Balgarianovinite.com Breast pain, nursing strikes and weaning are among mothers’ most common breastfeeding concerns, La Leche League counsellor Elena Gvozdeykova told BTA on Thursday.
Gvozdeykova is taking part in events organized by the Sliven Regional Health Inspectorate for World Breastfeeding Week, observed from August 1 to 7. The campaign is being held with the Sliven Maternal and Child Health Centre and La Leche League Sliven. Similar meetings have been organized in the city since 2010.
Expectant mothers most often ask how to prepare for breastfeeding and whether they need to buy products in advance. After giving birth, their questions become more immediate and commonly concern pain. Around the third or fourth day, when transitional milk comes in, the breasts may become heavy, engorged and painful. Blocked milk ducts and infections may develop later.
A nursing strike occurs when a baby suddenly refuses the breast. One possible cause is an overly forceful milk let-down. If the baby cannot pause to breathe between suckling and swallowing, it may push the breast away. Allowing the initial strong flow to subside before latching or breastfeeding in a reclined position may help.
A baby that refuses the breast should not be forced, Gvozdeykova said. Alternative feeding methods may be used while skin-to-skin contact, cuddling, patience and calm gradually help restore breastfeeding. Changes in scent, including a different perfume, can also cause refusal, sometimes of only one breast.
“There is no universal solution. What works for one mother-and-baby pair will not necessarily work for another,” Gvozdeykova said. Mothers should seek information and support to find the right approach for their circumstances, she added.
Weaning is an individual decision shaped by a mother’s original goals and any health or other circumstances. Some mothers choose to continue breastfeeding beyond the age of one despite public scepticism, while others have to stop earlier. Gvozdeykova cited anthropological research placing the natural human weaning age between two and four years.
“Every drop of milk she has given until then matters to the baby,” Gvozdeykova said. The bond with the child can continue to develop through closeness, care and other forms of contact after breastfeeding ends.
Mothers increasingly use artificial intelligence to obtain information. Gvozdeykova described this as a natural development but advised them to assess such information critically and seek professional support for specific problems. She recalled one mother who asked for vegan infant formula because she believed breast milk was not vegan.
Breast milk is a living fluid whose composition changes with a child’s needs, Gvozdeykova explained. Colostrum, produced in small quantities during the first days after birth, contains immune factors. Milk composition also changes as the child develops, when feeding a premature baby and at different times of day. Antibodies produced when the mother encounters viruses also pass into her milk.
Gvozdeykova encouraged mothers to seek help when needed, noting that face-to-face meetings allow them to discuss individual situations and ask specific questions. Breastfeeding Counsellor Gvozdeykova Answers Mothers’ Most Common Questions 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-06 07:13:55 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
