What do BF moms do when they are ill? HELP :0

[skipperdoo]

Just that really -- have a terrible sickness (cough, sore throat, runny nose, mild temp) for four days. My nose is raw from blowing it and I'm waking up DC in the night with my cough and losing us all sleep! (it's not covid. DH and DC are fine)

Pharmacist said I can't have day/Night nurse or similar while BF, what do others do?! If I use formula for a few days, can I take the medicine and how long until it's out of my system?

Help I'm going crazy and sick of being sick!

I’ve never used Day/Night nurse even when not breastfeeding.

I take paracetamol together with ibuprofen, salt gargles for the throat, and Otrivine for the nose (check with your pharmacist if that’s ok - I use it when breastfeeding but, if not, Sterimar is also good). Potters Chest Pastilles are good for coughs and you can take them breastfeeding.

Good luck, and hope you feel better soon!

Sorry. This sounds really hard.

It depends how old your baby is and how much you want to keep exclusively breast feeding - if you’re a few weeks post partum you probably just have to power through if you want to maintain your supply. If you’re supply is regulated you can have someone give formula but you will have to express at least some of the time you would have fed otherwise you’ll get engorged and risk mastitis. It’s also possible that baby will then refuse the breast because they find bottle feeding easier.

Whatever you do, be aware that anything with a decongestant may affect your milk supply (some people take things like Sudafed to dry up their milk when they no longer want to breastfeed/pump).

Paracetamol and ride it out
I wouldn't suddenly switch to formula otherwise you'll be dealing with engorged boobs on top of your current illness or having to pump which is an effort when you could be sleeping! A few more days and hopefully you'll be through the worst.

Oh it's rough isn't it? You have my sympathy! I unfortunately caught covid when my DS was just a few weeks old and was EBF. Just had to take paracetamol, plenty fluids and power through with the feeds unfortunately!

I BF while I was ill. It’s just one of those things.

I had covid when DS was 2 weeks old, if he had been older I would have slept separately and just gone in for night feeds but as we were up so often I didn’t bother. Luckily I didn’t have too many symptoms, the cough was the main thing as it woke him up. Have you tried the Vicks on the feet trick?

Otherwise, plenty of fluids and paracetamol and rest if you can.

I didn’t take anything; bf 4 if I was ill I would just ride it out and take paracetamol, I wouldn’t and never did give formula because I was ill personally as I didn’t want to use formula but each to their own.

Paracetamol, honey and lemon drinks, loads of water and as much sleep as you can get. Your antibodies will help your baby and it’ll be over soon.

If you're 4 days in you are probably over the worst of it. Take paracetamol, breathe steam with olbas oil and suck a strepsil. Then hunker down on the sofa and power through some good box sets.

I highly recommend the breastfeeding network.

You can check the breastfeeding network for any medication you're prescribed. They have drugs factsheets for most things but you can contact them if not on there. They often include information such as whether it might make baby drowsy etc. So useful.

www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/drugs-factsheets/

Try to carry on breastfeeding OP - antibodies baby needs and the added bonus of not getting mastitis on top of your bug. Trust me you don’t want that! Hope you feel better soon.

I always treat viruses with effervescent Berocca (vitamins B,C, calcium and magnesium), garlic and echinacea, none of which would affect your breastmilk. You could have a hot honey and limon drink too, as long as you don't go out after drinking it.

You could also rinse out your nose with salt water.

I never take things for a virus beyond paracetamol and hot drinks so in 7yrs of breastfeeding, it didn't cause an issue apart from feeling like rubbish and maybe slightly more drained. If I needed medicine for a bacterial infection or similar, I relied on the Breastfeeding Network for guidance.

The decongestants will impact your supply, people take them when they want to dry themselves up. If you take them and use formula you’ll risk stopping BF.
Paracetamol and olbas oil is all I took. It will pass.

I took paracetamol and ibrophen, and most importantly asked dh for help. He took annual leave and only brought baby to me for feeding. Good enough sleep accelerated the healing process I believe.

Tbh I’m ill now and the only thing I’ve taken is paracetamol and cough sweets and I’m not even bf anymore!

Paracetamol and rest as much as plausible.

My baby, now a toddler, never took a bottle so I just had to mum-power through and carry on. It's hard.

I’ve vommed into a bucket while breastfeeding so I’m in the ‘do what you need to do to get through it but don’t stop feeding the babies’ camp. Plenty of water, easy simple food (tinned rice pudding and soup if you can’t cope with more), rest as much as possible.