Breast-feeding is the healthiest way to feed a baby. One concern for mothers who want to breast-feed is whether radiation will go through the breast milk and harm the baby.
Risks Versus Benefits
According to La Leche League International, the health benefits of breast-feeding can last well past infancy and through adulthood. Babies who are breast-fed as infants have lower risks of conditions such as obesity and diabetes even as adults. Therefore, if you are considering breastfeeding but are concerned about radiation, you need to weigh the risks and benefits.
Low Levels Are Safe
Low levels of radiation, such as that caused by occasionally X-rays and flying, are generally safe for breast-feeding mothers. Low levels of radiation will not affect breast milk, according to the Health Physics Society.
High Levels Potentially Harmful
If a mother is going to have nuclear medicine injected into her body or is having continual radiation therapy in high doses, it is not a good idea to breast-feed, according to the Health Physics Society. This is because the radioactive isotopes may go into the breast milk.
Decreased Breast Milk Production
According to the British Journal of Radiology, breast-milk production may actually be decreased in a woman receiving radiation. It is still possible for a woman to breast-feed, but she may need to breast-feed more often or pump in order to produce enough milk.
Other Unknown Effects
All of the possible effects that radiation has on breast milk are still unknown. Breast-feeding while under the exposure of radiation is an individual decision because its effects are not fully determined.
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