When breastfeeding is not advisable
Health professionals agree that breast milk provides the most complete form of nutrition for all infants. However, there are rare exceptions when breastfeeding is not recommended. Under certain circumstances, a physician will need to make a case-by-case assessment to determine whether a woman’s environmental exposure, or her own medical condition, warrants her to interrupt or stop breastfeeding. Some mothers cannot breastfeed because of physiological problems that cannot be overcome.
Breastfeeding is NOT advisable if one or more of the following conditions is true, if the mother:
- Is being treated with drugs which are secreted in breast milk, such as anticoagulants, anticonvulsants, narcotics, barbiturates or steroids (check with prescriber)
- Has the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
- Is taking antiretroviral medications
- Has untreated, active tuberculosis
- Is infected with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I or type II
- Is using or is dependent upon an illicit drug
- Is taking prescribed cancer chemotherapy agents, such as antimetabolites that interfere with DNA replication and cell division
- Is undergoing radiation therapies; however, such nuclear medicine therapies require only a temporary interruption in breastfeeding
