Do’s and dont’s of breastfeeding in 0 to 6 months infants in a tabulated form like pointers 1) only give breast milk not milk powder or mixing 2) exclusive breast feed is necessary do not add other than breast feed except medicine 3) start breastfeed as soon as possible after delivery do not stop breast milk only after consult to the doctors
"Breast Feeding"[MeSH Terms] AND "Infant Nutrition"[MeSH Terms]
WHO exclusive breastfeeding first 6 months early initiation no other food drink medicines
| No. | Do’s of breastfeeding from birth to 6 months | Don’ts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Give only breast milk for the first 6 completed months. Mother’s milk provides the nutrition and fluids a healthy infant needs. | Do not give formula/milk powder, animal milk, diluted milk, or mixed feeds unless a qualified health professional advises it for a medical reason. |
| 2 | Practise exclusive breastfeeding. This means breast milk only, including expressed breast milk if needed. | Do not give water, honey, glucose water, gripe water, tea, juice, cereal, porridge, or other foods/drinks before 6 months. |
| 3 | Medicines, vitamin/mineral drops, oral rehydration solution (ORS), or prescribed supplements may be given only when advised by a healthcare professional. | Do not give home remedies, herbal preparations, traditional medicines, or over-the-counter medicines to the baby without medical advice. |
| 4 | Start breastfeeding as soon as possible after birth, ideally within the first hour. Keep mother and baby skin-to-skin when feasible. | Do not delay the first feed unnecessarily or give pre-lacteal feeds such as honey, sugar water, formula, or animal milk. |
| 5 | Feed the baby on demand, day and night, whenever early hunger signs appear: stirring, hand-to-mouth movements, rooting, or lip-smacking. | Do not wait until the baby cries intensely, and do not strictly limit feeds by the clock. |
| 6 | Ensure a deep, comfortable latch: baby’s mouth wide open, chin touching the breast, and more of the areola visible above the upper lip than below. Seek help if feeding is painful. | Do not continue with persistent nipple pain, cracked nipples, poor latch, or poor weight gain without speaking to a nurse, lactation consultant, or doctor. |
| 7 | Let the baby feed effectively from one breast, then offer the other breast. Alternate the breast offered first at the next feed. | Do not switch breasts repeatedly before the baby has fed well, unless the baby is uncomfortable or a clinician advises otherwise. |
| 8 | If direct feeding is temporarily difficult, express breast milk and feed it safely with professional guidance. | Do not stop breast milk suddenly because the mother or baby is unwell without consulting a doctor. Most common illnesses do not require stopping breastfeeding. |
| 9 | Continue breastfeeding during common minor illnesses of the baby, such as cough, cold, or diarrhea, and seek care if warning signs occur. | Do not withhold breast milk during diarrhea. Breastfeeding helps provide fluid and nutrition. |
| 10 | Mother should eat regular nutritious meals, drink according to thirst, rest when possible, and attend postnatal and infant health visits. | Do not smoke, vape, use recreational drugs, or drink alcohol around the baby. Check all medicines with a doctor or pharmacist while breastfeeding. |
| 11 | Watch for adequate feeding: regular swallowing during feeds, baby appears satisfied after many feeds, and has adequate wet diapers and weight gain. | Do not assume milk is insufficient only because breasts feel soft, the baby feeds frequently, or the baby wants to feed at night. Ask a health professional to assess feeding and growth. |
| 12 | At 6 months, begin safe, adequate complementary foods while continuing breastfeeding up to 2 years or beyond, as desired. | Do not introduce solid or semi-solid foods before 6 months unless specifically advised by a pediatric clinician. |
Create a one-page breastfeeding quick-reference PDF
