Some women, as much as they want to, are just unable to breastfeed, at least not exclusively. Very rarely, a woman will produce a low supply of breast milk. Do give nursing a try, but be prepared to supplement with a bottle of infant formula milk if you find it's not working for you. Here are some other reasons why you might be unable to breastfeed:
- If you've had breast reduction surgery, chances are good that you'll have a low supply of breast milk and won't be able to nurse exclusively, because the breast tissue that was removed contained milk glands and ducts. (If you've had breast augmentation, there's also a small chance that you'll have a low supply of breast milk.)
- Even though you won't be unable to breastfeed, you should not try to if you have been infected with HIV, because the virus can be passed to your child through the milk. (Women infected with cytomegalovirus and hepatitis C generally can breastfeed.)
- If you have a serious illness — heart disease, for example, or severe anemia — breastfeeding might not be a good idea for the sake of baby health.
- You should not nurse if you have a serious infection like active, untreated tuberculosis.
- You shouldn't nurse if you are receiving radiation in any form or are taking medications that pass into the breast milk and can hurt the baby, like antithyroid medication, chemotherapeutic agents, and some mood-altering drugs. Check with your practitioner to see whether any drugs you are taking present a problem.
- You shouldn't nurse if you have a drug or alcohol addiction.
- Smokers can breastfeed, but you shouldn't light up at least 95 minutes before every feeding, to be sure no nicotine or other chemicals are in your milk — and never smoke around your baby. A much better idea: Quit smoking and keep breastfeeding your baby.