A baby deserves the purest and most splendid way of nourishment and soothing. Breastfeeding is a wonderful and optimal way to do that. It provides nutrition, immunity, comfort to your baby, and the best opportunity to both of you to establish and strengthen your bond with each other.

During your breastfeeding journey, you may encounter various situations that challenge your ability or desire to breastfeed, such as health issues, social pressures, work demands, or personal preferences.

Let’s discover the different situations to know what is best for your baby.

Breastfeeding with breast implants

Breastfeeding with breast implants is possible for most women but depends on certain factors like the placement of implants, type of incision, and surgery you had. In some cases breast implants may affect your capacity for milk production.

Change in your breast milk production can be due to :

Damage to milk ducts: Incisions made for breast implants around your areola can cause damage to your milk ducts, Glandular tissues, and nerves. There are fewer chances of damage to milk ducts if incisions are made under the breast or through the armpit.

Pressure on milk ducts and glands: Implants are placed over or under the breast muscle layer. Implants placed over the muscle layer can pressurize your milk glands causing the milk production process to slow down.

Breastfeeding with alcohol consumption

Avoiding alcohol is the safest choice for you if you are a breastfeeding mother. But, even if you decide to drink, drinking moderately (not more than one drink per day) is unlikely to harm your baby if you wait for at least 2-3 hours after drinking.

Alcohol consumption above moderate levels can create problems in your baby’s growth, development, and sleep patterns and can also affect your ability to safely nurse your baby. Therefore, avoid alcohol whenever you can, but if it is an occasional consumption, be watchful that it should not exceed 1 unit per day.

Breastfeeding and illegal drugs

Drugs like opioids, cocaine, and phencyclidine can pass to your baby through your breast milk and affect the infant negatively. It is unsafe to breastfeed your baby while you are under the influence of such harmful drugs. If you have discontinued consuming these drugs and are having any therapy, you should encourage breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding and medications

Most medications are safe to take during breastfeeding like paracetamol, ibuprofen, vitamin tablets and supplements, asthma inhalers, and local vaccinations. It is advised to talk to your gynaecologist first if you are taking any specific medication or vaccination other than those mentioned.

Breastfeeding while being corona positive

Since there is no evidence to it that corona virus can pass on to your baby through breast milk; you may breastfeed your baby while taking a few precautions like:

⦁ Be careful before touching your baby, and wash your hands properly.

⦁ Avoid close contact with your baby.

⦁ Maintain a distance from your baby while sneezing and coughing.

However, it is always better to consult your gynae once before you continue to breastfeed your baby while being corona positive.

Breastfeeding and resuming work

Whether it is a responsibility or a choice, resuming work post-pregnancy during breastfeeding seems like a challenge to new mothers. Many mothers continue to breastfeed their babies even after resuming their work. You can try the following things to have a smooth and steady breastfeeding experience while working.

Test out partial breastfeeding: When you resume back your work, you may try experimenting with partial breastfeeding which means breastfeeding your baby when you are at home and expressing your breast milk for the time when you are away from home at your workplace.

Seeking a reasonable break time: You can ask your employer to provide you enough break time to express breast milk for your baby in a clean, private room. It will provide continuous feeding to your baby even in your absence.

We know breastfeeding is not an easy journey for both you and your baby, but it is a beautiful mix of contentment and gratitude, excitement and calmness. It gives you the best opportunity to nurture your baby with eternal love and care. So live every bit of it to cherish it forever.

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