We have endured a lot of illness since Rush was born — colds, viruses, influenza a, strep throat, you name it. Unfortunately, that seems to be a downfall of having a baby right before the onset of cold and flu season. Through it all though, I have continued nursing and I’m so grateful for that. I’m delivering my baby antibodies and sustaining him with the milk I am producing. It isn’t always easy (note: when I had influenza as the mama and felt like I was on my death bed) but it is manageable + when baby is sick, is so important!
This is my third go around with breastfeeding and I am still learning so much along the way. Today I am paying this information forward because there are (sick) mamas and (sick) babies out there who will surely benefit from it.
You won’t want to miss —> Breastfeeding Q&A With A Third Time Mama
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| 1 | Do keep yourself hydrated and fueled.
Now research actually shows a mother’s diet has little influence on the quality of her milk. Thankfully, nature allows us to provide for our babies even when we aren’t in the healthiest state — but drinking enough water and consuming some food while sick will allow our bodies to better cope with the breastfeeding + healing demands. (See this article from KellyMom; a great resource providing more information on this topic.)
| 2 | Don’t worry too much about volume.
If you feel like you are producing less milk, or are seeing that you actually are producing less milk in your pumping sessions, don’t stress too much about it. The volume of your milk may be altered during this time of illness, but that doesn’t mean the content is. My friend Rachele, a lactation consultant, explained it to me quite well. She said: If you spun your expressed milk out (to see what it is made up of) and had different volumes, it would likely contain the same nutrient contents just in greater (or lesser) density. For example, maybe you pump 1.5 ounces while sick instead of your normal 2 ounces while healthy. In actuality, both pumping sessions contain the same calories, fat and other nutrients.
If you are concerned about your supply though, as I was when I took Tamiflu for influenza a (a medication to lessen the severity of influenza symptoms with a side effect of temporarily reducing milk supply), there are certainly aids available for you. My recommendations are:
- Mother’s Milk Tea
- Motherlove Herb Supplement {More Milk}: A HUGE thank you to Motherlove who reached out after watching my Instagram Stories when I had influenza and sent me a package to help me through my time of sickness!
- Lactation Bites: I have a few recipes of my own, but my neighbor so graciously made these and dropped them on my doorstep while I was sick. The girls loved them as much as I did.
| 3 | Do make sure baby’s nose is clear.
Babies are naturally nose breathers. In the first few months of life, they may only have the ability to breathe through their nose, so keeping it clear is a MUST if that sweet babe of yours is going to be able to drink. Here are my favorite products for clearing nasal passages:
I know from experience that babies do not love having the snot sucked out of their little noses. I have to remind myself that their cries are temporary to make feeding easier and for them to feel better in general. It may be necessary to do this every hour or two while baby is sick, or before every feed. Start with the spray to loosen things up and then use the Nose Freda. Run the humidifier in any room you are in throughout the day and night.
Note: After taking Rush to the Emergency Room last week due to his spiked fever and wheezing after a strep throat diagnosis (read more here), the ER doctors confirmed (as all of our doctors have) that the Nose Freda is the BEST choice for at home treatment. Far better than the bulb syringe. Order one now to have it on hand if you don’t already own it!
| 4 | Do nurse on demand.
The more a baby feeds, the more milk you will produce. Keep that in mind while you are sick + maybe stressing over your supply.
If it is your baby that is sick, throw any sort of schedule you’ve fallen into out the window. I let Rush take the lead with feeds while we were both sick — some stretches were only an hour between feeds and others were several hours. I did encourage some feeds here and there if he was awake so that he would stay hydrated.
Note: If feeds start spacing out too far, be sure you are noting if baby is producing enough wet diapers in a 12-24 hour period. (approx. 6)
| 5 | Don’t be afraid to pump and feed and/or syringe.
If you are too sick to hold and nurse your baby, pump + have someone help by bottle feeding. If your baby is so sick that he or she is not nursing as often or for as long, pump + store. If baby is having a very difficult time latching or feeding in general, you may want to consider syringing small amounts of breast milk, frequently. This will help prevent dehydration in babies who cannot take a full feed or are not interested because they feel so crummy.
My most recent experience was that Rush was going longer stretches and feeding for less time so my breasts became very full. I had to return to pumping a few times a day just to stay comfortable + so my body wouldn’t start producing less as a result of the decrease in demand. Thankfully, I was able to freeze this extra milk + continue nursing him in small amounts until he became more interested in taking more once he started feeling better.
Breastfeeding can be demanding on its own. Throw in illness for mama and/or baby and it can be that much harder. Remind yourself, as I did, that it is temporary + do the best you can to manage the hard days and nights.
You’ve got this mama!
Healthy vibes to all of you –
XO