Sick & breast feeding. Is baby at risk?

[October2013]

Hey girls.

I woke up today feeling under the weather. Back ache, chills & warm, fatigue, slight headache... Ironically it's exactly a week after receiving my flu shot, which I've never had one before, but I can't say for sure if that's related.

Anyways, I'm concerned that if I'm contagious, my baby will catch my sickness. Is there anyway I can prevent her from catching it from me? I'm breast feeding and I'm the only person available to take care of her all day.

Please help! I'm really worried.

Thanks girls.

 

[DianaB]

The best way to keep her from catching something you have is to breastfeed her your breast milk will contain antibodies to whatever it is your coming down with. My daughter never caught any of the many colds I caught during her first year of life.

 

[Katteh]

They receive antibodies from your milk if you're ill so hopefully that will stop her getting ill.

Do you have any pain anywhere? could you have an infection from her birth? X

 

[moomin_troll]

I was very ill while breastfeedin and Corey was perfect. Didn't catch the bug.
Makes breast feeding a chore as all I wanted to do with sleep and he wasn't goin to let me lol

 

[October2013]

Do you have any pain anywhere? could you have an infection from her birth? X

This actually crossed my mind. I'm still extremely sore from where I tore giving birth to her.
*Sorry TMI*And now my urethra/ pee hole area is so sore it feels bruised and hurts to pee. There's an odor "down there" too but I've had it since after birth and at the hospital the nurse said it was a normal smell.

 

[Katteh]

Perhaps try and see a doctor (sooner rather than later), that way you can rule it out at least x

 

[chulie]

I would say be very careful because you did just have a baby and you don't want to confuse infection with a cold. Please be careful! But yes. As everyone said your antibodies from your milk will keep him from getting sick!!! Nurse away!

 

[summer rain]

We all had a horrendous vomiting bug the past few days and my youngest who is almost 5 months did catch it and projectile vomited several times over a 24 hour period, which was scary. However he then got better very quickly while the rest of us are still feeling under the weather, he didn't develop diarrhoea when diarrhoea almost always is a part of the package with this type of illness and he didn't have to go to hospital or have any extra fluids other than breastmilk. Judging by how badly this illness affected the bigger people in our household, including me, I think had youngest DS not been breastfed he would have been a lot more poorly and ended up hospitalised . Also my toddler who is still BF about once a day only threw up once and was completely ok after that so I think the breastmilk helped him too xx

 

[Zephram]

I am actually sick right now with a really bad virus. I've been sick since Thursday last week, nearly a week! I've had a horrible sore throat, runny nose, cough - the works. I've been worried LO will catch it from me. And guess what? Nothing. Apart from teething he is absolutely fine. I thought he was getting sick on the weekend but he just seemed a little more tired for a day or two and the illness never eventuated. It has been this way every time I have caught a cold since he was born. He hasn't got it or has had a very short, minor case. Unfortunately not the other way around! He has infected me a couple of times with a nasty one, haha. So breastfeeding is LO's best protection against a virus.

I agree with what the other ladies say though, best to see your doctor to make sure it's not an infection from the birth.

 

[Livebythesea]

My LO is 2 months old and caught my sickness (headache, fever, chills, body aches). It is very serous and LO had two spinal taps to rule out meningitis.

I would pump and have OH feed baby, if you can. It was HoRRIBLe and scary to deal with spinal taps, catheter to get his urine for sample. Try not to touch your nose, eyes, lips and then touch baby. No kissing.

Ugh hope your LO doesn't catch it.

 

[summer rain]

A baby if they are going to get an illness will get it from being in close proximity with you, not breastfeeding. Pumping and getting someone else to feed isn't guaranteed to help but it may damage supply especially with a baby as young as OP's. Xx

 

[meli1981]

Youll actually pass your antibodies to baby, so even if baby gets sick, theyll get over it quicker