when you begin feeling sick?

[hildare]

Hi, mamas..
(I feel like I post a ? here every other day!)
When you start feeling sick, what do you do?
Normally, when I am not breastfeeding, I eat a bunch of garlic and take goldenseal, which works like gangbusters...
but I'm scared to do those things while bf...
Is there anything that is considered safe to ward off a cold? And, heaven forbid, if it actually turns into a sickness, other than tylenol, are there any good remedies? I like the natural stuff, if possible..

thanks mamas.

[boobs4milk]

i d k but here's the link to hale's. feel better!
http://neonatal.ttuhsc.edu/cgi-bin/d...s&access=guest

[CheriK]

Hale's isn't the best resource for herbal/natural remedies, as there is little research about passage into breastmilk and most of what is known is anecdotal. Nursing Mother's Herbal is a great resource. Some of the info is available online at:
http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVJunJul98p43.html
http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/index.html
http://archfami.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/7/6/523

What do I do? I try to get as much sleep as possible (time to call in all the help you can to let you get more rest). I drink tons of fluids, especially containing vitamin C. Lots of tea with honey and lemon. I use my neti pot several times a day and gargle with salt water.

Garlic is considered safe for nursing mothers. Goldenseal is questionable.

There are no medications that "treat" a cold, so OTC meds aren't particularly great for colds whether or not you're nursing. Ibuprofen is considered one of the safest meds for nursing moms, so you can use that for aches/pains and fever. Be careful w/ decongestants, as some can affect milk supply (Hale's has a lot of info about these). Drink lots of fluids. kellymom.com has info bout natural remedies for colds while nursing, too.

Keep nursing, so your baby gets the antibodies you're making!

[jecombs]

Neti pots are awesome! If you feel comfortable with it, you might mix a little BM into your Neti solution. I mean, it is anti-viral and anti-bacterial! If I can't Neti, I also try to use saline nasal spray several times a day. Running a humidifier at night in my bedroom also helps keep everything moisturized. Basically, I do everything for myself that I would normally do for my baby if he/she was getting a cold.

[CheriK]

Originally Posted by jecombs

Neti pots are awesome! If you feel comfortable with it, you might mix a little BM into your Neti solution. I mean, it is anti-viral and anti-bacterial!

Oh, I forgot! If I do get a cold, I use breast milk wherever it seems needed - nasally for a stuffy nose or sinuses, eyes for pinkeye, ears for ear infections. It's a little hard to squirt it onto yourself, so I express a little into a small dish and use an eye dropper. I had ONE eye infection in between DS weaning and my body starting to make colostrum while PG w/ DD#2, and I decided that I just would have to be lactating forever, because BM is the BEST treatment for such things!