August marks the CDC’s National Breastfeeding Month. With that in mind, here’s a look at four tips that all pregnant and nursing mothers should aim to keep in mind Dr. Peter McIlveen is a board certified OB/GYN and Obesity Medicine specialist based out of Elkin, North Carolina.

1. 4 Important Tips for
Breastfeeding
Mothers
Dr. Peter McIlveen, OB/GYN

2. When breastfeeding your child there are a number
of hygienic precautions to be mindful of.
Stay Hygienic
When expressing milk, make sure that you're hands are clean.
When collecting milk, aim to use hard storage containers with
airtight seals over plastic bags or or formula bottle bags, as those
can more easily open up or spill.
When storing breastmilk or giving breastmilk to a childcare
provider, make sure that that the milk is labeled with the child's
name and the date. This will prevent any accidental switches,
while making sure that you are using the oldest milk first.

3. Stay Hygienic
When bottle-feeding, avoid mixing. This goes for adding fresh milk to
frozen milk (vice-versa) and saving used milk for another feeding.
Once a bottle has been used for a feeding, it's best to switch to a
new bottle for a future feeding.When collecting milk, aim to use hard
storage containers with airtight seals over plastic bags or or formula
bottle bags, as those can more easily open up or spill.
When it comes to thawing out frozen breast milk, avoid microwaves
and ovens (as they tend not to heat liquids evenly and can damage
the nutrient quality of the milk). Instead, either transfer the breastmilk
to a refrigerator to gradually thaw or try swirling it through a bowl
of warm water (making sure that it's not too hot!) for a more rapid
thawing. Make sure that you don't refreeze milk once it's already
been thawed.

4. Although the chances may be slim that this will
happen, it's important to watch out for. If your child
accidentally accidentally is fed the milk of another
mother, she runs the risk of being exposed to
infectious diseases, including the likes of HIV. If a
switch-up does occur, reach out to the expressing
mother responsible.
Watch out for Breast
Milk Switch-ups

5. Breastfeeding is a great, natural way to provide infants
with most (if not all) of the essential nutrients and
immune factors that they need, however, in many cases
breastfeeding does not always supply the requisite
amount of Vitamin D that a child needs. Although most
infants are able to synthesize Vitamin D via sun
exposure, recent studies indicate that some infants may
still succumb to a Vitamin D deficiency.
Consider Vitamin D
Supplementation

6. In rare cases, a Vitamin D efficiency can lead to Ricketts.
As human breast milk typically contains Vitamin D
concentrations of 25 IU per liter and the daily
recommended concentration of Vitamin D for infants is
400 IU per day, it's recommended that nursing mothers
pick up supplements. These come in over-the-counter and
prescription varieties.
Consider Vitamin D
Supplementation

7. Get Vaccicnated
One of the best ways to prevent disease in an infant, is
by making sure that you have certain vaccines. It is
recommended that pregnant mothers are vaccinated
for Whooping Cough, Hepatitis B, and the Flu. If you
do not already have these vaccines, the ideal time to
receive these when pregnant will vary. For more
information on vaccines, check the CDC's vaccination
list. As with all of the above, make sure that you check
with your physician.

8. As always, make sure to
consult with your physician.
For more advice on taking
control of your health, visit
Dr. Dr. Peter McIlveen's
OB/GYN Blog here!