Medical Reasons Not to Breast-Feed

There are many good reasons for choosing to breast-feed your newborn. However, in some cases your healthcare provider may advise that you bottle-feed instead of breast-feed. Usually this recommendation is made because of an infection you have that could be passed to the baby.

Here is some advice about infections.

• The HIV or AIDS virus may be passed to a baby through breast milk. Because of this, you should avoid breast-feeding if you have an HIV infection.
• Infection with cytomegalovirus, or CMV, is usually not a problem for breast-feeding mothers unless the first infection develops while nursing. If you have a new infection with CMV, you should avoid breast-feeding until your healthcare provider says it is safe.
• If you have an active hepatitis B infection, you can pass the infection through your breast milk. To prevent this, your baby will need the hepatitis B vaccine. Then you may be able to breast-feed. There is no vaccine against hepatitis C, which can rarely be passed through breast milk. If you have a hepatitis C infection, talk to your healthcare provider about breast-feeding.
• If you have an active herpes infection, you may breast-feed only if you do not have any open sores in the breast area. You will need to keep your breasts clean and wash your hands carefully and often, both before and after nursing.
• If you have tuberculosis, or TB, you should breast-feed only if you have received treatment for your infection and your healthcare provider has determined that you are not infectious to others.

If you have breast implants you should still be able to breast-feed. Let your healthcare provider know if you are having trouble making enough milk.

If you need to take medicine while you are nursing, be sure to tell your healthcare provider that you are breast-feeding. There are some medicines that you should not take while nursing.

If you have other questions about breast-feeding, talk to your healthcare provider or a lactation specialist for more information.

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

HIA File pedi5336.htm Release 13/2010