The actual risk for transmission of an infectious agent to an infant via a single ingestion of expressed breast milk (the most common occurrence) from another mother is exceedingly low. In this scenario, the CDC recommends treating this as an accidental exposure to a body fluid, which could be infectious.
Breast milk can occasionally transmit serious viral and bacterial infections to preterm infants. We present three cases of late-onset neonatal sepsis, including one that resulted in death, occurring in preterm infants. The likely source of the microorganisms in all three cases was expressed breast milk.
Staph bacteria, including MRSA, are not transmissible via human milk; however, these bacteria can be transferred through direct contact with infected tissue, such as an open lesion on the breast, or through expressed milk that has come in contact with infected tissue.
Very few illnesses are transmitted via breast milk. Learn more about what to do if an infant or child is mistakenly fed another woman's expressed breast milk.
Three viruses (CMV, HIV, and HTLV-I) frequently cause infection or disease as a result of breast-milk transmission. Reasonable guidelines have been pro-posed for when and how to avoid breast milk in the case of maternal infection.
Exclusive breast-feeding is not normally associated with any risk, even in the case of maternal infection (online Supplemental Table 1). The main hazards of breast-feeding are exposure to the maternal viral pathogens HIV and human T-cell lymphotropic virus-1 (HTLV-1).
Human milk contains a wide spectrum of bacteria such as Staphylococci, Streptococci, Corynebacteria, lactic acid bacteria, Propionibacteria, and Bifidobacteria [28]. Among these populations, probiotic bacteria are present in an amount of 101–107 colony forming units per mL [29].
Infants have become ill from contaminated milk due to bacteria growing on pump parts that were not cleaned properly.
Women who actively use drugs or do not control their alcohol intake, or who have a history of these situations, also may be advised not to breastfeed. Infants who have galactosemia—a rare metabolic disorder in which the body cannot digest the sugar galactose—should not be breastfed.
Stomach cramps: Babies using spoiled, expired, or lumpy breast milk can cause stomach cramps, bloating, bloating, upset stomach, and fussiness. Food poisoning: Often spoiled breast milk will be contaminated, causing the infant to be infected with bacteria and have diarrhea and vomiting.
There are few reasons why you should not breastfeed your baby. Some infections can be passed through your breastmilk. Also, women taking certain medicines or using drugs or alcohol should not breastfeed..
Brucellar meningitis is relatively uncommon, especially in children younger than 1 year. We present another case of meningitis due to Brucella melitensis biotype 1 in a 11-month-old infant transmitted by breast milk.
As the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) states, “There is no evidence that extended breastfeeding is harmful to parent or child.”
Yes, you can keep breastfeeding your baby, even if you take antiviral medicines for flu-like symptoms. A mother's breast milk is custom-made for her baby, providing antibodies that babies need to fight infection. So, continuing to breastfeed can protect your baby from the infection that your body is fighting.
Antibiotics. If you have an infection, a 10-day course of antibiotics is usually needed. It's important to take all of the medication to minimize your chance of recurrence. If your mastitis doesn't clear up after taking antibiotics, follow up with your doctor.
If you've recently given birth, you might be surprised to see thick yellow breast milk rather than white milk. This is completely normal, and many mothers produce yellow milk during the first few days after delivery. This is called colostrum, or first milk, since it's the first milk your breasts produce after delivery.
This first month is usually the most demanding when it comes to breastfeeding. But just because your baby appears constantly hungry and is feeding really often – perhaps every 45 minutes – don't assume that you don't have enough milk.
When he stops suckling and swallowing, or when he falls asleep, you'll want to switch him to the other breast. If he hasn't released the first breast, simply slip your finger into the corner of his mouth to break the suction (and protect your nipple) before removing him from your breast.
Botulism is not transmitted by breast milk. The Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program recommends continuing breast feeding or the feeding of expressed breast milk during the illness and recovery from infant botulism.
A small number of mothers find that their expressed breast milk smells and even tastes bad after refrigeration or thawing, even if they follow proper milk collection and storage guidelines. In these cases, mothers typically describe the milk as having a sour, metallic, or soapy taste.