Pediatrician Cautions Nursing Mothers Against Breastfeeding Lying Down: Odochi Ewurum, a consulting pediatrician at the Federal Medical Center (FMC), Umuahia, Abia State, has warned nursing mothers not to breastfeed their babies while lying down.
Speaking in an interview with NAN on Tuesday, Ewurum said the practice could lead to infections and other complications in the child.
He explained that if a baby is breastfed while lying down, some of the milk can enter the baby’s lungs or ears and cause an infection.
Read Also: UNICEF insists on exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding
According to her, the mother should sit comfortably, hold the baby and ensure that the child relaxes properly.
“One of the disadvantages of lying down is that when the child sucks, he can suck,” Ewurum said.
“This breast milk can leave the child’s stomach and enter the lungs and this can cause a lung infection.
“Also, while the child sucks, some of the breast milk may drip from the mouth into the ear. It becomes a foreign body in the ear and with that, an ear infection can occur. If breast milk enters through the nose, ears, or eyes, it is a foreign body.
“Breast milk must reach the stomach, where it must be digested and become nutritious for the child.”
Ewurum added that it is imperative that family members come to help whenever a woman goes to bed to ease the stress of breastfeeding at night.
“We encourage the tradition of family members coming out to help because it helps reduce the stress experienced by nursing mothers,” she said.
