16 Breastfeeding Myths—and The Truth!

Here are common myths about breastfeeding—busted!



1.         If you have small breasts, you won't produce enough milk to feed your baby. Truth: Size doesn't matter! "The breast tissue you need to nurse a baby grows in response to pregnancy regardless of your breast size," says Judith Lauwers, I.B.C.L.C., a spokeswoman for the International Lactation Consultant Association. So rest assured that whether you're an A or D cup, your breasts are capable of providing your baby with the milk she needs.

2.         You won't be able to breastfeed if you've had breast-augmentation or breast-reduction surgery. Truth: Not necessarily. "These days, implants are usually inserted near the armpit or under the breast tissue or chest muscle, which shouldn't interfere with breastfeeding," says Carol Huotari, I.B.C.L.C., manager of the Center for Breastfeeding Information at La Leche League International.

3.         You must eat only bland foods while breastfeeding. By the time the foods you eat have been digested and used to make breast milk, the potentially upsetting elements have been broken down and shouldn't affect your baby at all. In other words, if you eat cabbage, it's unlikely that it will make your baby gassy. And if you indulge in some spicy salsa, your baby probably won't refuse to nurse. As Haldeman of The Pump Station says: "Women in India eat really hot curry and their babies still breastfeed. And there is research that shows babies actually prefer garlicky milk." Many breastfeeding moms swear by the wait-and-see approach: Don't alter your diet at all and see if your baby has a problem. "If necessary, keep a food diary, and if your baby is fussy two to 12 hours after you've eaten a certain food, cut it out of your diet for a while," Huotari says.



4.         You need to nurse every two hours around the clock—no more, no less—to make sure that your baby gets enough to eat. You can schedule a weight check with your pediatrician if you're worried that your baby isn't getting enough to eat.

5.         If you give your baby bottles of pumped milk, she will refuse the breast. Truth: Most babies switch between breast and bottle with no problem.

6.         You shouldn't nurse if you have a blocked duct. "It usually happens when the baby's nursing patterns change and the breast becomes overfull," Lauwers says. "For instance, when a baby starts taking longer naps, eating solid foods and sleeping through the night, she may nurse less frequently, which can lead to blocked ducts." Besides frequent nursing, applying heat—in the form of a heating pad—before nursing can help clear a duct. "It's not going to hurt your baby."

7.         A breastfed baby won't sleep through the night until she starts eating solids. Truth: Your baby will sleep through the night when she's ready. That said, breastfed babies do need to be fed more frequently than formula-fed babies in the early months because breast milk is digested more quickly than formula. "As long as your baby is getting enough to eat, she'll sleep for as long as she's meant to sleep."


8.        Breastfeeding is a reliable form of birth control. Truth: If you're not ready to be pregnant again, don't rely on breastfeeding for birth control. However, if you're breastfeeding exclusively, if your baby is younger than 6 months and if your period hasn't resumed, the so-called lactation amenorrhea method can be 98 percent effective in preventing pregnancy. "But if all three of those criteria are not met, or if you're letting your baby use a pacifier [which can make a baby suck less often or less intensely when on the breast, in turn affecting your hormone production], breastfeeding should not be used as contraception," Lauwers says.



9.         Once you go back to work, you'll have to wean. Truth: Hogwash!
"If you commit to pumping, you can give your baby breast milk for as long as you wish," Haldeman says.

10.      Breastfeeding your child for more than one year makes weaning difficult.Babies are individuals, and some just want to nurse longer than others," Lauwers says.

11.      Your boobs will forever look like tube socks. Truth: Some women may notice a change in the shape of their breasts after breastfeeding, but pregnancy, not just nursing, is the culprit.

12.      It'll make your baby clingy and dependent. Truth: Quite the opposite. "Studies have shown that babies who benefit from the attachment of breastfeeding tend to be more independent later in life," says Bettina Forbes, a certified lactation counselor and cofounder of the Best for Babes Foundation, an organization dedicated to changing cultural taboos that surround nursing.

13.      You have to stop if you get sick. In fact, by nursing while you're sick you pass along protective antibodies, helping your little guy stay healthy.

14.      You can't take any meds. Truth: While some medications are verboten because they could pass through your breast milk to your baby, Berens says many are just fine.

15.      Exercise will turn your milk sour. Truth: Not as far as your baby is concerned.



16.      Weaning is the worst. Start by subbing in a bottle of breast milk during your sweetie's least favorite feeding and do it gradually to give both your body and your baby time to adjust.
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