Health anxiety - breastfeeding

[worriedmamaa]

Hi all

Hope you're well.

I have OCD and suffer with anxiety and depression that I am on medication for.

I am breastfeeding my first baby who is 11 weeks old and I'm getting really worried that small things I do are putting her in harms way.

Example - I washed my hands with antibacterial handwash and a bit of the soapy water flicked into my mouth.
I am now really worried that chemicals from it will be in my breast milk that I'm feeding to my baby and I'm poisoning her!

Super worried - has anyone else had these kind of worries?

Also does anyone know if that example above is alright or actually an issue? I keep trying to tell myself it's ok but part of me can't let it go.

Thank you one very stressed new mum xxx

These are quite common worries. There is no need to clean/prepare the nipple prior to feeding. Soap is used to wash the eating equipment of people of all ages and they are fine. A bottle fed baby would have their bottles washed with soap before sterilising, and they cant all be 100% rinsed all the time.

Also if you are worried about 'chemicals' in your breast milk, don't! Even if you ate actual toxins (which is quite hard to do!) the concentration of what would get into the breast milk would match that of the blood and be tiny.

How are you doing OP?

Not too bad thank you still struggling but getting by. Thank you all for your replies xx