Mothers who expect to return to work or school before their babies are six months old should begin planning how to maintain exclusive breastfeeding even before delivery, pediatrician Dr. Bertha Volematome Gibil has advised.
Dr. Gibil said returning to work, school or travelling does not necessarily mean a mother has to stop providing breast milk, as milk can be expressed and safely stored for caregivers to feed the baby in her absence.
“Exclusive breastfeeding, plan it before you give birth. So by the time you are giving birth, you have your plan all worked out,” she said on A1 Radio’s Equal Voices.
According to the pediatrician, mothers should not wait until they are about to return to work before deciding how their babies will be fed.
Planning early, she said, allows a mother to determine when she will express breast milk, how it will be stored and who will feed the baby while she is away.
“The mother might not be there, but you can express the breast milk,” she explained.
Dr. Gibil said mothers who express breast milk must consider how and where it will be stored and ensure that caregivers understand how to properly handle and feed it to the baby.
She said storage requirements differ depending on whether breast milk is kept at room temperature, refrigerated or frozen.
Mothers should also use appropriate storage bags or containers and store milk in manageable quantities to minimise wastage.
Dr. Gibil cautioned against refreezing breast milk after it has been thawed for use and advised mothers not to boil expressed breast milk.
She said frozen breast milk should instead be properly thawed and warmed before being given to the baby.
The pediatrician also discouraged the routine use of feeding bottles for expressed breast milk, saying maintaining them hygienically can present additional challenges.
“Normally, we don’t encourage bottle feeding. It looks convenient, but it’s not the best option,” she said.
She encouraged caregivers to consider cup feeding, where appropriate, using a clean cup to give expressed breast milk to the baby.
Dr. Gibil said expressing breast milk can also be useful in situations where a mother and baby are separated because of illness or hospitalisation.
For instance, she said, a mother may be away while her baby is admitted to hospital, or she may be unable to breastfeed directly because of illness. Where possible, expressed breast milk can still be transported to the baby.
She acknowledged that there could be circumstances where a mother is seriously ill and breast milk cannot be obtained quickly enough. In such cases, health professionals may temporarily consider another feeding option, including formula, until breastfeeding can safely resume.
Dr. Gibil also clarified that breastfeeding should not automatically stop when a baby reaches six months.
She said complementary feeding should begin after six months while breastfeeding continues, although circumstances such as work, school and travel may affect how long individual mothers are able to continue.
The pediatrician encouraged expectant mothers to discuss breastfeeding during antenatal care and identify the support and arrangements they will need after delivery.
She also urged families and caregivers to support mothers returning to work or school by learning how to properly handle expressed breast milk and feed babies in their mothers’ absence.
Dr. Gibil said seeking professional guidance before challenges arise can help mothers prepare to combine breastfeeding with work, school and other responsibilities.
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