Clinical Questions/LactFacts

Breastfeeding and Non-Alcoholic Liver Disease CQ #117 – November 5, 2018 by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM #LACTFACT Breastfeeding for longer than 6 months is associated with a lower risk of maternal non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mid-life. Longer Lactation Duration is Associated with Decreased Prevalence of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Women J Hepatology […]

Maternity Leave and Breastfeeding CQ #116 – October 29, 2018 by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM #LACTFACT Women with a maternity leave of 3 months have at least a 50% greater likelihood of extending breastfeeding duration as compared to women with a shorter maternity leave. Maternity Leave and Its Impact on Breastfeeding: A Review of […]

Breastfeeding Support and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists CQ #115 – October 22, 2018 by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM #LACTFACT The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that clinical management of lactation be included in reproductive health care. Further, all obstetrical providers should develop and maintain skills in breastfeeding support and […]

Maternal High Blood Pressure and Breastfeeding CQ #114 – October 15, 2018 by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM #LACTFACT Breastfeeding for just 1 month reduces a woman’s future risk of hypertension for decades. Pregnant women should be counseled about this. Effect of Lactation on Maternal Hypertension: A Systematic Review Breastfeed Medicine, published online Oct 6th, […]

Bottle Feeding, Breastfeeding, and BMI CQ #113 – October 8, 2018 by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM #LACTFACT Bottle feeding expressed breastmilk leads to a higher infant BMI than direct breastfeeding. Formula feeding via bottle leads to the highest infant BMI at 12 months of age. Infant Feeding and Weight Gain: Separating Breast Milk From […]

Medications for High Blood Pressure When Breastfeeding CQ #112 – October 1, 2018 by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM #LACTFACT First line medications for high blood pressure during breastfeeding are ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers and low dose diuretics. Beta blockers, even labetolol, have a higher risk of infant side effects. Treating Hypertension During Breastfeeding […]

When Breastmilk is Not White CQ #111 – September 25, 2018 by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM #LACTFACT The most common documented cause of breastmilk discoloration is medication. There is little to no documentation that the natural color of foods changes the color of breastmilk. If the breastmilk is pink, suspect Serratia Marcescens breast infection. […]

Breast Implants and Breastfeeding CQ #110 – September 17, 2018 by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM #LACTFACT Breast implants do not have a major impact on breastfeeding success, whether they are silicone or saline. Placing the implants behind the pectoralis muscles decreases the risk of low milk supply. Lactation Outcomes in More Than 3500 Women […]

Stress Life Events and Breastfeeding Initiation CQ #109 – September 10, 2018 by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM #LACTFACT Evidence indicates that women exposed to prenatal life stress (financial, trauma, emotional) have a lower breastfeeding initiation rate, even after controlling for maternal age, race, ethnicity, parity, insurance type, mode of delivery, gestational age, and NICU […]

Pregnancy, Breastfeeding and Marijuana Use CQ #108 – September 4, 2018 by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM #LACTFACT The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends not using marijuana during pregnancy due to the negative effects of fetal growth, and long term neurodevelopmental outcomes due to prenatal exposure. Use of marijuana is also discouraged during lactation. Marijuana […]

Breastfeeding and Maternal Stroke Risk CQ #107 – August 26, 2018 by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM #LACTFACT Ever-breastfeeding reduces the rate of strokes by 23% even when other risk factors are controlled for. Breastfeeding longer reduces the risk further. This relationship is strongest for non-Hispanic black women in the USA. Breastfeeding History and Risk […]

by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM To what extent do the father’s breastfeeding preferences influence maternal breastfeeding behavior? Several studies have shown that family and other social support are very important to breastfeeding success. In fact, The Lancet, in its 2016 landmark series on the importance of breastfeeding, published its issue with the following quote […]

by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM What are the current recommendations for feeding children older than 6 months of age? We’ve known for several years that it is best to introduce complementary foods at 6 months of age for all infants. Waiting until 6 months helps to decrease the risk of colds and diarrhea. But […]

by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM Does the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) have the same beneficial effect for colic in breastfed vs formula fed infants? In CQW #85 we highlighted a December 2015 systematic review on interventions that are likely to be helpful for colic. L. reuteri DSM 17938 had the strongest evidence for […]

by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM Does the smell of mother’s milk help reduce procedural pain in newborns? Studies show that infants by the age of 28 weeks gestation have a sufficient sense of smell that they are able to distinguish an odor of amniotic fluid. Further, amniotic fluid and human milk have several fatty […]

by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM Which flu vaccine is safer and more effective during breastfeeding? Sorry folks, but it is time to think about flu season once again! Last year in the USA the Center for Disease Control recommended against the use of the nasal flu vaccine, which is a live attenuated (weakened) influenza […]

by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM Why do women ingest their placenta and how does this effect breastfeeding? A recent review of placentophagy (consumption of the placenta after birth) has shed some light on the history of this behavior, motivation for it, and evidence. According to the authors, although there is no contemporary human culture […]

by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM What are current recommendations for feeding the premature NICU graduate? The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine recently updated their Clinical Protocol #12: Transitioning the Breastfeeding Preterm Infant from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to Home, Revised 2018 For many premature infants in the USA, post-discharge care is done by physicians […]

by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM When is the optimal time for a mother to follow up with her maternity care provider postpartum? The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recently published ACOG Committee Opinion Number 736 in May 2018 entitled Optimizing Postpartum Care Women who give birth often seek care from their maternity providers […]

by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM What are current recommendations for drinking alcohol while breastfeeding? The Center for Disease Control recently published an educational page on its website regarding alcohol consumption while breastfeeding. A standard drink of alcohol is considered to be 12 oz of 5% beer, 8 oz of 7% malt liquor, 5 oz […]