From Vincent Iannelli, M.D.,
Your Guide to Pediatrics.
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About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by Kate Grossman, MD

Other common breastfeeding problems that unsupportive doctors sometimes recommend that you stop breastfeeding for include:

• bloody stools: This is usually caused by allergic colitis, a type of allergic reaction, especially if there are just small streaks of blood on the stools. It is most commonly caused by a reaction to diary products (or other foods, such as soy or peanuts) that the mother is drinking and which pass into her breastmilk. Since it usually isn't a reaction to the breastmilk itself, most of the time you can continue breastfeeding and just eliminate dairy products from your diet. This can be difficult, as many products have 'hidden' ingredients which may indicate the presence of dairy products, so you have to learn to read food labels and avoid foods with (but not limited to) whey, casein, cream, custard, pudding, lactoglobulin, sour cream and lactalbumin. Simply not drinking milk may not be enough. If the bleeding persists, consider having an evaluation with a Pediatric Gastroenterologist or Pediatric Allergist before you stop breastfeeding.
• frequent feedings: Many infants go through growth spurts, especially at two to three weeks and again at six weeks, during which they have an increased appetite and want to feed more frequently than usual. If you allow your baby to breastfeed more often at these times, then you will stimulate your body to increase your milk supply to keep up with the increased demand and you will likely get back to your usual feeding pattern in a few days. If you supplement instead of breastfeeding more often, then you won't increase your supply and it will often lead to early weaning.
• slow weight gain: Most infants regain their birthweight by two weeks of age and then gain about 20g (2/3 ounce) a day for the next several months. A thorough evaluation and examination of the mother and baby is essential if a baby is losing weight or not gaining weight well to monitor for correct positioning, latching on, frequency of feedings, and amount of milk production. If supplementing does become necessary, alternatives, such as supplementing with pumped breastmilk and using a lactation aid or finger feeding are often preferred to supplementing with formula in a bottle. You should also have frequent weight monitoring, at least every 2-4 days, in these situations and you may have to learn to pump to further stimulate the production of breastmilk. infrequent bowel movements: this is usually normal in older infants, who may have a bowel movement only every 1-2 weeks. Usually, as long as the stool is soft when she finally has it, then it isn't constipation and you do not need to offer extra water or juice. Infrequent bowel movements are more concerning in the first month of life, since that can be a sign that she isn't getting enough breastmilk.
• jaundice: Infants with physiological jaundice don't need to stop breastfeeding and usually don't need supplements. Infants with breastfeeding jaundice (jaundice that is worsened because of dehydration and poor feeding) and jaundice that requires phototherapy may sometimes need supplements or intravenous fluids. Although breastfeeding is often interrupted for infants with breastmilk jaundice (which is not the same as breastfeeding jaundice), this is usually not necessary either and the jaundice usually goes away by the second month of life, although blood tests may be necessary to make sure it isn't something else causing the prolonged jaundice.
• drugs and breastfeeding: There are actually few medications that are contraindicated during breastfeeding, including bromocriptine, cyclophosphamide, cyclosporine, doxorubicin, ergotamine, lithium, methotrexate and phenindione. Many other medications may require temporarily stopping breastfeeding, are compatible with breastfeeding, can be used with caution, or the effect on the baby is unknown but may be of concern. If a medication is thought to be incompatible with breastfeeding, ask if there is an alternative that would be safe for you to take instead.

The kind of advice you get for dealing with these types of common problems can tell you a lot about how knowledgeable and/or supportive your Pediatrician is about breastfeeding. This is important, because prevention and early treatment of breastfeeding problems can help to maximize your chances of long term breastfeeding success.