Mothers are increasingly aware of the importance of breast milk, and try to breast milk as much as possible, but when they encounter some situations, they wonder if it is a problem of breast milk, should they stop breast milk? For example, some babies do not gain weight, so mothers wonder if breast milk is not nutritious, should we stop breast milk and switch to formula? Some babies are diagnosed with breast milk jaundice, so some mothers think they have to stop breastfeeding, and then when they want to breastfeed again, they find that the milk is gone. Today we will talk about those common misconceptions about breast milk: Myth 1: Babies with breast milk jaundice must stop breast milk Breast milk jaundice usually appears about 7 days after the birth of the baby, the duration of some 3 weeks, some three or four months, can naturally subside. As long as the baby grows normally, eats normally and the jaundice does not increase during breastfeeding, you can continue to breastfeed without stopping breastfeeding. (Note: When serum bilirubin >14mg/dl, i.e. 240μmol/L, breastfeeding can be suspended for 3 days, and breastfeeding can be continued after the jaundice subsides.) Myth 2: Don’t breastfeed if the mother is sick Can a mother breastfeed if she has a cold or fever? If the mother’s fever is caused by mild mastitis or aspiration tract infection, she can continue breastfeeding as long as it is not an acute infectious disease. If a mother has a cold, she should wear a mask when breastfeeding, don’t sneeze at her baby, and have a family member who is not sick watch her baby during the day. Can a mother breastfeed after taking medicine? When a mother has a fever and takes antipyretic medication such as acetaminophen, she can continue breastfeeding. For other medications, you need to follow the advice of your doctor. As long as the medication taken is safe, it is possible to continue breastfeeding. Be sure to tell your doctor that you are breastfeeding at the time of your visit. Can a mother breastfeed if she has mastitis? Mothers with mild to moderate mastitis can continue to breastfeed. If you feel painful while breastfeeding, you can suck it out with a breast pump and bottle feed. Can I breastfeed if my nipples are sunken or broken? Mothers with inverted nipples should let their babies hold the areola rather than the nipple when breastfeeding. Most babies can suck milk from flat or inverted nipples. If the mother has a lightly broken nipple, she can continue to breastfeed; if the nipple is severely broken and she cannot breastfeed because of the pain, she can express the milk and feed it to her baby; she can also use a nipple shield to suckle the breast milk. Myth 3: Give up breastfeeding if the mother does not have enough milk or is unable to breastfeed for other reasons and must use milk substitutes (such as formula) to supplement the baby’s nutrition, you need to mix feeding instead of giving up breast milk and make sure that the baby sucks breast milk regularly every day. Mixed feeding can be done using the complementary feeding method and the substitute feeding method. Complementary feeding – breastfeeding followed by a certain amount of formula – is suitable for babies before 6 months of age. It is suitable for babies before 6 months of age. It is characterized by the baby sucking the breast first, so that the mother’s breast is stimulated on time to keep the milk production. Substitute feeding – one breastfeeding and one formula feeding, rotating the intervals, but the total number of cow’s milk or milk substitutes fed does not exceed half of the daily nursing sessions. The surrogate method is suitable for babies after 6 months of age. This feeding method is easy to reduce breast milk, gradually use cow’s milk, milk substitute, thin rice, rotten noodles in lieu of teaching, can develop the baby’s chewing habits, ready for later weaning. Myth 4: Breast milk is definitely insufficient because of small breasts The secretion of breast milk is related to the mammary glands, not to large breasts or small breasts, and the size is only related to breast fat. Some parents think that they need to add complementary foods to their babies after 6 months, because breast milk is not nutritious. 6 months is the time to add complementary foods to your baby because the iron stored in the liver that your baby gets from the mother during the fetal period has been used up, and you need food to replenish iron and other nutrients. At the same time, the baby’s activity has increased, and liquid milk cannot meet the energy needs of older babies; 6-month-old babies have the ability to digest and absorb complementary foods, so adding complementary foods is not only beneficial to enhancing gastrointestinal digestion and absorption, but also to the development of language and communication skills and the cultivation of good eating habits. The World Health Organization and the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents both point out that exclusive breastfeeding is recommended until 6 months of age and continued breastfeeding until 2 years of age or longer, while supplementing with other appropriate foods. Mothers should keep in mind that breast milk is the natural nutritious food for babies and no food can replace it, WHO points out that breastfeeding not only protects babies from diseases but also promotes the recovery of the mother’s body and reduces the risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and postnatal depression.