Flu and breastfeeding...I feel horrible!!

[gothmommy]

I think the creepy crud that Jhonen and I have is the flu. Lovely. Hes doing pretty well with it, as he sleeps most of the time. I, however, like a complete idiot went to work twice this week right when I was starting to feel the ick come on (I was told that I couldn't call off sick...grrr...and Im the militantly anti-going to work sick person!).

My supply seems to be slowing a bit, I would suspect for the obvious reasons of illness. I just wasn't sure if NyQuil is OK to take while bf. 3 of the 4 meds in it are also in the infant's cold remedies, but the one listed for the antihistamine isn't.
My last resort at about 2am after a 15-min cough-and-hack fest of my own was to just take a dose. It worked wonders and I got some sleep *yay* but tonight Im back to feeling like french fried crap on a stick.

ANy thoughts, ladies? Although if this *is* the flu, Im thrilled to be getting it out of the way now.

[dragonflybloo]

anything you do take will and does pass through your milk. when I felt crappy just a few weeks ago I did resort to some meds...just make sure you keep your fluid intake up...I also tried to take as few of the doses as possible.

[Janice in Canada]

re: Nyquil

I have taken it while nursing. I don't think it is recommended, though. Someone with a Hale's should check the ingrediants for you.

Are you co-sleeping? the main concern I could think of with Nyquil, is that it works *too* well. My dh and I take Nyquill as a kind of "sleeping pill" when our nerves are bad and we NEED to get to sleep. Again , not a recommended use. But as you know, it works.

so when co-sleeping and night nursing was really bugging (when dd was older than 2 years) I sometimes took Nyquill to calm me down and get a good nights sleep. But one would have to be very careful, because I remember being rather oblivious to baby. Which is okay with a restless 2 year old, but your baby is still quite small. So if you are co-sleeping or need to wake up to attend to baby, please be careful.

I have no idea of what affect it might have on supply. When I took it, I wouldn't take it more than 2 nights in a row.

IME,
Janice

[greenluv]

If I'm not mistaken, pseudoephedrin is a decongestant but I can't recall if Nyquil has it. At any rate, I seem to recall that decongestants can cause a drop in supply.

Pseudoephedrin scares me so I won't take it at all :

[bikruca]

I know that www.kellymom.com has a resource for finding which meds interfere with Breastfeeding, as well as a list of more natural ways to make yourself feel better.

I've been sick for a few days and finally got some OTC cough surup which I take after feeding the baby at the lower end of the dose and take lots and lots of fluids. The pharmisist and my doctor both said it is fine for me when BFing, however I have no supply isses (I have more than enough!) so I didn't ask about that.

I hope you start to feel better.

[gothmommy]

Originally Posted by Janice in Canada

Are you co-sleeping? the main concern I could think of with Nyquil, is that it works *too* well. My dh and I take Nyquill as a kind of "sleeping pill" when our nerves are bad and we NEED to get to sleep. Again , not a recommended use. But as you know, it works.

Yes, We co-sleep. I don't really have any problems getting into too deep of a sleep, unless I take Ambien (which I haven't taken since my 1st m/c 2 yrs ago). Like I said, the NyQuil was an absolute last resort (yes, it has pseudoephedrine in it...which can cause supply issues). If I knew for certain this was the flu, I'd have been hitting the oscillococcinum from the beginning.

[BlueStateMama]

No advice on the meds (I think I just took Tylenol for the fever and a hot water/lemon juice/honey concoction to soothe my throat) but I wanted to say I hope you feel better soon! I found nursing when I was feverish and EXHAUSTED with the flu last year worse than mastitis, clogged ducts, cracked nipples or anything else combined!

It's like "Here, kid, please, suck out the last remnants of my bodily fluid!!" Take care of yourself, get rest and drink your fluids - I hope it eases up and you get some relief soon!