American Medical Association Family Medical Guide - American Medical Association [304]
Thrush
Some women who are breastfeeding develop a yeast infection called thrush, which the nursing baby also has (it appears on the baby’s tongue as white patches). The infection can make the nipples sore and cracked. Your doctor will prescribe an antifungal cream to apply to your nipples several times a day and oral drops for the baby. If the infection spreads through the baby’s digestive tract, it can cause a form of diaper rash, which can be treated with an antifungal cream. Treatment can take several weeks, but you can continue to breastfeed during treatment.
Feeding Your Baby
During your pregnancy, you probably decided whether you wanted to breastfeed or bottle-feed your baby. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. Your choice will be based mostly on your personal preferences and your lifestyle. Feeding your baby, whether by breast or bottle, is an important time for you to form a strong emotional attachment to your baby, which is just as essential to your baby’s growth and development as nutrition.
Breastfeeding
For various reasons, not all women want to (or can) breastfeed. However, breastfeeding has many benefits for both mother and child. Doctors recommend breastfeeding as the most beneficial nutrition for babies in their first year of life. Breast milk provides the perfect mix of nutrients that infants need to develop properly, and it causes fewer food allergies and fewer digestive problems (such as constipation) than formula. Breast milk also provides a newborn with infection-fighting antibodies from the mother’s body and reduces the incidence of ear, respiratory, and digestive tract infections during the first few years of life. Breastfeeding is convenient because breast milk is always available and requires no preparation, and you can feed your baby whenever he or she is hungry. Breastfed babies do not gain weight as quickly as bottle-fed babies, and breastfed babies seldom become overweight.
Breastfeeding
The hormone prolactin, which stimulates milk production, is produced by the pituitary gland in the brain. After childbirth, the pituitary gland releases prolactin into the mother’s bloodstream, where it stimulates milk production. When a baby sucks on the breast, the stimulation from the sucking sends a signal to the pituitary gland to release more prolactin to trigger milk production. Milk flows from the milk-producing glands at the back of the breast into tiny sacs called milk ducts under the woman’s areola (the darker area surrounding the nipple). The pressure of the baby’s mouth on the areola squeezes milk from the milk ducts out through the nipple. Feeding a baby alternately from both breasts helps ensure that both breasts receive equal stimulation to produce an equal amount of milk.
For the mother, breastfeeding helps the uterus get back to its normal size more quickly. Also, because you are burning calories when you breastfeed, you will lose weight faster. Breastfeeding longer than 3 months confers some protection to women against developing breast cancer later in life.
If you have any problems in the first few days of breastfeeding, don’t be discouraged. Talk to your doctor and to friends who have breastfed and ask for tips. Call or attend group meetings of the local La Leche League, a volunteer group that offers practical advice and encouragement to women who are breastfeeding.
Bottle-Feeding
Many women choose to bottle-feed their babies. If this is your choice, you should not feel guilty that you are depriving your baby in any way. Formula provides the nutrients your infant needs to develop and grow, and you bond with your baby when you hold him or her for feedings. Make sure that you prepare the formula according to the package instructions. Some people prefer the convenience of bottle-feeding because other people can help out with feedings. It also gives the father and older siblings an opportunity