Using Mobile Phone While Breastfeeding – 5 Reasons to Avoid

Breastfeeding is a natural way for a mother to provide her baby with the nutrients he needs for his proper growth and development. Besides meeting your little one’s nutritional requirements, breastfeeding will also help you bond with your baby, provided that you pay attention to him and keep your mobile phone away while nursing. If you have settled into your new routine with your baby and your baby has learned to latch on properly, you may breastfeed him while using your phone, perhaps to kill time or to connect with your close ones. Many mums do have a very common question as well, “Can we use mobile while breastfeeding?” While it’s quite understandable, there are a few reasons why mixing cell phones and breastfeeding is not such a good idea. Let’s see why these two activities don’t go together.

Why Should You Not Use a Cell Phone While Breastfeeding?

Texting while breastfeeding is known as ‘brexting’. In this day and age, we cannot deny the fact that our mobile phones have become an extra limb in our bodies. We cannot imagine our lives without our mobile phones. But being glued to your phones might make you miss out on other important life experiences, like being fully present with your child while you breastfeed him. Here are a few reasons you should try and avoid using a smartphone while nursing:

1. It hampers eye contact

Eye contact between a mother and her baby while breastfeeding during the first 6 months of his life is extremely vital to strengthen maternal attachment. Looking at your phone on and off while breastfeeding could cause you to miss out on eye contact with your baby. Research also shows that eye contact between a mother and the baby makes their emotions and brains ‘in sync’. This helps enhance future learning and communication skills for the baby.

2. It can cause your baby to struggle for attention

When you are distracted on your phone while breastfeeding, your little one can feel the shift in your attention and start babbling or even pull your face toward him. Now, this might be cute, but it can make him more and more sensitive. A study, known as the ‘still face experiment,’ showed that children notice when their parents have a blank expression. The study found that babies tended to lash out to get their parents’ attention. They want to be noticed by adults around them and this causes their stress hormones to act up. When the same thing happens a few weeks later, they even start to panic and cry. In a 2002 study, it was found that using smartphones while breastfeeding was shown to hinder a mother’s capacity to visually engage with her baby when they seek her attention (1). In another study published in 2019, it was revealed that mothers took longer to notice the changes in their babies while using smartphones (2).

3. It diverts your attention

Breastfeeding and texting at the same time can make you miss out on your baby’s small cues since it distracts your focus from the task at hand. For example, to ensure that your baby gets the most milk from your breasts, you need to perfect the latching technique. ‘Brexting’ might cause you to slip from that technique, and you may not even notice your baby is having trouble getting adequate milk from your breasts, as your eyes will be elsewhere. Breastfeeding is the perfect time to soak in the feeling of being a mother nursing her child. You won’t get to do the same for your baby once he grows up, so make sure to revel in it without any texting distractions.

4. It runs the risk of radiation exposure

Mobile phones do emit radiation, and your baby, being so tiny, may absorb this radiation. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children’s skulls are thinner, which could easily lead to the absorption of radiation from cell phones (3). Microwave radiation is mostly continuous, but cell phone radiation is usually inconstant. However, they can still damage a baby’s DNA structure, brain cells, and can cause cancer and other diseases. So, make sure that you keep your cell phone away from your baby, not only during breastfeeding but also almost all the time.

5. It can make you fail to track nursing patterns

Babies have certain patterns when they breastfeed, and it is important for you to keep track of your baby’s nursing pattern so that your little one gets the best quantity of milk you can give. When you pay attention, you can catch slight changes like if your baby struggles to suck the milk or if he is not comfortable with his position or if he wants to burp midway. Sometimes, you will also notice your baby falling asleep while being breastfed; in such a case, you will have to gently blow on his hair or move his little toes to wake him up. Such things might go unnoticed if you are occupied with texting or watching something on your phone.

How to Minimise the Risk of Mobile Phone Use While Breastfeeding?

