Treatment of colds in nursing mothers

Features of the course of a cold during hepatitis B

ARVI is a disease that every person has to deal with from time to time. It causes a lot of inconvenience:

• stuffy nose;
• severe sore throat;
• accumulation of harmful components in the body;
• constant weakness, turning into malaise.

Transmission of infection occurs through the air. To do this, it is enough to stand with the person who sneezed. It is important to protect yourself when communicating with people during the spread of the disease.

Colds during breastfeeding require proper treatment

Folk remedies for colds during breastfeeding

Drops, powders and tablets for colds during breastfeeding are far from the only ways to alleviate the condition. It is quite possible to get by with safe but effective folk remedies. Here are some options:

• A warm water-salt solution will help prevent nasal congestion;
• Compresses and rubbing with vinegar or alcohol diluted in water will help reduce the temperature;
• You can relieve coughing by inhaling steam from eucalyptus, sage, oak bark, and potato peelings;
• when there is heaviness in the trachea and bronchi, compresses made from heated sea salt, warm paraffin or ozokerite, cabbage leaves with honey help well.

If your baby is not allergic to honey and ginger, they should be added to your warm drink. And then you just have to wait. It will not be possible to cure a cold while breastfeeding in a couple of days, but within a week this unpleasant condition will leave you without a trace.

Breastfeeding with a cold

The baby should receive all the vitamins and minerals necessary for development. Breastfeeding during a cold is allowed because it currently produces a large number of antibodies.

A viral infection is characterized by an incubation period that lasts from one to three days. A cold during breastfeeding does not immediately begin to develop symptoms. During this period, harmful bacteria have already reached the baby, since the mother is regularly in contact with him. The situation is even beneficial, as it promotes the production of antibodies and strengthens the immune system.

A nursing mother should not stop feeding. Antibodies are produced in the mother’s body and help eliminate the infection in the future. Otherwise, as the baby grows older, it will take longer than usual to recover from infection.

Nursing mothers are allowed to drink only those drugs that cannot negatively affect the quality of breast milk. Otherwise, it is advisable to give the baby an artificial food option. Additionally, women are advised to pump regularly. In this case, it will be possible to maintain lactation after the end of the illness. If the mother has frozen milk, then it is allowed to use it during this period. During the period of severe disease infection, it can be used as the main source of nutrition.

Raspberry tea - a folk remedy against cold symptoms

Colds while breastfeeding

A cold during breastfeeding in a mother requires immediate contact with an experienced doctor. Treatment of the disease in most cases will require medication. But lactation is not a reason to stop taking medications, since the vast majority of modern medications pass into breast milk in small quantities. If necessary, you can always choose alternative products that are compatible with breastfeeding. A cold for a nursing mother is a kind of training for her baby’s immunity, increasing his adaptive capabilities.

If you follow the rules of personal hygiene and simple preventive measures, there is a minimal risk that the child will get sick. You can protect your baby from encountering the virus if the mother and other family members:

• wear a mask (preferably disposable, change it every 2 hours);
• Wash your hands with soap before picking up your baby. The discharge of mucus from the nose requires constant “blowing your nose”, such precaution significantly reduces the risk of infection of the baby;
• Regularly ventilate the room and carry out wet cleaning of the apartment (especially the children's room).

Despite poor health, the mother needs to continue breastfeeding. Refusal to latch on to the breast deprives the baby of protective antibodies that she can share with him if she continues to feed. Antibodies borrowed from the mother will help the baby resist the virus and prevent the development of complications. In the first days of a cold, when a woman is weak from fever, an endless runny nose and an annoying cough, she will need the help of loved ones, since in this state she simply will not be able to provide full care for the baby.

Sometimes it is very difficult to prevent the addition of a bacterial infection, as a result of which a nursing mother needs to be prescribed antibiotics to treat a cold. But here, too, there is no need to completely abandon breastfeeding, since the doctor, knowing that the child is breastfed, will be able to select the appropriate medications. In order to prevent dysbiosis in a child, if bacterial therapy is necessary in the mother, it is recommended to take probiotics. If it is impossible to combine breastfeeding and treatment with aggressive medications, then a temporary refusal to breastfeed will be required. At the same time, the mother must constantly pump to maintain lactation.

Principles of treatment of colds

It is allowed to eliminate the disease yourself only if it is in a mild form. A nursing mother should immediately consult a doctor if there is no improvement within three days.

We recommend reading: What can a nursing mother do for fever?

It is imperative to call a doctor if a woman cannot lower her temperature on her own. When taking antibiotics, be sure to check their compatibility with feeding, because it is transmitted through breast milk.

It is important to moisturize the nasal mucosa not only for yourself, but also for the baby. Antibodies are contained in mucus, but completely disappear from it if it dries out. A woman should drink plenty of fluids. It helps improve the condition and prevents intoxication.

