Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Flip

Original poster

breastfeeding when ill- advice/handholding please

10 replies

tiredfeet · 16/02/2011 18:27

Am breastfeeding 4mo ds, haven't been able to persuade him to take a bottle yet. He is slowly recovering from a tummy bug and I have come down with it :( . Can't keep anything down. The dr gave me and injection but it hasn't worked. He has prescribed me some suppositories but am too ill to look after ds while dh goes to pharmacy, and ds too ill to go with him. Plus have just found out the only road in/out of our village is blocked due to an accident so can't even get someone else to go for hours.
It is sooo hard feeding ds, I keep having to stop to be sick and I feel so sorry for him.
If I don't get better overnight they may admit me. Would ds come too?

Dh is being a star and has looked after ds all day. But I am really struggling

OP posts:

solo · 16/02/2011 18:31

It's horrible being ill when you are trying to bf. My Dd was 10 months old when I got norovirus and it was awful; my milk practically dried up, but I did keep going and it came back. I sucked ice cubes because I couldn't keep anything at all down.

Look after yourself.

Original poster

tiredfeet · 16/02/2011 18:44

Thanks solo. Ice cubes a good idea will try amd go make some up.

OP posts:

VeronicaCake · 16/02/2011 19:08

You poor thing. Obviously I hope you start to pick up soon and being admitted to hospital is not necessary. If it is necessary (presumably for IV fluids and maybe antibiotics??) it probably isn't a great idea for DS to go too (I assume you mean to stay the night - there would be no problem with him visiting during the day), there is a risk either he will get sick again or he will infect other people.

However, provided the hospital has a maternity ward they should be able to get hold of a pretty good breastpump for you so you can pump and store breastmilk for DS (I've not had much joy expressing at home but found the hospital grade pump much more effective). I had 2 nights away from 9m old DD last week and it wasn't as bad as I expected. Certainly didn't have any impact on my supply.

I also had a really nasty stomach infection when DD was about 5m old. I didn't eat anything for 3 days (though was able to keep fluid down after a day and a bit), but DD seemed OK. She fed like a trooper once I was better so maybe my supply dropped a bit, but not drastically.

Ignore advice about flat lemonade etc, you'll find proper dioralyte much better for rehydration once you are able to stomach some fluid. Small sips little and often.

And try not to worry. Your body is designed to carry on feeding your baby even when you are ill. It is unlikely breastfeeding will fall apart, you just need to focus on resting and recovering. Get DH to do as much as poss - this really horrible bit will not last long.

CrispyCakeHead · 16/02/2011 19:20

Sorry you are feeling so ill; it is bloody hard at the best of times, never mind when you are poorly too

Ice cubes a good idea, and just try and drink as much fluid as possible and get as much sleep as possible.

re the possible hospital admission, I had several bouts if cholecystitis when my DS was only four months old, and was admitted to hospital at one point. I explained in A&E that I was BFing and that baby was only four months and they kept me on A&E till a side room had been freed up for me, and they brought a cot down from the paeds wards. They couldn't have been any more helpful really. We were in there for nearly three days as well. It was bloody hard trying to feed him through all the pain I was in though, so you have my empathy

Original poster

tiredfeet · 16/02/2011 19:50

Thanks all. Ds asleep now so hopefully dh can take a break. I really hope they don't have to admit me but if they do it would be horrible to have to leave ds when he hasn't managed to take a bottle yet. I have no energy at all. Can't believe our bad luck that the road is closed.

OP posts:

CrispyCakeHead · 17/02/2011 17:45

how are you today tiredfeet? I hope you and DS are on the mend

Bumperlicious · 17/02/2011 18:59

Oh poor you. I haven't been this bad but I had a migraine recently and had to keep breaking off feeds to go and throw up.

I really hope you feel better soon.

Original poster

tiredfeet · 17/02/2011 19:02

A bit better today thank you ds finally slept for a few hours which meant I slept long enough to keep some water down and I think that made all the difference

Main problem now is my milk supply seems really low, so ds feeding non stop buit never satisified. At least I turned a corner though, was dreading being admitted!

OP posts:

Woodlands · 17/02/2011 21:01

oh you poor thing - hope you have turned a corner and feel better again really soon!

bonkers20 · 17/02/2011 22:14

Looks like you're already on the mend. Being ill and BF is just about the worse thing. You just want to curl up and sleep or be ill :(

Try not to worry about your supply. It will pick up as your DS nurses and nurses. Your recovery will take longer than it would if you were not BF, but you'll get there.
Hugs

Flip