can an ear infection affect their nursing?

[omelette]

I had another thread about whether I was having supply issues or not b/c my little guy has been tugging and fussy at the breast.
Well, we were at our docs today and both his ears are slightly infected. Now I'm wondering if this could be the issue. Would sucking bother his ears if their tender?
Ugh, I just want to be over all the sickness and have my little guy back on track and happily nursing away.

[PatioGardener]

Yes - an ear infection can even cause a nursing strike. Try nursing with baby in an upright position (maybe sitting on your knee facing you?) to see if that helps. to you and baby!

[haydn'smommy]

yep. with an ear infection, it hurts to suck. try the more upright position, but also if they gave you ear drops for pain, use them before feedings. if they didn't give you any, call and ask for them. my little man has had 2 ear infections so far and those things are what saved our bfing.

[kbins]

yes! DD was slowing way down on nursing, super fussy and pulling off. I started to think it might be reflux. When she went in for her 4 mo well check, turns out she had a double ear infection. After a couple days on antibiotics (which were their own challenge to administer, she hated the taste and gagged and threw up, which led to more weight loss), she started feeling better and started eating with a vengeance. Unfortunately my supply had already been diminished in that one week of being 'off'. I've had to go through my freezer stash and work like crazy to get built back up to where she's got enough to eat without my giving her bottles of BM.

I don't throw antibiotics at my kids as a rule, but we just haven't had great luck with EI's if we don't use them. (Three kids have had to have tubes after recurrent EI's, chronic fluid, burst eardrums etc.)