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WHO breastfeeding first 6 months exclusive breastfeeding within one hour no water
mkdir -p "/tmp/workspace/breastfeeding-quick-reference/output" && python - <<'PY' from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import A4 from reportlab.lib import colors from reportlab.lib.styles import getSampleStyleSheet, ParagraphStyle from reportlab.lib.enums import TA_CENTER, TA_LEFT from reportlab.lib.units import mm from reportlab.platypus import SimpleDocTemplate, Paragraph, Spacer, Table, TableStyle, KeepTogether from reportlab.pdfbase import pdfmetrics from reportlab.pdfbase.ttfonts import TTFont from reportlab.lib.colors import HexColor out='/tmp/workspace/breastfeeding-quick-reference/output/Breastfeeding_Quick_Reference_0-6_Months.pdf' page_w, page_h=A4 margin=13*mm doc=SimpleDocTemplate(out, pagesize=A4, rightMargin=margin,leftMargin=margin,topMargin=11*mm,bottomMargin=10*mm) styles=getSampleStyleSheet() styles.add(ParagraphStyle(name='TitleX', parent=styles['Title'], fontName='Helvetica-Bold', fontSize=19, leading=22, alignment=TA_CENTER, textColor=HexColor('#123B4B'), spaceAfter=2)) styles.add(ParagraphStyle(name='SubX', parent=styles['Normal'], fontName='Helvetica', fontSize=8.7, leading=11, alignment=TA_CENTER, textColor=HexColor('#46616B'), spaceAfter=7)) styles.add(ParagraphStyle(name='SectionX', parent=styles['Heading2'], fontName='Helvetica-Bold', fontSize=10.5, leading=13, textColor=colors.white, spaceAfter=0)) styles.add(ParagraphStyle(name='CellX', parent=styles['Normal'], fontName='Helvetica', fontSize=8.5, leading=10.6, textColor=HexColor('#17343D'))) styles.add(ParagraphStyle(name='CellBold', parent=styles['Normal'], fontName='Helvetica-Bold', fontSize=8.5, leading=10.6, textColor=HexColor('#17343D'))) styles.add(ParagraphStyle(name='AlertX', parent=styles['Normal'], fontName='Helvetica-Bold', fontSize=8.5, leading=10.6, textColor=HexColor('#80312B'))) styles.add(ParagraphStyle(name='FootX', parent=styles['Normal'], fontName='Helvetica', fontSize=6.9, leading=8.5, textColor=HexColor('#567079'), alignment=TA_CENTER)) P=lambda t, s='CellX': Paragraph(t, styles[s]) def heading(text, colour): t=Table([[Paragraph(text,styles['SectionX'])]], colWidths=[page_w-2*margin]) t.setStyle(TableStyle([('BACKGROUND',(0,0),(-1,-1),HexColor(colour)),('LEFTPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),8),('RIGHTPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),8),('TOPPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),4),('BOTTOMPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),4)])) return t story=[] story += [Paragraph('BREASTFEEDING QUICK REFERENCE', styles['TitleX']), Paragraph('Healthy infants from birth to 6 completed months',styles['SubX'])] # Key message key=Table([[P('<b>THE CORE MESSAGE:</b> Breast milk only for the first 6 months. Start within the first hour after birth and feed whenever your baby wants, day and night.','CellBold')]], colWidths=[page_w-2*margin]) key.setStyle(TableStyle([('BACKGROUND',(0,0),(-1,-1),HexColor('#E4F2EF')),('BOX',(0,0),(-1,-1),0.6,HexColor('#78B9AA')),('LEFTPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),9),('RIGHTPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),9),('TOPPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),6),('BOTTOMPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),6)])) story += [key, Spacer(1,6)] story += [heading('DO', '#167B72')] do_rows=[ [P('<b>1. Breast milk only</b>','CellBold'),P('Give only breast milk, including expressed breast milk if needed.','CellX')], [P('<b>2. Exclusively breastfeed</b>','CellBold'),P('No other food or drink is needed for the first 6 months.','CellX')], [P('<b>3. Start early</b>','CellBold'),P('Put baby to the breast as soon as possible, ideally within 1 hour of birth.','CellX')], [P('<b>4. Feed on demand</b>','CellBold'),P('Offer feeds whenever baby shows early hunger signs: stirring, rooting, hand-to-mouth movements, or lip-smacking.','CellX')], [P('<b>5. Continue during