When a lactating mom is admitted to the hospital, our role as IBCLC is to protect the milk supply and prevent mastitis/abscess from forming if ignored. In my nursing/lactation career, I even held the flanges and pumped the breasts of an unconscious patient in the ICU. We would get referred to every unit including Emergency Departments, ICUs, and surgical floors to assist lactating moms.
As a lactation nurse we often worked on other units besides NICU, pediatrics, and postpartum. Be sure to request an IBCLC from your hospital’s lactation department if it’s not an automatic referral like at the hospital I worked for here in San Diego. Remember, emptying the breast makes more milk.īottom line, if you have come down with any “ordinary” virus or illness, continue breastfeeding as normal and contact your IBCLCor physician for safe recommendations of medications to ease your symptoms that are compatible with breastfeeding and are safe for your milk supply (cold medications and antihistamines can decrease milk supply). Should you become ill with something more serious requiring hospitalization, continue to pump to maintain your milk supply while separated from the baby in the hospital saving your pumped milk and send it home with your visitors for them to use for bottle feedings in your absence. Just be mindful of ensuring that you are draining your breast frequently enough (whether it be via feeding your baby or pumping) to ensure you can support your supply. If the illness is fully kicking your butt, it’s ok to pump in lieu of nursing, occasionally or exclusively, and letting somebody else feed the baby a bottle to allow you to rest. If you have expressed milk on reserve in the refrigerator or freezer, nurse for a shorter time and allow another family member or friend to top off the baby with a bottle. Cuddle the baby next to your body in your bed by using the side-lying position and let him/her nurse while you also are lying down. It certainly can be hard to muster the energy it takes to continue eating healthy and feeding your baby when you are feeling unwell, so modify the schedule and/or environment to make things easy on yourself.
How Can I Continue to Breastfeed While I am Sick? In fact, stopping breastfeeding or withholding breast milk during illness could potentially increase your baby’s risk of getting sick (since they are not getting the protection of receiving your breastmilk!) and deprives him/her of both nutrition and comfort. Also, remember by the time you feel symptoms you were already exposed to the pathogen 2-14 days before in the incubation period and therefore so was your baby. In fact, breastmilk is your baby’s best defense against contracting the virus. It is absolutely best for the baby to continue receiving your milk since it is rich in antioxidants, nutrients and virus-fighting antibodies. As long as you have the energy and feel up to breastfeeding while ill, you should continue to breastfeed.
It is very, very rare for a mom to need to stop breastfeeding for any illness.1 While all of these relatively simple bugs are contagious, you will not pass the virus through to your baby by way of your breastmilk. It’s almost bound to happen that you will come down with a cold, sore throat, the flu, or food poisoning at some point in your breastfeeding relationship with your baby. Should I Continue to Breastfeed While Sick?
Does kissing your baby change your breast milk how to#
Is it ok to continue breastfeeding when I’m sick? Am I going to pass along the virus to my baby? How to tell if my milk supply is drying up? Do I need to stay away from my baby? When is the best time to pump to increase milk supply if I’m sick? Let’s cover some of the common concerns below: Your mind may begin to conjure up all kinds of worse-case scenarios triggering a myriad of questions. Breastfeeding in and of itself can be demanding, but breastfeeding when you are sick can be even more challenging.
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