You should take medications that lower your temperature. Their reception is allowed if the thermometer shows over 38 degrees. Otherwise they will be of no use. The body is able to independently fight viruses at the first stage of infection.

The medicine should be taken in the dosage prescribed by the attending physician. Otherwise, the risk of harm to the child’s body increases. An overdose is dangerous, so you must carefully read the instructions before use.

Treatment rules

At the first sign of ARVI, a nursing mother should immediately consult a doctor.

In order not to harm the baby and maintain breastfeeding, you must consider the following recommendations:

• do not self-medicate, but consult a doctor;
• warn the doctor about the current lactation period for the correct choice of medications;
• carefully read the instructions for the drug before starting treatment;
• Do not exceed or reduce the dosage prescribed by your doctor.

Acceptable medicinal products

A nursing mother can use the following medications without consulting a doctor:

• Paracetamol helps to quickly overcome cold symptoms.
• To eliminate swelling of the nasal canal, you should use drops made on the basis of sea salt.
• Ambroxol and Lazolvan can also be used.
• If a woman has severe nasal congestion, then Farmazolin, Tizin and Nazolin can be used.
• Pinosol is a drug made from herbs. It has shown an excellent effect in combating inflammation of the nasal mucosa.

What medications should never be used:

• All products that contain bromhexine.
• Arbidol and Remantadine lead to disruption of the gastrointestinal tract. These components quite often lead to allergies in a fragile child’s body.
• The likelihood of allergies increases when taking Immunal and Aflubin. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid drugs during breastfeeding.
• To date, no data have been obtained on the effects of Fervex, Theraflu and Coldrex on the baby’s body.

Lazolvan can be taken only after consulting a doctor

What to do if you have a cold during breastfeeding: permitted and prohibited medications

Sick mothers are often at a loss: what to treat, what medications can be taken for a cold so as not to harm the child. Let's figure out what medications are generally prescribed for this condition:

• antipyretic. Young mothers can do everything except aspirin. The latter, even if it gets into milk in small quantities, can cause damage to the baby’s liver. Other medications are safe for infants;
• antiviral. There are dozens of their names. Some of these cold medicines cannot be taken while breastfeeding, others are not recommended, and others are considered permitted. We advise you to carefully study the instructions for the drug. If breastfeeding is indicated as a direct contraindication or it is noted that no studies have been conducted in this direction, it is better to look for another medicine;
• antibacterial: they are prescribed only in cases where a bacterial infection has joined the virus. Despite the fact that today products from this group have been developed that are safe for a nursing mother and baby, taking antibiotics for a cold while breastfeeding is strictly prohibited without a doctor’s prescription.

The best option, if your health allows, is to do without medications. A balanced diet, plenty of warm drinks, sufficiently humidified air and proper rest - this is what will help you overcome a cold in the shortest possible time.

ethnoscience

During a cold, it is best to be treated with drugs that were made on the basis of medicinal herbs. Folk remedies will help mommy overcome the symptoms and will not negatively affect the child’s condition. To do this, it is important to first consult with your doctor and assess the risks of the procedure.

You can cure a cold by using the following effective remedies:

• There are a large number of receptors on the human feet. When you have a cold, it is recommended to take regular baths for them. Additionally, a woman should ensure that they are constantly warm. To do this, you need to use warm socks or baths.
• For quick recovery, a woman should get plenty of rest and sleep well. In this case, it will be possible to minimize the likelihood of complications.
• Tea with raspberries or lemon has a positive effect on the body. Additionally, it is recommended to include cranberry juice in your diet. These drinks are allowed to be drunk only if you are sure that you are not allergic to them.

Preventive actions

During the postpartum period, every woman experiences a decrease in the level of immunity. In order to avoid infection, you should follow these simple rules:

• avoid visiting crowded places;
• visiting the hospital only on Healthy Child Days;
• minimize the likelihood of hypothermia;
• make sure that the house or apartment has normal air temperature and humidity;
• normalize sleep and rest patterns.

These simple rules will allow mommy to maintain her health and not get sick even during an epidemic. If a woman feels the first symptoms, then she needs to rest more and wear a special bandage. In this case, it will be possible to avoid infecting the baby.

If you have a cold, you should not stop breastfeeding

Reviews

Lyubov, 35 years old Unfortunately, my baby was only two months old when my temperature increased greatly. During this period, it is unacceptable to use medications. I drank raspberry tea several times a day. Within two days the temperature subsided and I felt good again.

Margarita, 23 years old While breastfeeding, the doctor prescribed Ambroxol to me. I doubted for a long time whether it was worth taking it (I was very afraid of harming the child). However, the pediatrician assured me of the need. In just three days my health improved. The baby had no allergies.