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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

bf after being sick

16 replies

TracyK · 17/10/2004 08:24

Do you think it's ok to bf after being sick? I think I either had food poisoning or a really upset tummy last night and was eventually sick after feeling really queasy for a few hours.
I have expressed my milk this morning - but should I throw it away or can I give it to ds

OP posts:

musica · 17/10/2004 08:27

Feed as normal - I think it should be fine.

pixiefish · 17/10/2004 08:35

Illness etc is transmitted from your blood to your breastmilk so as your illness was viral or food related you'll be fine- breastfeed as normal

tiktok · 17/10/2004 17:39

pixiefish - illness isn't 'transmitted from blood to breastmilk'....did you miss out a 'not' here?

Tracy - it is really important to breastfeed. It is possible whatever made you ill has also been near the baby, and if you don't bf you will reduce his access to the antibodies which will make him resist.

Original poster

TracyK · 17/10/2004 17:44

I think he had it too as when I went into his room in the daylight - there was a round patch that looked and smelled like sick.
I did throw the first lot of milk away but have bf this afternoon - so hopefully he'll be ok. He seems v. tired and looks knackered - but may have tooth/growth spurt. or just pissed off at the crappy weather like mummy!

OP posts:

aloha · 17/10/2004 18:01

Give him the milk. You cannot give a child an illness via breastmilk - with some very, very rare exceptions. I promise you this is true.

pixiefish · 17/10/2004 19:04

tiktok- what i was trying to say is that certain illnessess are transmitted through the blood to the breastmilk- that's why they tell HIV+ mum's not to bf- i was trying in a clumsy way to say that if the illness is in your belly (foodpoisoning etc) then it's ok- can't think of another illness that's in your blood- It came out all clumsy and wrong and it still has... not very clear today-

hercules · 17/10/2004 19:09

I though women with hiv could bf now although I could be wrong.

hercules · 17/10/2004 19:11

articlehereitdepends

tiktok · 17/10/2004 20:40

Pixiefish, the only illness where it has been shown there is a risk of transmission via breastmilk is HIV. There are many other disorders that show up in the blood but they do not get transmitted to the breastmilk, though I now see what you were trying to say : )

pixiefish · 17/10/2004 21:06

am glad- didn't want to spread any misconceptions but just wanted to reassure that it was ok to bf after being sick. need brain transplant today

SofiaAmes · 18/10/2004 01:03

tiktok, there's also hepatitis which can be transmitted through breastmilk. I suspect that it's not that the illnesses are not transmitted, but that maybe antibodies are transmitted with them so therefore they aren't caught. But I'm not really sure of that.
Anyway, if there is a tummy bug going around, you probably really want to bf even more than ever as your baby is least likely to get ill if he's drinking your "sterile" breast milk, rather than eating/drinking from things that have been handled by possibly contaminated hands. Just make sure you wash your hands before handling your baby. When mine were under 6 mo. I tried to do that as a matter of course anyway. And still do it if I am ill.

tiktok · 18/10/2004 09:39

SofiaAmes, no, heptatitis is not transmitted through breastmilk - there are no documented cases (last time I looked) of babies actually becoming ill in this way, despite some hepatitis being isolatable in samples of milk.

aloha · 18/10/2004 10:42

There are some other illnesses - West Nile Fever for one! Not in the least relevant to TracyK though. And also CMV (herpes) has been transmitted via breastmilk to premature newborns under certain circumstances. But again, this has nothing to do with TracyK's query. Breastfeed away TracyK. As others have said, if your baby has your tummy bug then breastmilk is the best thing to give.

pixiefish · 18/10/2004 10:45

Sofia- I was obsessed with handwashing when my dd was tiny- am still more keen than i used to be but not to the extent i was when she was tiny- used to make dh wash his teeth and change his jumper before he could handle her- that's on top of wahing his hands

SofiaAmes · 18/10/2004 14:09

tiktok, I'm sure I've met a mother with hepC who was told not to bf. Was that incorrect advice that she was given?

tiktok · 18/10/2004 16:07

Crazy to be told not to bf.....my edition of Hale is not the latest, but he says 'mothers infected with HCV should be advised that transmission of HCV is possible but has not been documented'. Several studies have shown that it does not happen. That would be good enough for me!

This study here is reassuring. It's also very recent.

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