Saturday 19 September 2015
When baby is sick, moms are sometimes told to discontinue or restrict breastfeeding and substitute an oral rehydration therapy such as Pedialyte. This outdated practice has been shown to offer no benefits to the breastfed baby, and can even delay healing.
Your milk has four things that your baby needs even more than usual when he’s sick:
Antibodies to fight this illness – you want baby to get as much of these as possible. Encourage *more* nursing rather than less. Pedialyte has no antibodies.
Liquids to keep baby hydrated. Your baby may not be eating as much because he doesn’t feel well. Sick babies are more likely to nurse than to take anything else by mouth, so nursing is important to keep baby hydrated. Keeping baby well hydrated also helps keep the mucus secretions thinned out if baby has a cold or other congestion. So again, you want to nurse *more*. Pedialyte will keep baby hydrated, but so will breastmilk.
Concentrated nutrients. Breastmilk is easily and quickly digested, so baby gets more nutrients and absorbs them faster. Pedialyte will keep baby hydrated but has little nutritional value. Again, it’s best to nurse *more* since baby may not be eating as much if he feels bad.
Comfort. Sick babies need more comforting – what better way to do this than at the breast?
Your milk has four things that your baby needs even more than usual when he’s sick:
Antibodies to fight this illness – you want baby to get as much of these as possible. Encourage *more* nursing rather than less. Pedialyte has no antibodies.
Liquids to keep baby hydrated. Your baby may not be eating as much because he doesn’t feel well. Sick babies are more likely to nurse than to take anything else by mouth, so nursing is important to keep baby hydrated. Keeping baby well hydrated also helps keep the mucus secretions thinned out if baby has a cold or other congestion. So again, you want to nurse *more*. Pedialyte will keep baby hydrated, but so will breastmilk.
Concentrated nutrients. Breastmilk is easily and quickly digested, so baby gets more nutrients and absorbs them faster. Pedialyte will keep baby hydrated but has little nutritional value. Again, it’s best to nurse *more* since baby may not be eating as much if he feels bad.
Comfort. Sick babies need more comforting – what better way to do this than at the breast?