This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Contraindications

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Breast feeding is contraindicated in the following:

  • infants with particular metabolic disorders e.g. - classic galactosaemia
  • in mothers
  • HIV-positive mothers
    • although contraindicated in the developed world, in the developing world breastfeeding may outweigh the risk of the acquiring HIV infection from human milk
  • positive for human T-cell lymphotrophic virus type I or II or untreated brucellosis – breastfeeding and providing expressed milk is contraindicated
  • with active (infectious) untreated tuberculosis
    • expressed milk can be used since these infectious organisms do not pass through the milk
    • can start breastfeeding when the mother is treated for a minimum of 2 weeks and is documented that she is no longer infectious
  • with active herpes simplex lesions on her breast –
    • can breastfeed and use expressed breast milk from the other breast if free from lesions.
  • maternal substance abuse e.g. - PCP (phencyclidine), cocaine, and cannabis can be detected in human milk and thus are contraindicated (1)
  • maternal drugs e.g. - anticancer drugs (antimetabolites); diagnostic or therapeutic radioactive substances
  • who develop varicella 5 days before through 2 days after delivery
    • avoiding breastfeeding until mother is no longer infectious (5 days from onset of rash)
    • expressed milk can be used for feeding (2,3)

The benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the risks in the following conditions:

  • in Hepatitis B surface antigen positive mothers
  • mothers infected with Hepatitis C virus
  • mother is carrier of cytomegalovirus (except for possibly very low birth weight babies)
  • maternal smoking – advice to stop smoking and not smoke in the home
  • mother consumes alcoholic beverages
    • consumption should be minimized and limited to occasional small amount (no more than 0.5 g alcohol per kg body weight, which for a 60 kg mother is approximately 2 oz liquor, 8 oz wine, or 2 beers.)
    • avoid breastfeeding for 2 hours or longer after the alcohol intake to minimize its concentration in the ingested milk
  • baby born with jaundice and hyperbilirubinaemia - in rare cases of hyperbilirubinaemia breastfeeding may need to be interrupted temporarily (3).

Note that multiple births may be perceived as a barrier to breast feeding - breast feeding is difficult with twins and may be almost impossible with triplets. However a review article on this subject notes that (1):

  • human milk is the best available source of nutrition for singletons and multiples alike
  • mothers are capable of producing enough milk for more than one infant. In order that multiples should obtain maximum benefit from this natural resource, mothers need much support and guidance
    • may include nutritional and other advice during pregnancy and lactation and intensive support during the early stages of establishment of breast-feeding
    • many mothers may also require assistance during the frequent trials and tribulations which are part of the potentially profound experience of breast-feeding multiples
    • however, when breast-feeding is not possible, health care workers need to carefully avoid judgmental approaches that may induce feelings of guilt

A mother unable to breast feed can still offer breast milk by instead, expressing her milk and giving it her baby

Reference:


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.