Treatment of colds is not difficult, unless we talk about women feeding their children with breast milk. Lactation is a unique and difficult process. Treatment of acute respiratory viral infections during this period consists of correctly choosing alternative and pharmaceutical drugs that do not have a negative effect on the baby. In this article we will study how to treat ARVI while breastfeeding.

All mothers experience increased pressure on their lungs due to lactation. Therefore, women are vulnerable to airborne infections. ARVI is not considered a dangerous disease, but the disease can harm a baby.

The course of the disease in breastfeeding mothers can be divided into 3 periods:

1. The penetration of the virus into the body or the incubation period, which can last about two days. Afterwards a fever appears, a runny nose, and the throat tissue becomes inflamed.
2. The body's response. This period begins 3 days after the first signs of the disease appear. The production of interferons that resist infection is activated.
3. Recovery. Comes individually. Usually the stage begins 6-9 days from the onset of the disease. If the symptoms do not disappear, then the development of complications is possible.

If symptoms of the disease occur, a nursing woman should immediately visit a doctor.

Risk of infection for breastfeeding mothers

ARVI is a disease in which adenoviruses or pathogens enter the body. The nasal mucosa begins to swell, becomes inflamed, there is fever and deterioration in well-being. The woman feels bad.

Taking synthetic and herbal drugs can speed up the healing process. But this is not enough to avoid infecting a child.

Attention! If a mother who is breastfeeding is infected with the virus, then there is a risk of infecting the baby. It is necessary to protect the child from infection by any means.

Baby protection

How to treat acute respiratory infections while breastfeeding and how to prevent the virus from infecting the baby - questions that an experienced doctor can answer. The first is compliance with simple conditions:

1. Do not interrupt feeding. This is necessary because immunoglobulins, which are responsible for the formation of immunity in the baby, are supplied to the baby with milk. These same components prevent viruses from infecting babies.
2. Hand washing. Viruses do not only spread through airborne droplets. Microparticles from mucous membranes can get onto the palms through sanitary napkins.
3. Wear a protective mask. A nursing mother, if she is sick, should wear a gauze or cellulose face covering to minimize the amount of virus that enters the space.

Important! To reduce the risk of a child's illness, the mother should ask loved ones for help in caring for the child. This way she will have less contact with him.

Following simple rules will protect the baby and maintain lactation. The main thing is not to self-medicate, but to seek help from specialists.

Is it possible to feed a baby breast milk if the mother is sick?

Mother's milk represents the most powerful medicine of all for the baby. There are some rules for how a sick nursing woman should behave:

1. You cannot express milk. It loses its valuable qualities. The baby should be fed under normal conditions.
2. You cannot boil milk - it loses nutrients and healing qualities.

Together with nutrition from the mother, the baby receives antibodies, which enable the little person to overcome the cold.

Methods of therapy for lactation

The treatment method for ARVI during breastfeeding in women should be selected by the doctor individually. To speed up the recovery process, a sick mother should adhere to the following recommendations:

1. Maintaining bed rest. A calm environment and rest are prerequisites for a speedy recovery, regardless of how severe the disease is.
2. Drinking enough water. Drinking plenty of fluids helps to naturally cleanse the body. By following this simple rule, you can effectively combat fever. It is preferable to drink hot tea, decoctions of fruits or berries, which contain a lot of vitamin C.
3. Proper diet. During illness, appetite often disappears. Therefore, you need to eat when you want - there is no need to force yourself. You can eat light foods, such as chicken broth.

If the disease progresses, the woman’s condition worsens, medications are prescribed, including antibiotics.

Medicines for nursing mothers

Compliance with the above rules will help you quickly cope with the disease. It is sometimes impossible to cure ARVI without taking medications. Below are pharmaceutical options that can help you achieve a speedy recovery.

Antiviral agents

Today there is a wide variety available that can be purchased in regular pharmacies. The assortment puts a person in a difficult situation - which drug to choose. It is impossible to treat ARVI in a nursing mother using Arbidol, Remantadine and Ribavirin due to the likelihood of disturbances in the development of the child.

The use of "Anaferon" and "Aflubin" does not give a positive effect - such drugs belong to the group of homeopathic drugs.

The best option would be products with alpha interferon - “Viferon” and “Grippferon”. The dosage and frequency of administration are determined by the attending physician.

Antipyretics

Medicines to reduce fever should only be used if the thermometer reading exceeds 38 degrees. During lactation, you should drink antipyretics containing paracetamol as an active ingredient.

Remedies for sore throat

Inflammation of oral tissues should be treated with agents intended for local action. The most harmless method is solutions used for rinsing and containing antiseptic components. You can use Chlorhexidine, Hexoral, Iodinol.

Preparing the solution yourself takes a little time. Dissolve a teaspoon of sea and regular salt in a glass of warm water. Three drops of iodine are added to the mixture. A sore throat is treated by gargling three times a day.

Lollipops "Sebidin" or "" will help relieve pain. You can use sprays “Ingalipt”, “Cameton”, “Camphomen”.

