Breastfeeding When Mom's Sick

I had a number of little colds in the first year of Kai's life.  Those never really interfered with nursing though.  I mean yeah I was dripping snot and just wanted to sleep and eat Tylenol for dessert, but not biggie.  The biggest problem with having a cold is if you have sinus congestion.  Sudafed can't be taken while nursing because it can decrease your milk supply.  I did take a half dose here or there when I was miserably desperate, but for the most part just toughed it out.

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The time breastfeeding was a huge challenge came this Thanksgiving.  I got the mother of all stomach bugs.  It came on overnight around midnight and I spent the next 8 hours throwing up every hour.  Thankfully by this time, Kai was only  nursing in the afternoon when I got home from work and occasionally in the morning so it wasn't like I had to try not to throw up  while nursing him every two hours.

I was so incredibly thankful to be breastfeeding him still at this point since he was 18 months old.  I knew that this more than anything was the one thing that could keep him from getting this stomach virus.  And it did.  I actually encouraged him to nurse more than the normal 1-2 times a day and stopped doing don't offer, don't refuse and would remind him to nurse.

Those antibodies are amazing things.  Nearly my entire extended family got this bug since we were all together at Thanksgiving.  Mr. Destructo got it and my sister who keeps Kai two days a week both got it.  And yet Kai didn't catch it.  He also didn't catch the stomach bug I got days before Christmas.  I was so very thankful that such a simple and totally natural act could keep my baby so healthy.  I also was glad that I decided to extended breastfeed him at this point.

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