Clinics in Human Lactation 13: Supplementation of the Breastfed Infant

Are you working with a breastfed baby that needs to be supplemented? If you supplement with infant formula, what impact will the formula have on the baby, the mother, and the breastfeeding relationship? Does the baby really need to be supplemented with formula or are there better alternatives? Does the mother have plenty of milk, but just needs help with a breastfeeding problem, or does she need help to build her milk supply? Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC, author of Supplementation of the Breastfed Infant: Criteria, Decisions, and Interventions, answers these questions and more! She describes why supplementation has become so commonplace, what it does to the gut flora of the breastfed baby, the future health problems caused by altering an infant's gut flora, and how supplementation impacts the breastfeeding relationship. Does giving the baby "just one bottle" really change gut flora? Walker describes research that has investigated this issue and the surprising results! But what if a baby really needs to be supplemented? Walker describes circumstances when supplementation of a breastfed infant might be necessary and how to supplement, doing as little damage to the breastfeeding relationship and the infant's gut flora as possible. If you are a health provider who routinely gives newborns supplemental formula, read this book and see if the evidence changes the way you practice. If you are a lactation professional who works to correct the "damage" done by "just one bottle," this book will provide you the evidence you need to discuss this issue with mothers, families, physicians, and hospital staff to change supplementation practices in your area.