The risks of cross-breastfeeding: understand why only mothers should breastfeed their children

When the mother allows another woman to breastfeed her baby, the so-called cross-breastfeeding, she is putting the child’s health at risk, as some diseases can be transmitted through breast milk.

In the past, babies used to be breastfed by “wet nurses”, but this has long been scientifically proven to be wrong. To give you an idea, an ordinance from the Ministry of Health, published in 1993, already addressed the issue, advising that “health teams should prohibit mothers from breastfeeding newborns other than their own. of Human Milk.

Valdenise Tuma Calil, pediatric neonatologist and medical coordinator of the Human Milk Bank of the Institute for Children and Adolescents, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo (HCFMUSP), explains that cross-breastfeeding became contraindicated after the advent of of HIV, around the 1980s, because the disease is also transmitted through breast milk.

“There is an immunological window, so sometimes, even if the pregnant woman has undergone tests, they may still not be detecting the infection, because she does not have enough antibodies, for example”, explains Calil, stressing that this practice is very risky, even for the woman, since, although it is less common, she can also be infected by the baby, since breastfeeding is an extremely intimate contact.

Eveline Campos Monteiro de Castro, pediatrician and head of the neonatology unit at the Assis Chateaubriand Maternity School at the Federal University of Ceará (MEAC-UFC), linked to the Ebserh Network, adds that, in some regions of the country, where prenatal care is scarcer, the risks are even greater. “The reality is more difficult in some public hospitals where mothers cannot do prenatal care correctly”, says the doctor.

And in addition to the imminent risk of HIV infection, which causes AIDS, other diseases can also be transmitted to the baby through breast milk, such as hepatitis, HTLVs (viruses from the same family as HIV), mononucleosis (or kissing disease), cytomegalovirus (from the herpes virus family).

Milk donation is indicated and extremely important

If the woman needs breast milk or wants to donate, she can look for one of the 220 collection points of Human Milk Banks (BLHs) spread across the country. “Most of the banks have an external collection service. They go to get the milk at the donor’s residence, and this is already possible, because many times the woman is breastfeeding her baby and cannot travel to donate”, emphasizes Ana Zélia Pristo de Medeiros Oliveira, nurse and milk bank coordinator at the Januário Cicco Maternity School, linked to the Ebserh Network, at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (MEJC-UFRN).

In this context, it is very important to emphasize that donating to a milk bank is not the same thing as cross-breastfeeding, because donated milk, before being delivered to a baby, is pasteurized.

“Pasteurization is heating the milk to 62.5°C for thirty minutes, and then rapidly cooling it to about 4°C to prevent the milk from losing many immunological properties,” describes Calil. “With this, there is a 100% inactivation of the pathogenic viruses and bacteria, so it can be used for other babies that are not from that mother”, explains the specialist, who is also a collaborating professor in the discipline of neonatology at the University of São Paulo. .

Breast milk is essential for the proper development of the baby. But it is not uncommon for the idea that, depending on the color or texture, it is stronger or weaker. However, this is nothing more than a myth.

According to experts, there is no such thing as weak milk, regardless of appearance, it always has the right amount of nutrients for each stage of the baby, unless the mother has very severe malnutrition (exceptions), then the milk can have an amount of a little less fat.

What actually happens is that some women produce milk with a higher fat content, depending on their diet, which does not mean that the milk of others is weak, nor that the baby’s nutrition will be harmed.

“Mothers who have dietary restrictions because they are not able to eat properly during pregnancy also have very good milk, because the body takes all the best it has to feed the baby”, reinforces Castro, pediatrician and head of the unit. of neonatology at the Assis Chateaubriand Maternity School.

The expert also points out that nature is so perfect that the mother’s milk of a premature baby is different from another that was born at the right time. “The amount of nutrients is exactly the ideal for that baby, we don’t even understand this perfection of the body”, comments Castro.

