freezing in case of H1N1?

[veedeepee]

I'm concerned about the H1N1 flu this year (a.k.a. swine flu). I work at a university (college students are already getting H1N1 here), and my husband works in a high school. I think that puts us both "in the line of fire".

I think I might try to have about 5-6 days worth of milk in the freezer just in case. Right now, they seem to be saying that it's ok to nurse while taking antiviral drugs, but that makes me a little nervous. I'm also concerned that if I get really sick I might not be able to make enough milk.

Anyone else planning a freezer stash in case they get sick? It would be awful to be really sick, be worried about the baby being/getting sick, AND to be worried about not having enough milk...

[phrogger]

No for a couple of reasons. My two boys have the flu right now, and it is not bad at all. If this is what the majority of people are going to deal with, well then you have nothing to worry about. However, if I were to get it, even if it were more severe, 1. I wouldn't take antivirals unless it were bad enough for me to be hospitalized. I have some BM already, but not 5 days worth. If I am that sick, I probably wouldn't care if he got some formula. 2. If I just felt like crud but still was home, I would want him nursing constantly to get the antibodies I was currently making against that particular virus. BM from a previous time when I wasn't sick isn't going to have the stuff in it that he needs at that moment to not get sick, or at least not be as sick.

[Still_Learning]

I'm going to start pumping once per day in hopes of getting a few days stash for emergency. I would nurse baby if at all possible, but if not... it would just be nice knowing the milk is there in case.

[kriket]

are you wanting to freeze because you will be wiped out if you're sick or because of the drugs? I hadn't heard that you can't nurse on the antiviral drugs.

[veedeepee]

Originally Posted by phrogger

I would want him nursing constantly to get the antibodies I was currently making against that particular virus. BM from a previous time when I wasn't sick isn't going to have the stuff in it that he needs at that moment to not get sick, or at least not be as sick.

I was thinking about that, too (after my previous post). I think I would only use frozen milk if my supply got low while I was sick. I would nurse as much as possible, but would want the backup milk in case he was still hungry. A friend of mine had mono while she was nursing, and she said she just couldn't make much milk at that time (and this is someone who never had supply issues).

I don't think I would take antivirals unless I was SUPER sick. I had the seasonal flu a couple of winters ago and took Tamiflu - it made me feel seriously woozy and weird. I'm more concerned about the supply issue than the antivirals...

[phrogger]

I think you would only have to worry about supply if you got dehydrated. Keep up the fluids. I got the seasonal flu when I was nursing my first and it did nothing to my supply, I just felt miserable. But it wouldn't hurt to have a back up just to have extra, I just would want to nurse as much as possible.

Also, the only time I can keep my baby happy and content to just lay with me is if i am nursing. Selfishly I would want to do it to get my own rest

[Heba]

I've had flu too while nursing - I felt sicker than I have ever felt in my life, but my supply was fine. Also, babe got the antibodies - as he was still very small then I was terrified of him getting the flu (having read how serious it could be for babies), but although he did get it, he was the least ill of all of us. So I would definitely go with "current" breastmilk - whether direct from source or expressed - as long as possible. Personally though I would prefer frozen milk to formula if necessary, so although it's unlikely that your supply would drop too much if it's easy enough to build up a small stash, it may be worth it for peace of mind.

Wrt the anti-virals, both the US CDC and the UK DoH advise breastfeeding women that breastfeeding should continue if antivirals are deemed necessary. Dr Hale classifies Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) as L2 and Zanamivir (Relenza) as L3.

Oh, one thing which could affect supply is some decongestants containing pseudoephedrine. Phenylephrine on the other hand has not been found to affect supply.