Breastfeeding can be the healthiest and most natural method of feed a baby. Medical studies have repeatedly shown that a baby who nurses has a healthier immune system and now studies are showing that the nursing mother may also receive health benefits such as a healthier heart.
Sadly, it is also possible for a mother who is ill with certain diseases to pass that infection on to her baby through nursing. This does not only concern mothers in Third World nations, but women in the West, the United States and in all economic and social classes.
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It has long been established that a nursing mother can pass medications she is taking through her breast milk to her child. Physicians will pay special attention when prescribing medications for that reason. Certain infections can also be passed through breast milk.
The prevalent opinion in the U.S. medical community is that women with H.I.V., Human Immunodeficiency Virus, should not nurse. The potential exists that the baby could acquire this disease through breast milk. In addition, if the mother is being treated, some of the medications can cross into the breast milk and be harmful to the baby.
Tuberculosis that is untreated is another illness that can be passed from mother to child. Hepatitis C is also of concern because it can be transmitted through contact with blood. Mothers with cracked or bleeding nipples should not breast feed until the wounds are healed.
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West Nile Virus is an interesting situation. There are documented cases of babies testing positive for WNV due to breastfeeding, but none became ill. Mothers with West Nile should consult their physician and make an informed decision on whether or not to breastfeed.
One aspect of breastfeed to recognize is the intimate contact between mother and child. Illnesses that may not be passed in breast milk can be transmitted by this close contact. Consulting a doctor any time a nursing mother is ill is always a good idea.
When should a mother avoid breastfeeding? The answer is: when she has certain diseases, when she is taking certain prescribed drugs and if she is taking any street drugs.
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