of birth is associated with improved milk production (20). Drops of colostrum obtained from early expression can be used for oral care as well as for initial feedings of even the smallest preterm infant. All obstetrician–gynecologists and other obstetric care providers should support women who have given birth to preterm infants to establish a full supply of milk by providing anticipatory guidance and working with hospital staff to facilitate early, frequent milk expression.
t
After anesthesia for surgical procedures, women who have given birth to healthy infants generally may breastfeed as soon as they are stable, awake, and alert enough to hold the infant (23). Breastfeeding can be continued without interruption after the use of iodinated contrast or gadolinium
t
