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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

cough/flu medicines whilst breastfeeding- is it this strict in the UK

19 replies

MrsJohnCusack · 13/09/2007 00:10

ok - small rant first
am in NZ
Have vile cold/cough (don't think is going ot be flu, although I prob caught it from my poor old parents who do have proper flu (they're in their 70s so it's pretty horrid)). Feel shakey, annoying cough, headache, sinuses, crap hearing, bla bla bla

have to play clarinet/sax in show for the next 9 days - lots of playing, difficult, very exposed and also means not getting home til at least 10pm (it's still winter here too)

baby 6 months, sleeping is SHITTY SHITE and has been for getting on for a month due to teeth/cold, spends a lot of the night on/next to me. So to conclude, I feel like crap and there is nowhere to hide - 2 yr old DD to look after as well (Although she's at nursey today THANK GOD)

went to the chemists, can take almost nothing whilst breasfeeding (she asked me 'are you full on breastfeeding' which made me giggle YES LOOK AT ME FEED RAH RAH RAH) anyway he's not on solids yet so I am.

I know it's hard to test things, so they just say 'not suitable' as it's easier but I thought decongestants etc. were not allowed just when you're pregnant. I could have NOTHING except natural lozenge, saline nose drops, lempsips (and not all of those) & paracetemol. LOts of lovely things they had for me until I said I was breasfeeding.

Is it stricter here in NZ than the UK or did I just never need anything when I was there and breastfeeding and so never noticed?

this is v.long but I wanted to moan too. After a brief respite of OKish sleep for a couple of days, am back on the road to NotCopingVille

OP posts:
Isababel · 13/09/2007 00:13

I think it is more or less about the same. I grew so tired on the lack of options, that even now, when I'm no longer BF, I just overdose myself in vitamin C when I get a cold.

Original poster
MrsJohnCusack · 13/09/2007 00:15

oh
maybe I'll just get someone to bash me on the head with a hammer then

don't know what happened to my t's either...

OP posts:
Califrau · 13/09/2007 00:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Isababel · 13/09/2007 00:26

Beroca? Those are the ones I overdose on! (well, not properly overdose as I only take one or two tablets a day but as they have more than 10 times the amount recommended for day they seem quite effective -albeit a bit fattening!)

Original poster
MrsJohnCusack · 13/09/2007 00:28

oh thanks for Dr Hale info Califrau

could try Berocca as well. will go out and get some later (DS FINALLY asleep at the moment)

we have been SO ill this winter, prob moving to a new country and a new set of bugs etc. And my poor old parents are really, really ill - my dad was in hospital with his flu

Still, it'll be spring soon I HOPE!

OP posts:
Isababel · 13/09/2007 00:37

Erm, don't take the Beroccas in the evening unless you want to be up well past midnight!

Califrau · 13/09/2007 00:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
MrsJohnCusack · 13/09/2007 00:43

oh that won't make any difference to me - I'm only getting about 3 hours a night anyway

HOWEVER, if that is so, I may take some in the afternoon to get me through the show. I'm on stage as a well so I have to look vaguely reasonable - can't collapse in between numbers

OP posts:
AnnainNZ · 13/09/2007 04:07

Have you tried Olbas Oil? It's just eucalyptus/clove/cajuput (whatever that might be)/mint oil plus a few others. Natural decongestant - I've always found it clears my head really well when I have a cold. Doesn't say anything on bottle about pg/breastfeeding, it's all natural oils so I'm assuming it's OK...and I guess as much paracetamol as you are humanly allowed. And obviously loads of vit C and healthy food and all that malarkey. Spring won't be far off now!

eidsvold · 13/09/2007 04:48

Check with beroca - know you can't have them when pregnant - can't remember if it also said breastfeeding.

Here in Aus - Bauer medicine - homeopathic range - do a cold and flu relief for kids - can't remember if they do an adult one - might be worth a check out.

NotQuiteCockney · 13/09/2007 07:24

It's ludicrously strict here. DH once bought me some cough medicine, that turned out to have as its active ingredients molasses and menthol or something lame like that. And it had a warning about pregnancy and bf!

I'd look online, at Hale, or whatever else you can find, and take a decision. Paracetamol is fine, so is iboprofen. As a one-off, I'm sure lots of products are fine.

laura032004 · 13/09/2007 11:19

What I find annoying is that there are things you can't have whilst bf, which are safe for the baby you're bfing (DS2 is now 15m old). Surely this can't be right, and is just that they haven't tested it?

DaisyMOO · 13/09/2007 11:37

A lot of it is arse-covering. If the manufacturers haven't applied for a licence to allow it to be used in pregnant women, they have to recommend that you don't take it. To apply for a licence is tres pricey and they have to have done a bunch of research showing it's safe, which can be difficult to get approval for because of it being for breastfeeding women!

eidsvold · 13/09/2007 12:20

Mrs JC is it worth a visit to the GP - I know mine recommended somethings I had avoided with dd2 ( can't remember what it was - possibly cold stuff) and she said it was actually okay.

I know a lot of stuff here in Aus is not recommended but Gp's can and do recommend but a pharmacist might not iyswim.

Tinasan · 13/09/2007 12:48

Eh, can't you take Beroca when pregnant? I took pots of the stuff and DD, now ten months, seems fine. Hmm yet another highly lethal contraband substance I consumed....

MrsJC, I am still BF and had a very bad cold a few weeks back and took some day nurse/night nurse stuff. Didn't realise I wasn't supposed to have it until I'd taken a couple of pills, but I phoned my GP and he said it should be ok but only to take it if I really really needed it...so don't know if that helps at all but as others have said I think that official guidelines for most of these products will say don't take when you are bf anyway, as they are just covering themselves as they haven't applied for the license etc.

kiskidee · 13/09/2007 12:53

oh, i'd say you have the flu

and i would also say that your chemist doesn't know enough about bf.

kiskidee · 13/09/2007 12:56

here is the BfN drugline link for cough and cold remedies that are safe for bf. The same remedies for cough and cold are also the same for flu.

determination · 13/09/2007 15:02

menthol crystals always work a treat for me.. hot diluting orange/lemon??

so sorry you feeling so poorly..

big warm hugs to make you feel better

Original poster
MrsJohnCusack · 13/09/2007 20:48

OH thank you so much everyone. Yes, I do suspect it's arse covering, and also that the pharamacist feels they can't recommend stuff because of that - that's more or less what they said in fact. They were slightly flummoxed by me having a huge 6 month old baby not on solids, but hey, so is everyone else

I am feeling less 'fluey' today and just coldy so hopefully I should get through it on the paracetamol & lozenges. THe berocca seemed to do the trick for the evening, can't find anything that says that can't be taken with breasfeeding - have googled and there's certainly nothing on the packet.

now if I could just get some unbroken sleep I'd be all set

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