Hay fever remedies when bf?

[ladypop]

What can I safely take for hay fever (driving me crazy!!) whilst bf? Baby is 12 wks old and has just 1 bf a day but I obviously want to make sure whatever I take is safe. The only thing pharmacist could sell me was a nasal spray suitable for bf/pregnant women.....it is next to useless, does smell nice though ;)

I've taken piriton syrup before - the one that's suitable for babies/children - can't remember what it says about bf but my view was that if it was suitable for babies then if a small amount came through in bm then it wasn't going to do any harm. That's not a medical opinion though! Try the kellymom website they are usually good on things like this.

Anti histamine eye drops are magic!

Were you sold prevalin? Crap isn't it?

Prevalin that's it! Yep, rubbish.

I took piriton tablets whilst pregnant and bfeeding.

Also nasal sprays and eye drops.

It's crap, both ds and I tried it, gave me a really perfumey headache!

Make sure you don't take it if you're co sleeping. Makes you drowsy

From NHS choices website:
The antihistamine tablets recommended if you're breastfeeding are loratadine or cetirizine. These can have different brand names, so speak to your pharmacist for advice. These are non-drowsy antihistamines. Avoid using antihistamines that make you drowsy (sedating) as they can affect your baby if used for more than a short time.

www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2460.aspx?CategoryID=54&SubCategoryID=129

You can also use steroid nasal sprays like Flixonase.

Here's a good fact sheet:
www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/dibm/Antihistamines_and_Breastfeeding_March_2009.pdf