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MONDAY, June 10, 2019 (HealthDay News) – If your newborn is breastfeeding and losing weight, will giving him breast milk hurt?
Although doctors have been warning against it for a long time, a new study suggests giving baby two infant formulas and that the breast is OK.
The researchers said that the answer depends on the length of time a mother intends to breastfeed and that it is important to be aware of the risks to newborns when they are breastfeeding. weight decreases more than usual.
"Counseling that any preparation is harmful would be inaccurate and could be detrimental to the long-term success of breastfeeding," said Dr. Valerie Flaherman, first author of the study. She is a pediatrician at the University of California at San Francisco.
"The results of our study show that early and limited preparation can have significant benefits as well as risks for the duration of breastfeeding," she added in a press release issued by a university.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers breastfeed exclusively up to the age of 6 months, and then continue their transition to solid food at 12 months.
But when a newborn breastfed loses more weight than normal during the first days of life, many parents wonder if they should supplement breast milk with formula.
The new study followed the eating habits of 164 babies born in a hospital in California and one in Pennsylvania.
All were breastfed between the first and third day of their lives and their weight was above average. Half of the mothers also gave them formula milk for two to five days. The others continued to breastfeed exclusively.
The investigators then followed mothers and babies to see if mixing infant formula for a few days to combat weight loss had an impact on breastfeeding rates over the next few years.
The results were mixed. At the age of 6 months, formula-fed babies at birth were just as likely to be breastfed as those who did not have them. But the study found that the formula-fed group was less likely to continue breastfeeding at 12 months.
This is not surprising. About one-third of US babies breastfeed at 12 months, according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"The results suggest that the use of early and limited milk preparations may not have a negative impact on infants, but could also alter the mother's attitudes toward the baby." breastfeeding, "said Flaherman.
If the preparation is used during the first days after birth to combat weight loss or dehydration, it should be discontinued as soon as possible, as its continued use for one week indicates that the mother is at high risk of discontinuation. to drink in the breast. "
Flaherman and his colleagues reported their findings in the June 3 issue of JAMA Pediatrics.
More information
For more information on breastfeeding, visit the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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