Why You Should NOT Breastfeed

I hope the title doesn't get you thinking that I am anti-breastfeeding. =) I am a breastfeeding advocate, and I myself have breastfed my daughter for more than a year now. As long as both you and your infant are healthy and well, then by all means, you can breastfeed safely.

But there are some moms out there who have certain medical conditions that make breastfeeding a contraindication. Here are a few of them:

• If the mother is positive for HIV. The human immunodeficiency virus can pass through the breastmilk. If the baby hasn't been infected congenitally during pregnancy, then breastfeeding might cause the transmission of the viruses to the baby.
• If the mother has HTLV-1, or the human T-cell leukemia virus, type 1. Same as HIV, this virus can be passed through the breastmilk.
• If the mother is on antimetabolite drugs or on radiation therapy or chemotherapy for cancer. The radioactivity stays in the body for quite some time, and may be passed on to the baby and wreak havoc on his little body. If you've just finished therapy and would like to breastfeed, you can have a sample of your breastmilk examined, just to be sure all the harmful stuff has already been eliminated.
• If the mother is ingesting drugs of abuse, such as marijuana and cocaine.
• If the mother has untreated tuberculosis. If the mother is already taking TB meds, then it is considered no longer contagious. Only then would she be able to breastfeed.

There are also quite a few medications that might affect your breastmilk, but often there are alternative drugs which are safer for the baby. To be on the safe side, always inform your doctor that you are lactating, so they can make appropriate changes if needed. Also, you can do some research over the internet to help allay your doubts.

It really is unfortunate for mothers who have these conditions that they won't be able to breastfeed, but they should understand that sometimes, NOT breastfeeding would be the best option for the baby.