Chapter 16: Breastfeeding
Small babies and early babies
Most small babies and early babies need breast
milk. If the baby is too weak to suck from the
breast, a mother can remove her milk by hand
and then feed her baby with a cup or spoon
until the baby is strong enough to breastfeed.
See page 256 for more on caring for small babies.
Breastfeeding while pregnant
It is safe to breastfeed while pregnant or to
breastfeed an older child and a new baby.
The mother should eat even more food and
get plenty of rest.
The new baby should always be fed before the
older baby.
When the mother is sick
It is usually best for a mother to keep
breastfeeding even when she is sick.
To prevent becoming more sick, the
mother can:
• drink plenty of fluids.
• lie down while breastfeeding.
Family members and friends can help
the mother with her chores so she can rest.
Medicines
If possible, breastfeeding mothers should
not take drugs or medicines. But some mothers who are sick must take medicines.
These women should use medicines that are safe to take while breastfeeding.
Most of the medicines listed in this book are
safe to take while breastfeeding. A few that are
not safe are marked with this symbol
in the green medicine pages starting
on page 463.
warning !
This medicine
is not safe to
take while
breastfeeding.
292
A Book for Midwives (2010)