Disadvantages of Breastfeeding a Child While Pregnant

• harmful effects of breastfeeding during pregnancy

In the past, doctors advised mothers to stop breastfeeding their children if they became pregnant again. Where they believed that breastfeeding the child prevented the arrival of nutrients to the fetus and that breastfeeding increased the levels of the hormone oxytocin,therefore causing contractions of the uterus,Despite this, evidence has indicated that women who breastfeed their children during pregnancy give birth to healthy babies, but there are some conditions that cause great risk to the fetus, such as placenta previa, and doctors advise women who suffer from this condition not to breastfeed during pregnancy.

It should be noted that during pregnancy, the nipples of the breast may become tender, and the mother may also feel pain in the breast, and this pain may increase during lactation.

In addition, pregnancy may cause changes in breast milk that the infant may notice, as its components may change, which changes its taste, and pregnancy may reduce the production of breast milk as well; its quantity may continue to decrease with pregnancy, and these changes may lead to weaning the infant automatically.

• Benefits of breastfeeding

Benefits of breastfeeding for the mother

Breastfeeding provides many health benefits to the mother, including the following:

1. Postpartum recovery is quick due to the release of the hormone oxytocin, which restores the uterus to its normal size faster and may reduce postpartum bleeding
2. Reducing the risk of ovarian cancer later in life.
3. Reducing the risk of many diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure and cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
4. Delaying the start of the menstrual cycle, which helps to increase the period between pregnancies, and this is in the case of breastfeeding only without giving the child any other food, as it works as a natural method of contraception.

• Benefits of breastfeeding for the fetus

Breastfeeding provides many health benefits to the child, and among these benefits we mention the following:

1. Providing ideal nutrition for children.
2. Breast milk contains important antibodies to fight bacteria and viruses.
3. Reducing the child’s risk of many diseases, including middle ear infection and the common cold, in addition to respiratory and intestinal tract infections, allergic diseases, diabetes, and wheat allergy.