Dry Goods Coming (No.34) Eight Truths about Breastfeeding

Rumor 1: When the mother is angry, sad or in a bad mood, harmful ingredients will appear in breast milk, which will affect the baby’s health.

Truth: Changes in the mother’s mood will not change the composition of milk. When the mood is bad, the amount of milk may decrease, but the quality of milk itself will not be a problem.

Rumor 2: Mothers cannot breastfeed when they are ill, because pathogens will be transmitted to their children along with milk.

Truth: If the mother is ill, whether she can continue breast-feeding is related to the disease and cannot be generalized.

When the mother is ill, the body will produce antibodies. These antibodies will also enter the milk, so the baby can be protected accordingly and the impact is not as great as everyone thinks.

Rumor 3: XX food is needed during lactation.

Truth: So far, there is no reliable evidence that certain foods in what can be [milked]. Those legendary [milky foods], such as various milky white soups, are just emulsions of fat wrapped in protein and are no more valuable than milk.

Rumor 4: XX food cannot be eaten during lactation.

Truth: Apart from food and alcohol that may cause baby allergy, No what food is a special taboo for nursing mothers. There are some foods that contain allergens. Allergens are protein fragments, some of which can be digested and absorbed into breast milk. If the child is allergic to a certain allergen, then the mother should [avoid] this food. If the child is not allergic, it doesn’t matter.

Rumor 5: Some mothers’ breast milk cannot provide comprehensive nutrition for their babies and needs to be supplemented with milk powder.

Truth: Breast milk contains enough calories, nutrients and fat to meet the baby’s growth needs. Infants with insufficient sunlight can be properly supplemented with vitamin D. After six months, the baby’s body has run out of iron and can be supplemented with iron-containing supplements. As long as breast milk is sufficient, milk powder is not needed at all.

Rumor 6: Breast milk after six months is not nutritious.

Truth: After six months, breast milk is not enough to provide enough iron and needs to be obtained from supplementary foods, so it is necessary to introduce supplementary foods containing iron, but breast milk is still the best food for infants.

Rumor 7: Before lactation, nipples should be cleaned with alcohol or soap to ensure hygiene.

Truth: Mothers only need to wash their breasts with clean water once a day. Moderate contact with bacteria on their mothers’ nipples can actually help promote the maturity of their immune system and prevent various allergic diseases.

Rumor 8: No extra water is needed.

Breast milk contains about 87% water, which can fully meet the needs of the baby’s body. Even in the desert, exclusively breast-fed babies do not need extra water.