Breastfeeding during maternal or infant illness.

The continuation of breastfeeding during a hospital stay is not only possible, it can be beneficial for both the mother and the infant. The ill mother avoids breast engorgement and possible mastitis; the infant of an ill mother continues to receive, in breast milk, antibodies to the mother's illness. Through breast milk, an ill infant receives antibodies to his illness, liquids, and an easily digested, nourishing food. In addition, the physical and emotional comfort the mother and infant give each other eases the job of the nurse who cares for them. Hospital policies that take a woman's lactational status into account and encourage breastfeeding should be the accepted standard.