The Center for Disease Prevention and Control of the United States, one of the reference bodies in this type of issues, has published a document that clearly explains the benefits breastfeeding in case of flu or a possible pandemic for the H1N1 virus, responsible for the call swine flu.
The advice he gives affects the enormous value of milk maternal as a natural vaccine and encourage to continue breastfeeding even in case of infection of the mother.
The reasons are varied. The first is that babies who feed on formula usually suffer from greater respiratory problems and their hospital admissions are more common than in cases of breastfed babies. And they also lack the antibodies that breast milk provides.
For this reason it is recommended to start breastfeeding immediately after delivery, breastfeeding on demand and eliminate any supplements that are possible to achieve exclusive or as exclusive breastfeeding as possible. In this way the optimal nutrition of the baby is guaranteed and also that it receives all the substances that increase its defense.
Breast milk is something alive that contains antibodies and it is the best "vaccine" that the mother can offer her child against this disease.
Even if the mother got sick breastfeeding should continue and even increase the frequency. The reason in simple, if the mother is symptomatic the infection has occurred previously and in the milk she will transmit to the baby the antibodies that she herself is producing, protecting him too or helping to overcome the infection if it has been produced by the route habitual. It is advisable to increase the shots to ensure that the baby is optimally nourished, hydrated and strengthened his immune system.
Normal influenza virus has been found very rarely in human milk and today it is unknown if swine flu can be transmitted by this route, so it is considered that any risk is much less than the enormous benefits and protection of milk Offer the baby. It is also noted that the treatments antivirals are supported with breastfeeding
In cases where the baby or the mother is too affected and can not proceed to direct breastfeeding, it is advisable to extract and breastfeed, but not deprive the child of the benefits of the milk of his mother.
For that reason, as always, but more when there is a specific and serious health hazard, the breast-feeding It is the best advice that can be given to mothers. And in the case of the swine flu Of course, breastfeeding is the best option.
