What is subacute mastitis? We are often contacted by women who, for days or weeks (or even months!), have had a stinging feeling in their nipple, especially at the beginning of the feed and right after it. Sometimes, there is also pain in the breast and a prickling feeling that moves towards the ribs. The nipples are often pinker than usual, and, in some cases, milk blisters or wounds appear that don’t heal or that come and go. All these…
Official maternal and child health guidelines for protecting and promoting breastfeeding recommend maintaining breastfeeding along with complementary food for a minimum of two years. But what happens at this stage? Few mothers know that there is one more hurdle to overcome. More and more mothers reach this milestone in breastfeeding, and then, to their surprise, at two years of the child’s age, awaits the last, unexpected, and final breastfeeding crisis, in what we call the two year breastfeeding crisis. This…
Breast milk donation is not new, whether it is expressed breast milk and given to the infant in a recipient or directly at the breast of someone other than the baby’s mother. Breast milk donation has always existed in the history of humankind. In most countries, the donation of human milk to milk banks for the purpose of feeding premature or sick infants is regulated. This usually happens under the umbrella of a donor bank, either within the hospital where…
One day, we posted a picture on our social media page. It was a little bottle with breast milk, and we asked what color the milk was. Is breast milk white? Who would doubt if milk is white, the sky is blue, the grass is green, and the sun is yellow? Well, sometimes breast milk is not white, and we are not only talking about colostrum, which always has that spectacular yellow to orange color. We are talking about breast…
In recent years, immunization for certain diseases in adulthood is increasingly recommended, such as for COVID-19 or influenza. Other vaccinations, such as tetanus, often have refreshers in adulthood as well, and in certain populations, depending on risk factors, other available vaccines may also be recommended. When, as a healthcare professional, you find yourselves in the situation of vaccinating a person who is currently breastfeeding, you might question: are all vaccines compatible and safe during breastfeeding? Are there any periods of…
We know that endocrinopathies can make breastfeeding difficult. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most frequent endocrinopathy in women of childbearing age, with an incidence of between 6 and 10% of women. Together with other abnormalities, when PCOS is present, there is usually also insulin resistance, and therefore, there is a presence of hyperinsulinemia. Women with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus have a high incidence of PCOS and hyperandrogenism, and the use of external insulin may promote insulin resistance and weight…
What is tandem breastfeeding? This practice is getting more and more common and out of the tabu zone and refers to breastfeeding two children of different ages. In this article, we answer the most asked questions about it. Remember that you can always send us more questions, and we will happily answer! Do I have to take any special precautions? Most mothers are worried that the older child will “take” the milk away from the younger baby, and some mothers…
“My baby is 5 weeks old and I don’t understand what’s wrong with him. Breastfeeding is going really well, and he relaxes and falls asleep at the breast, but the problem comes when I leave him in his crib. He just won’t sleep! He wakes up after a short time, and it starts all over again. I don’t understand why he doesn’t stay quiet in his crib. It’s as if he has a sort of radar. On the other hand,…
Premature weaning can have different definitions depending on the point of view from which it is approached. From a public health point of view, international organizations such as the WHO emphasize the recommendation to maintain exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and up to 2 years of age or until the mother and infant desire. We refer to premature weaning when breastfeeding stops, but the mother did not wish nor want to do so. According to Ballesta et al., in Spain,…
What are percentiles? Percentiles and growth charts are tables where the normal growth of healthy infants is illustrated. There are 5 ascending curves marked on the table corresponding to each percentile: 3rd, 15th, 50th, 85th, and 97th. Occasionally, babies do not follow the weight percentiles in which they are born or even drop in percentiles throughout their growth. It is important to note that percentiles do not tell us whether a baby is healthy or not, but they simply reflect…