Breastfeeding and fever

M

mintycat

Registered User
I have a slight fever of 38.1 degrees. I have not got any cold symptoms yet but my older DD also has a fever and runny nose. I am not sure if what I have is the onset of a cold or what. I took panadol and I am afraid to pass it onto my one month old daugther. I wear a mask and wash my hands frequently. Is it easy for one month old to get a cold?

Also, my breasts and nipples feel very sensitive and I have shooting pains in my breasts sometimes. I had thrush a while back but could this fever be related to mastisis? My LC is not in HK now, so hopefully Sarah can get back to me. My breasts are a little hard but not hot to the touch.

Looking forward to your advise.
 
don't worry, if you have been exposed to something, your body makes anti-bodies to it... if your daughter has now been exposed, you pass those anti-bodies onto her too! it is unlikely she'll get sick. keep in mind that young babies often sneeze more than an average adult. that's completely normal and does not mean that they are getting a cold!

i, too, was sick this past week with a fever. my son has now been battling it for the past 3 days (fever up and down). my 5 month old daughter, who's been exposed to both of us is fine.

there's not even any need to wear a mask.... if she's going to get it, she's going to get it. and those masks are fairly useless anyway!
 
Thanks, carang. That's reassuring to know. I know that if I am sick, I will pass my antibodies to her so I am nursing her very frequently now. My breasts are still painful in between feeds, but it feels less so after nursing.

Panadol will not affect the baby right? I consulted kellymom.com and it says ok but didn't say how many tablets to take. I took 2 panadol (regular).
 
If you start developing flu symptoms (feel achy all over, have a fever, break out into sweats etc) it will most likely be mastitis. I just had it and it's hell. I had it with my first baby too and almost had to be admitted to hospital it was so bad. The minute you start feeling flu symptoms you should get yourself to a doctor so you can get antibiotics. Apparently babies don't like the taste of the milk when you have mastitis so dealing with it early is important. The antibiotics take care of it really quickly. I didn't have thrush before i got mastitis but i did have cracked nipples. With the mastitis the docter prescribed nurofen and antibiotics.
Rest, rest, rest and continue to breastfeed as much as possible.
 
Dear Mintycat,

When a breastfeeding mother becomes ill she immediately starts to produce antibodies for the illness in order to fight it. These antibodies are produced in large numbers in the milk and this is the reason that the babies often don?t get the illness because the antibodies manage to get rid of it before the baby gets any symptoms.

Your symptoms of fever, flu like aches and painful breasts does sound more like mastitis, especially if you don?t have any cough or runny nose.

The best treatment for mastitis is heat pads on the breasts before feeding, feed every one and a half to two hours and rest. Also try changing positions.

There is a web page from the LLLI web site called My breast hurts. What can I do?, http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/mastitis.html

There is a second article that goes into more depth called Mastitis--Plugged Ducts and Breast Infections, http://www.lalecheleague.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVMarApr93p19.html
(This article is written for LLL Leaders to help mothers and so goes into the
more uncommon situations as well as the usual ones.)

If you are not feeling better in 24 hours visit your doctor.

Both Panadol and Nurofen have a lactation risk of L1 = safest.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
Thanks for all your replies. I have no more fever now but I still have toe curling pain while nursing and on my right breast where there are more plugged ducts, my LO screams and grunts in frustration. I am beginning to dread the nursing session although I know frequent nursing will help remedy the plugged ducts.

She nurses only on one side each time, every 2-3 hours, so should I pump the other breast to empty it?
 
Dear Mintycat,

I am not in Hong Kong at the moment and so not able to get to a computer everyday, hence the late reply.

If you are having pain when you are breastfeeding it is important to speak with someone who understands breastfeeding an how to help with lactation problems. Please contact either a lactation consultant or a LLL leader. The leader in Hong Kong at the moment is Maggie at 2817-7475.

Usually it is possible to have a good idea of what the problem is by how you describe the pain and when during the feed you feel the worse part of the pain.

The small amount of information you have given so far could be one of a number of problems. One of the biggest problems when answering e-mail help calls is the lack of information ? this is the reason I?m suggesting that you actually speak with Maggie.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
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