If im sick and I am breastfeeding my five month old could he have the same thing i do. I think his allergies may be acting up and his eye has been red with a cough and congested and his cry sounds raspy, he doesnt have a fever. But my throat is sore. Dont know, first time sick with baby.. I DO HAVE a Pedi Apt set up already for soonest avalible in the Morning. I am just asking to ease my own mind until then, and if there is anything i really can do to make it through the night, and by no means will i ever put my babys health in danger, and i know that B Milk is the best for a sick baby,
If the baby has a cough and he is raspy I would take him in, when my son was two months he had a really bad cough and was raspy and his breathing wasnt very well we had to take him to the er which he had bronchitis, but as everyone else said keep continuing breastfeeding, but still go to the pediatrician.
If you are sick, baby is going to get your germs regardless, even if you aren't breastfeeding. You are most likely contagious a few days before you really feel sick, and it is really hard not to spread germs when caring for a new baby. So baby already has your sick germs. The very best thing you can do is KEEP breastfeeding, your b.m. will have antibodies in it to help baby fight it off faster. The only reason not to breastfeed while you are sick is if a doctor tells you not to for some reason.
If he starts showing symptoms of being really sick, call your pediatrician and talk to the advice nurse about when to take him in and what to watch for. Hope you both feel better soon!
The good news is that babies don't normally get throat infections. There is something about the size of their tonsils that keeps them safe from strep infections. He could have a cold or allergies...and hopefully you don't have anything more than a bad cold.
Use saline and a bulb syringe a couple of times a day to clear his boogers. Steam up the shower a couple of times a day to loosen the congestion.
Call the doctor's office in the morning, talk to/leave a message for the nurse and ask if they want you to bring him in...or if he develops a fever at what temperature they want to see you. If he has never been sick before, they may want to see him before giving a recommendation for Tylenol or Motrin dosing.
Keep yourself WELL hydrated with water, non-caffeinated teas with honey--I like peppermint, eat easy to digest things (chicken soup/broth, yogurt, crackers, applesauce).
Continuing to breastfeed is the best thing for your baby right now. It can be taxing on your system. Be aware that OTC cold medications can adversely affect your milk supply. Antihistamines can dry you up.
I still remember the first time my baby and I were sick at the same time. We had a stomach virus...I was on the commode, barfing in the toilet while the baby barfed on me...lol.
My middle daughter recently had a horrible case of stomach flu ( which she proceeded to share with her Dad and myself!!! Thanks honey!!!) Her Son is also 5 months old and breastfeeding. He came through the entire incident with flying colors...in fact he was the only one who didn't get sick!! Breastmilk delivers great antibodies to your baby and there is research that shows that it changes as you are exposed to things, to protect him from those very things. Just keep on breastfeeding and do what my daughter did, just take that baby to bed with you and both of you sleep your way through this!!!
Good luck
Definitely keep breastfeeding. Monitor baby's temp and hydration (skin test). If you are very dehydrated baby can get dehydrated. Talk to Pediatrician asap. Just a tip- if babys eye is red try squirting a bit of breastmilk in it. My CNM taught me that and its worked twice for my daughter. BTW there are very few illnesses that a mother can have that would warrant a discontinuation of breastfeeding mainly an active Hep C or HIV.
What you do need to be careful of are the over the counter medications you are taking. Try to use the single ingredient short acting formulas and avoid phenol and hexylresorcinols (like vicks chloraseptic).
Your supply may decrease but it will come back so keep on with it unless your doctor says no.
I was sick while nursing my son as well and the nurse i talked to told me he could not get what i have, i was worried about that to. she said the shots hes received protects him from that.
It's very possible that if you have a cold, he caught it too. It's not from breastfeeding, it's just from being close to him. It's not your "fault" or anything. My daughter just got over a really wicked wicked cold. She had a fever, raspy cry, cough, runny nose, the whole nine yards. I called the nurse (whom I adore) and she said it's just junk going around right now. You're doing the right thing by nursing him while he (and you) are sick and calling the doctor. It sounds like you're a first time mom, right? I can vividly remember the first time my daughter got sick. I was convinced she was dying. LOL! I remember how very real the fear was. I just kept calling the ped's office till they got me in. I'm sure your guy will be just fine. Nurse, nurse, nurse, nurse, nurse him! Hopefully you both feel better soon :)
Just nurse and know he's getting awesome antibodies and comfort and fluid.
He will probably not get what you have as badly as you have it. We just got through colds at our house with a 2 year old and 6 month old. Have your ped check his lungs and ears if you want, but my general rule is if they are happy and eating and having wet diapers then there's no reason to take them in and expose them to more germs!
It's pretty rare that you will have a serious infection with a baby doing all of the above!
Good luck. Hope you guys feel better soon!