If you want to use your mobile phone while breastfeeding but also minimise the harmful effects, these tips and tricks will help manage distractions and maintain the quality of your breastfeeding:

1. Use Your Mobile Phone for Necessary Purposes

If you need to use your mobile phone, use it to gain something that helps with your breastfeeding journey. You can watch breastfeeding tutorials, use lactation apps, or clear your doubts or give support in online groups. This way, you will make the best use of your mobile phone while breastfeeding and stay more informed and confident.

2. Be Mindful of Your Baby’s Safety

If you still want to continue using your cell phone while breastfeeding, make sure you avoid direct contact of your mobile phone with your baby, as the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the device could jeopardise their health.

3. Use a Phone Case

Always keep your mobile phone covered with a phone case to avoid any injury to the baby. Make sure the case is made out of non-toxic materials, such as silicone or polycarbonate.

4. Avoid Using Your Mobile Phone When on Charge

Many times, moms use their mobile phones while putting them on charge and breastfeeding as usual. This could be quite risky, as there are chances of the battery exploding when mobile phones are used while they are being charged. Avoid doing that and putting your baby at risk.

5. Set Boundaries

You can either put your phone on silent, turn off notifications, or put a limit on the use of your mobile phone while breastfeeding. You can even customise a breastfeeding mode on your mobile phone according to your essential needs.

6. Take Breaks

While scrolling on your phone might be the best time to kill time while you breastfeed, it can also turn into a digital detox time where you stay away from your social media apps, be mindful, enjoy the breastfeeding experience, and most importantly, bond with your baby.

Things to Do Instead of Using a Mobile Phone During Breastfeeding

Goodness, that you want to break the habit of using phone while breastfeeding! Let us help you with that.

• Talk to your little one: As simple as that—talk to your baby! Make eye contact with your baby and start in the first six months of your baby’s life. This will ensure bonding and will be a top stress buster for you as well.
• Drink water: Breastfeeding is taxing on moms’ energy levels, plus they are always at risk of getting dehydrated quickly. So, keep yourself hydrated and feel a boost in your energy levels.
• Read to your baby: Reading to your baby is an excellent way of staying away from a mobile phone and increasing your baby’s vocabulary and stimulating their brain development.
• Catch up with your friends or family: Being a mom is a busy thing, especially in the early days of infancy. If you have also been preoccupied with baby care and forgot the last time you connected with your bestie or your favourite cousin, now is the best time to utilise.

FAQs

1. How can I break the habit of using my phone while breastfeeding?

To eliminate the habit of using your phone while nursing, concentrate on establishing an environment free of distractions and emphasise intentional interactions with your baby. This can be accomplished by implementing strategies such as limiting phone access, placing it out of reach, and discovering other enjoyable activities to engage in during feeding sessions.

2. Are there any apps or resources specifically for breastfeeding mothers?

Yes, several apps and resources are specifically designed to support breastfeeding mothers. LactApp, MyMedela, Pumping Tracker, MommyMeds, and other Baby Tracker apps are some useful breastfeeding apps for moms.

3. Can using a mobile phone while breastfeeding affect my milk supply?

Consuming stressful information on social media apps on mobile phones while breastfeeding may increase the stress levels, potentially leading to a decrease in the breast milk supply over time.

Hence, it is important for new moms to use their mobile phones in moderation. Avoid using a smartphone while breastfeeding, as you might miss out on the joy of being this close with your child later in life. Breastfeeding is a phase which you will treasure, so make sure you make it memorable. Do not use your mobile while breastfeeding, focus on your baby’s demands, and strengthen your bond with him!

References/Resources:

1. PubMed Central – Smartphone use during breastfeeding and its impact on mother-infant interaction and maternal responsiveness: Within-subject design

2. ACM – Effect of Using Smartphone during Breast-feeding

3. American Academy of Pediatrics – Cell Phone Radiation & Children’s Health: What Parents Need to Know

Also Read: 

Breastfeeding from One Side
Facts about Breastfeeding a Baby
Signs of Getting Enough Breast Milk

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