What should I do if I catch a cold while breastfeeding? Can I still breastfeed if I catch a cold?

Mothers are tired from taking care of their children during breastfeeding, and they are prone to catching a cold due to frequent breastfeeding. So can you still breastfeed your child if you catch a cold during breastfeeding? What should you do if you catch a cold during breastfeeding? Let's take a look at the explanation below~

Can I breastfeed if I have a cold during breastfeeding?

Some breastfeeding mothers, for the sake of their baby's health, are too scared to breastfeed their babies if they catch a cold. So is a cold really that scary that it would cut off their baby's food supply?

In fact, you can continue to breastfeed if you catch a cold during breastfeeding. The most common symptoms of a cold for a breastfeeding mother are fever, sneezing, runny nose, cough, sore throat, etc. Generally speaking, cold viruses are not transmitted through breastfeeding, but through air droplets, so when the mother catches a cold, the environment where the baby lives has already been polluted. Breast milk will produce antibodies on its own, which helps the baby fight against diseases. But if a breastfeeding mother has symptoms of fever, she can stop breastfeeding for one or two days. Therefore, if a breastfeeding mother catches a cold, don't worry too much, just relax and breastfeed your baby.

What to do if you catch a cold while breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is a special period, so if the mother catches a cold during this period, the treatment will be different from usual, because what the mother eats is equal to what the baby eats, and a lot of what the mother eats will be absorbed into the breast milk. When mothers catch a cold, some of the cold medicine they take will also run into the breast milk, and the baby can easily ingest it indirectly when sucking breast milk, which can easily transmit the cold to the baby. So what should new mothers do if they catch a cold during breastfeeding?

1. Colds during lactation are not accompanied by high fever

If you catch a cold during breastfeeding, but not with a high fever, you need to drink plenty of water, eat a light and easily digestible diet, and take cold granules, Banlangen granules and other medicines. At the same time, it is best to have someone help take care of the child so that you can have more time to sleep and rest. You can breastfeed your child, but you can wear a mask when breastfeeding because you are too close to the child. Newborns have a certain immunity, so you don't have to worry too much about passing it on to your child and not daring to breastfeed.

2. Colds during lactation accompanied by high fever

If a cold is accompanied by a high fever, the mother cannot eat well and feels very uncomfortable. She should go to the hospital for treatment. The doctor will often give her an infusion and, if necessary, antibiotics that have little effect on breast milk. At the same time, she can still take drugs such as Banlangen and cold granules. During the high fever, breastfeeding can be suspended for 1 to 2 days. During the period of stopping feeding, breast milk should be sucked out frequently to maintain breastfeeding in the future. The mother herself should drink more water, fresh juice, eat a light and easily digestible diet, and have a good rest. In this way, she will often get better quickly.

3. Keep a happy mood

Many times, the baby is inseparable from the mother during breastfeeding, and even shows telepathic connection. The baby can sense if the mother is in a bad mood. Therefore, the mother should not be too anxious if she is sick. Relaxing and keeping a happy body and mind is best for the baby. Sometimes a good mood will cure the disease without treatment.

4. Medication principles: Don’t take Western medicine if you can take Chinese medicine

During a cold or other illness, mothers should remember not to take medicine on their own. If you really need to take medicine, then the principle to adhere to is to take Chinese medicine instead of Western medicine, take medicine instead of injection, and choose medicine with guaranteed quality. There are also some drugs that cannot be used, such as lactation inhibitors, anti-cancer drugs, antipsychotic drugs, anti-thyroid drugs, etc., which cannot be used during breastfeeding.

Precautions for feeding during lactation

Although generally speaking, mothers with colds during breastfeeding can still breastfeed their babies, for the health and safety of the baby, they should also pay attention to the following matters:

1. Wash your hands before feeding. You should wash your hands before feeding your baby. You should be more careful when you have a cold because breastfeeding mothers may sneeze or blow their noses, which will cause some cold viruses or other bacteria on their hands. They need to be washed thoroughly, otherwise they can easily be brought into the baby's stomach.

2. Don't cough or sneeze towards your baby. Viruses and bacteria can be transmitted to your baby, causing respiratory infections and other diseases. You can wear a mask when feeding your baby.

3. Drinking more boiled water will help you recover from a cold as soon as possible.

4. Drinking more chicken soup during breastfeeding can prevent colds. You can add a little pepper, ginger, etc. to the soup, which also has a certain effect on treating colds.

How to prevent colds during breastfeeding

When it comes to disease, prevention is better than cure. You can try the following methods to prevent colds during breastfeeding.

1. Maintain a regular life: This sounds difficult, because babies do not distinguish between day and night, and mothers often have to get up several times at night to feed their babies, so it is difficult for mothers to have a regular life. But no matter what, breastfeeding mothers must pay attention to proper rest. Long-term overwork can easily lead to other diseases.

2. Balanced nutrition: The breastfeeding mother is very weak because she has just given birth and has not fully recovered. She needs to supplement her baby with breast milk, so she needs to supplement various nutrients. In terms of nutritional supplementation, it is necessary to balance it to ensure the high quality of breast milk.

3. Moderate exercise: Moderate exercise can enhance mothers’ immunity and make them more energetic.

4. Keep a happy mood.

5. Minimize contact with patients.