Health factors which may interfere with breast-feeding

Breast-feeding is the feeding method of choice for all normal infants because of its many advantages for the health of infants and mothers alike. There are, however, a number of situations-fortunately relatively infrequent-where infants cannot, or should not, be breast-fed. Such circumstances can be related to the health of infants or mothers; in either case, breast-milk substitutes may be needed for extended periods. In this context, it is useful to distinguish between infants who should not receive breast milk at all and infants who cannot be fed at the breast, but for whom breast milk is still the food of choice. There is also a tiny minority of infants who should not be fed either on breast milk or any milk-based substitute; special preparations are required in such cases. Finally, there are also a number of situations which are frequently thought to be an impediment to breast-feeding but which in fact generally are not; these, too, are discussed.