Swine flu mums urged to breastfeed

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“For a mother who is otherwise healthy to stop breastfeeding because she has swine flu is such a shame – for her and her baby. If a mother is ill, she should continue breastfeeding as normally as possible. If she becomes too ill to feed then expressing milk may still be possible.

“If the baby does become ill with swine flu then breastmilk makes an ideal food as it is easily digestible and will provide additional comfort for the baby too. Babies who are ill sometimes want lots of short feeds.”

Ms Backhouse said babies who are breastfed are much less likely to need hospital treatment for severe chest infections than bottle-fed babies.

“What has also been shown in a recent study of almost 16,000 babies is that, once babies stop being breastfed, this protection wears off,” she added.

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