Should breastfeeding continue when mom is sick
I saw a question on a message board where a mother with the flu asked if it was still safe to nurse her child, fearing that she’d pass on whatever illness she had to him.
Last winter, when Sam was still nursing regularly, I became ill with a stomach virus on two separate occasions. The first time I got it first and he didn’t get sick at all. At the time I attributed it to him receiving my anti-bodies through my breastmilk. I figured he was better able to fight the virus because he was nursing full time. The second time I got a virus he got it first and passed it to me. I definitely got the worst of it. He woke up in the middle of the night vomiting. He vomited three or four times then he was done. I wasn’t so lucky. I was ill for days starting the morning after he was sick, but he stayed well hydrated and calm because he was able to nurse. Again, I felt that he benefited from the breastmilk. If he’d been on formula he may not have fared so well.
Here’s what Kellymom has to say:
The best thing you can do for your baby when you’re sick is to continue to breastfeed. When you have a contagious illness such as a cold, flu, or other mild virus, your baby was exposed to the illness before you even knew you were sick. Your milk will not transmit your illness to baby, but it does have antibodies in it that are specific to your illness (plus anything else you or baby have been exposed to) - they’ll help prevent baby from getting sick, or if he does get sick, he’ll probably not be as sick as you.
Withholding your breastmilk during an illness increases the possibility that baby will get sick, and deprives baby of the comfort and superior nutrition of nursing.
You can also take measures to prevent baby from getting sick by doing the usual things to prevent the spread of illness: washing hands often, avoid sneezing/coughing on baby, limiting face-to-face contact, etc .
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