Women Who Can't or Shouldn't Breastfeed

Women who have severe heart or kidney disease, severe anemia, or if you are extremely underweight, you may not be able to breastfeed. It is possible to overcome some of these issues and be on your way.

A woman who has active, untreated tuberculosis should not breastfeed or have any contact with her baby until you undergo treatment. After you receive antibiotic treatment and you can no longer transmit the infection to your baby, you should be able to resume. While undergoing treatment, express your milk, but dump it. You'll want to keep your supply going, but you wont be able to use any of it.

A woman with AIDS or HIV may not be able to breastfeed.

If you are on an anticancer, antithyroid, or antihypertensive drug (lithium, tranquilizers, or sedatives), you may not be able to breastfeed.

If you've abused drugs (including tranquilizers, amphetamines, barbituates, heroin, methadone, cocaine, marijuana, or alcohol) you may not be able to breastfeed.

If you were exposed to toxic chemicals (see: www.osha.gov) you may not be able to breastfeed.

If you have inadequate glandular tissue in your breasts (no relation to the size of your breasts) or have damaged the nerve supply to your nipple (from injury or surgery), you may not be able to breastfeed. You may have a low milk supply.

A woman who has hepatitis can usually breastfeed safely. If you have viral hepatitis (Hep A) your baby should be immunized with gamma globulin. If you have an active case of hepatits B or persistent hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), your baby should be given the hepatitis B-specific immunoglobulin (HBIG) immediately after delivery. Hepatitis C women can breastfeed normally without any sort of precautions - it can't be transmitted through breast milk.


A mother with Lyme disease should be immediately treated and so should her baby. You can breastfeed if you have begun antibiotic treatment and your baby is healthy.

A woman with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) can transmit this through her breast milk and should not breastfeed.

If you have developed chicken pox a week before delivery, you should be isolated from your baby. You can pump and someone else can feed your baby and you can be reunited after you aren't contagious (usually a week).