Remedies against rhinitis

To treat rhinitis, they resort to drops and sprays that have a vasoconstrictor effect. Drops are considered gentle. For nursing mothers, Sanorin, Noxprey and Naphthyzin are suitable.

Unconventional methods for the treatment of ARVI in nursing mothers

Many mothers are afraid to take medications, even if their doctor has approved their use while breastfeeding. On the one hand, this is correct, since many traditional medicines have side effects and are harmful to the baby. Instead, you can use traditional methods of treating colds.

Among the most popular alternative medicines that can be used to treat viral infections in women during lactation are the following:

1. Milk with . To prepare the medicine you will need half a liter of warm milk, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon of honey. Everything gets mixed up. Additionally, you can add 1 teaspoon of butter. It's better to drink before bed.
2. Iodine with garlic. 5 drops of iodine are added to a glass of water. This drink should be drunk with a clove of garlic.
3. Mustard powder. Powdered mustard is poured into socks, which are worn at night.
4. Onion. Onions baked in the oven are eaten to speed up recovery.
5. Radish with sugar. You can bake radish in the oven for 2 hours, pre-cut into small pieces and sprinkled with sugar. The resulting mass must be filtered. Drink juice 1 tbsp. spoon 5 times a day.
6. Honey-garlic inhalation. You can make inhalations of garlic and honey. You need to breathe this composition for about a quarter of an hour. After the procedure, you can drink tea with raspberries.

Note! Inhalations can also be made from chamomile, thyme, eucalyptus leaves, birch, and boiled potatoes in their jackets.

Drinking plenty of fluids also helps to heal. For this, tea with raspberries, linden, chamomile, honey and lemon is suitable.

Preventive measures

To avoid getting sick, of course, you need to take preventive measures. For nursing mothers, as well as for other people, the first recommendation is healthy sleep. You need to go to bed between 22:00 and 00:00. Sleep duration should be up to 8 hours.

A healthy diet will help protect yourself from viral diseases. In winter, you need to eat more grain porridges, nuts, vegetables, meat products and fish. In the summer you should eat all the fresh fruits and vegetables you can.

In winter, you need to pay attention to the intake of vitamin C. If you cannot eat oranges, eat berries such as cranberries, lingonberries, currants, sea buckthorn, and rose hips. Even when dried, they retain a large amount of ascorbic acid. There is also a lot of vitamin C in sauerkraut.

Attention! Nursing mothers should not forget about such an important rule as hand hygiene. They must be washed with soap every time before contact with the child.

According to many experts, sick mothers should spend more time in the fresh air, especially in sunny weather, because it is under the influence of ultraviolet radiation that vitamin D3, which is responsible for the immune system, is produced.

During feeding, the mother's body loses quite a lot of vitamins and beneficial microelements. In this regard, a woman may have weak immunity, and, consequently, the risk of contracting a cold increases. Treatment of ARVI during breastfeeding is complicated by the fact that taking many medications is unacceptable. In order to protect herself from the onset of illness, a young mother needs to regularly take preventive measures against the disease, as well as know how to identify the first causes of a health problem.

This disease is an acute respiratory viral infection. It is no secret that the virus is considered the cause of most respiratory diseases. After it enters the female body, a bacterial infection sets in, which can significantly increase the treatment process.

Currently, there are many types of colds. It is important to note that untimely control of any of them can lead to serious complications.

There are 3 stages of the disease:

1. Viral infection. If the mother is sick, she may see the first symptoms already on the first day of the onset of the disease.
2. Immune response. Occurs approximately on the 3rd day of illness. The mother's body begins to produce interferon, which significantly alleviates the mother's condition. Usually, by the end of the 5th day of illness, the number of antibodies becomes sufficient, and the girl recovers.
3. Recovery. If a week after the first symptoms of the problem were detected, no improvement was detected, then we can talk about the development of complications.

Signs of ARVI

Colds during breastfeeding appear gradually and are characterized by the following symptoms:

Treatment of colds during lactation should be carried out when at least one of the listed symptoms appears. Only timely therapy will help a nursing mother achieve a prompt recovery.

Baby protection

If a nursing mother is sick, she should pay due attention when feeding to protect the baby from infection. There are several rules, the observance of which will help a sick woman with a cold protect her newborn from the disease.

Acute respiratory infections during breastfeeding, like other types of colds, should be treated immediately. There are some criteria that, if followed, will help nursing mothers get rid of colds in a short time.

1. Rest. If possible, treatment of a cold in a nursing mother should be accompanied by bed rest. This tactic is effective in all cases - even if the mother has a chest cold. Lack of rest can not only delay the recovery process, but also cause complications.
2. Sufficient amount of liquid. Treatment of ARVI in a breastfeeding girl should be accompanied by plenty of fluids. You can consume all liquids allowed for nursing mothers - teas, juices, compotes.
3. Eating as desired. What to do if the patient has no appetite? There is no need to force her to eat. Lack of food will not affect the amount of milk.