Benefits of breastfeeding

It is no secret that breast milk is very important for the baby’s development. But do you know exactly why? Here are some of the main reasons:

• Breast milk proteins have a much better quality compared to formula, as shown by several studies;
• Breast milk has the exact amounts of nutrients for the newborn and for each later stage;
• Reduces the risk of infant mortality;
• It has a faster and better digestion, in addition to the baby having less incidence of reflux and diarrhea;
• Protects against malnutrition and obesity, as it has a much more balanced amount of nutrients;
• Decreases the risk of diabetes;
• Breast milk has immunological defense factors that protect, in particular, against digestive and respiratory infections;
• Studies show that breast milk reduces the risk of mental disorders in childhood and adolescence;
• Babies who are breastfed are less likely to be hospitalized;
• It favors the oral motor development, which includes the dental arch, jaw, lips, tongue, mandible, maxilla, cheeks, etc.;
• Prevents dental malocclusion;
• Protects against intestinal diseases with immunological origins;
• Prevents against allergic and chronic diseases, such as cholesterol, heart disease, some types of cancer and leukemia;
• Breastfeeding is much more practical, it is always ready and at the ideal temperature;
• Breastfeeding greatly strengthens the emotional bonds between mother and child.

And the benefits do not stop there. Several studies, including a Brazilian one published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, show that breastfeeding also improves cognition, that is, babies who breastfeed tend to be more intelligent, with a higher IQ.

And mothers are also benefited, as breast milk:

• Decreases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer and protects against type 2 diabetes, as already demonstrated in studies;
• It helps with postpartum recovery with the release of oxytocin, which contracts the uterus so that it returns to normal faster, regardless of the type of delivery.
• Helps in weight loss;
• Decreases the risk of postpartum depression.

In addition, according to experts, breastfeeding still has a contraceptive effect. Women who breastfeed at regular intervals tend to take longer to get pregnant again, as hormone production inhibits a new pregnancy.

However, there are some cases that prevent a woman from breastfeeding her baby, such as the use of some drugs for cancer or immunological diseases, chemotherapy, among others.

Some mothers may suffer from mastitis – an inflammation that makes the breast red and very painful, and which requires medication. Others have fissures, which usually appear at the beginning of breastfeeding. This is mainly because the child is still learning to suckle milk. In any case, you need to go to the doctor for evaluation, who can, for example, prescribe ointments for an effective treatment, without having to stop breastfeeding.

If the breast is very injured, currently, there are professionals who apply laser for healing, but it is not cheap, so the technique is unfeasible for the majority of the population.

“The mother can leave the injured breast at rest, apply the ointment prescribed and remove the milk so it doesn’t get clogged. She can’t leave it full of milk and hard, because this predisposes to mastitis”, warns Cali, a professor at USP and a member of the Department of Breastfeeding of the Society of Pediatrics of São Paulo.

The specialist also comments that some mothers, when their breasts are injured, like to pass their own milk in the region, which makes a lot of sense. “Because breast milk has healing properties, so she can pass the milk and let it dry, which will also help with healing”, teaches Calil.

According to her, most mothers do not need to stop breastfeeding for these reasons, unless there is, for example, a breast abscess (infection with pus). In that case, she should stop breastfeeding and wait for improvement. Then, if she wants, she can breastfeed the baby again.

It is worth mentioning that, sometimes, only one breast inflames and, in this case, the mother can continue breastfeeding with only the other, provisionally.

As a preventive measure, experts emphasize that mothers need to be monitored and very well guided by a pediatrician or lactation consultant. At the Human Milk Banks, women can receive guidance on how to breastfeed their child correctly.

Breastfeeding is so important that between the 1st and 7th of August, the 31st World Breastfeeding Week takes place. In Brazil, this month is known as Golden August, because it symbolizes the fight to encourage breastfeeding. The golden color is related to the gold standard of breast milk quality. The World Health Organization (WHO) advises maintaining breastfeeding for two years or more, and exclusively for 6 months.

This text was published originally here