illness</b>','CellBold'),P('Continue breast milk during common minor illnesses, including diarrhea. Seek care if baby is unwell.','CellX')], [P('<b>6. Ask before stopping</b>','CellBold'),P('Do not stop breastfeeding or start formula without advice from a doctor or qualified breastfeeding counselor.','CellX')], ] do=Table(do_rows,colWidths=[47*mm, page_w-2*margin-47*mm],repeatRows=0) do.setStyle(TableStyle([('GRID',(0,0),(-1,-1),0.35,HexColor('#BBD9D3')),('BACKGROUND',(0,0),(0,-1),HexColor('#F0F8F6')),('VALIGN',(0,0),(-1,-1),'TOP'),('LEFTPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),6),('RIGHTPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),6),('TOPPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),4.2),('BOTTOMPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),4.2)])) story += [do, Spacer(1,7), heading("DON'T", '#B65045')] no_rows=[ [P('<b>Do not give formula/milk powder</b>','CellBold'),P('Do not mix breast milk with formula, cow/buffalo milk, or other milks unless medically advised.','CellX')], [P('<b>Do not give water</b>','CellBold'),P('No water, honey, glucose water, gripe water, tea, juice, cereal, porridge, or other foods/drinks before 6 months.','CellX')], [P('<b>Do not give unadvised medicines</b>','CellBold'),P('Medicines, vitamin/mineral drops, and ORS should be given only on healthcare advice. Avoid home remedies.','CellX')], [P('<b>Do not delay or restrict feeds</b>','CellBold'),P('Do not wait for intense crying or follow a strict feeding clock. Avoid unnecessary bottles, teats, and pacifiers.','CellX')], [P('<b>Do not ignore feeding problems</b>','CellBold'),P('Get help for persistent pain, poor latch, cracked nipples, or concern about baby’s growth or urine output.','CellX')], ] no=Table(no_rows,colWidths=[54*mm, page_w-2*margin-54*mm]) no.setStyle(TableStyle([('GRID',(0,0),(-1,-1),0.35,HexColor('#E4C6C1')),('BACKGROUND',(0,0),(0,-1),HexColor('#FFF5F3')),('VALIGN',(0,0),(-1,-1),'TOP'),('LEFTPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),6),('RIGHTPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),6),('TOPPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),4.2),('BOTTOMPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),4.2)])) story += [no, Spacer(1,7)] story += [heading('WHEN TO GET HELP URGENTLY', '#785A20')] urgent=Table([[P('Contact a doctor promptly if baby is <b>very sleepy or difficult to wake for feeds</b>, refuses several feeds, has <b>fewer wet diapers than usual</b>, fever, repeated vomiting, breathing difficulty, signs of dehydration, or you are worried about weight gain.','AlertX')]],colWidths=[page_w-2*margin]) urgent.setStyle(TableStyle([('BACKGROUND',(0,0),(-1,-1),HexColor('#FFF8E6')),('BOX',(0,0),(-1,-1),0.5,HexColor('#DEC777')),('LEFTPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),8),('RIGHTPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),8),('TOPPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),5),('BOTTOMPADDING',(0,0),(-1,-1),5)])) story += [urgent, Spacer(1,7)] story += [Paragraph('At 6 months: begin safe, adequate complementary foods while continuing breastfeeding up to 2 years or beyond, as desired.', styles['CellBold']),Spacer(1,5),Paragraph('Based on WHO and UNICEF breastfeeding recommendations. This handout supports, but does not replace, personalized medical advice. Source: WHO Breastfeeding guidance (who.int/health-topics/breastfeeding).',styles['FootX'])] doc.build(story) print(out) PY python - <<'PY' from pypdf import PdfReader p='/tmp/workspace/breastfeeding-quick-reference/output/Breastfeeding_Quick_Reference_0-6_Months.pdf' r=PdfReader(p) print('pages=',len(r.pages),'bytes=',__import__('os').path.getsize(p)) print(r.pages[0].extract_text()[:350]) PY
Breastfeeding Quick Reference 0 6 Months
PDF Document · PDF
Make a clinic-friendly poster version for printing
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WHO breastfeeding poster exclusive breastfeeding first 6 months within one hour no water
~/breastfeeding-quick-reference/