Drug therapy

Not all medications can be taken for colds while breastfeeding. This is explained by the possibility of unwanted substances entering the child’s body.

ARVI can be treated with antiviral drugs:

• Viferon;
• Aflubin.

A runny nose can be cured by using the following medications:

• Sanorin;
• Nazol;
• Otrivin.

Ibuprofen and Paracetamol are allowed to reduce the temperature for colds during lactation. Strepsils lozenges and Hexoral spray will relieve painful sensations in the throat. The attending physician should prescribe the dosage and determine the course of therapy. Only a specialist will tell you how to treat one or another degree of the disease.

Traditional therapy

You can get rid of cold symptoms by using traditional medicine methods.

1. Milk. The most effective drink for self-fighting the disease is a liquid that contains half a liter of milk, a chicken egg, a spoonful of honey and butter. The resulting drink is best drunk before bed.
2. Inhalations. It is recommended to breathe over hot water to which a couple of drops of essential oil or iodine have been added.
3. Rinsing. Gargling with a decoction of sage and chamomile will relieve a sore throat.
4. Mustard. If there is no elevated temperature, you can steam your feet in hot water with the addition of mustard powder. Powder poured into socks is no less effective.
5. Raspberry. Tea with raspberry leaves perfectly reduces body temperature and improves the general condition of a woman.
6. Aloe. The juice of the plant mixed with honey will help cope with a runny nose.

There are many medicines and traditional medicine recipes with which a girl who is breastfeeding can get rid of a cold. It is important to detect the problem in time and take action to treat it. Timely consultation with a doctor will help avoid the development of complications.

Continuing breastfeeding is the most important thing a woman should focus on. The question should not arise whether it is possible to feed a child during illness. During this period, antibodies are formed in mother's milk that protect the baby from infection. Therefore, natural feeding at this moment is simply necessary.

The question of how to treat during lactation was asked by every nursing mother who has either already fallen ill with this acute respiratory disease or is afraid of its occurrence. After all, many medications are contraindicated during this period due to the harm they can cause to the baby through milk.

A nursing mother should not panic when she gets pregnant. After all, our body has evolved over many millions of years and has become resistant to various viruses. As for kids, there is no need to worry about them either, because usually such an infection is defeated by the protective forces of the immune system in a matter of days.

The disease begins to develop according to the following principle: first it enters a healthy body and begins its active reproduction, and as a result, the cells of the mucous membrane are damaged.An inflammatory process appears, which manifests itself in skin hyperemia, increased blood circulation and swelling. Development begins, and... In response to acute respiratory infections, the body's defenses are immediately activated.

The immune system produces specific antibodies that destroy this infection. There is no need to be afraid of complications from a cold if a nursing woman has good body resistance.You should not panic and take the appearance of such a disease calmly.

You need to make every effort to support your body in the fight against the emerging viral infection.

A cold during lactation has the following symptoms:

• Dryness and itching appear in the sinuses, which causes frequent sneezing.
• The voice becomes hoarse, irritated and sore.
• It begins.
• Aches joints and muscles.
• A nursing mother experiences severe weakness and fatigue, accompanied by drowsiness.
• begins to increase from very insignificant numbers on the thermometer to very large ones.
• There is discharge from the nasal sinuses with a transparent tint and a thick liquid structure, which can thicken and turn into crusts.
• There is severe discomfort in the throat, which is associated with pain when swallowing.
• Profuse lacrimation begins, accompanied by a fear of light and pain in the eyes.

May present with varying combinations of symptoms. They can be either pronounced or completely insignificant. But all these signs bring severe discomfort to a nursing woman.

Breastfeeding when you have a cold

Some people mistakenly believe that breastfeeding during ARVI is dangerous. But this is absolutely not true. On the contrary, it can help the child. As mentioned earlier, along with mother’s milk, the baby receives a number of antibodies that resist such a virus. With a high degree of probability, it can be said that an infant will not get a cold while breastfeeding.

It is best not to deprive the baby of mother's milk when such a viral infection occurs, trying to protect him from the disease.

But there are situations when feeding a child is contraindicated.

These are cases when the mother has a very serious condition, and her state of health does not allow her to properly care for the baby.This disease can lead to complications such as pneumonia and acute bronchitis. If they occur, then it is better for the woman to stop breastfeeding and switch the baby to formula feeding.

Most medications are contraindicated during lactation. This is due to the fact that medications can harm the baby’s health if they enter his body through mother’s milk. It is for this reason that a nursing mother needs to choose only safe drugs that will not harm her newborn baby.

Drug treatment

Colds during lactation should be treated with medications that do not contain any harmful components:

• To eliminate strong symptoms, you should take medications with an expectorant effect. During lactation, a good choice would be to take medications or Ambroxol. To make breathing easier, products such as Chest Elixir or, that is, those syrups that contain medicinal herbs are recommended.
• Severe congestion in the nasal sinuses is eliminated using the type Tizin, Farmazolin or. Abuse of such drugs can lead to complications in the form of atrophic rhinitis, so you should not get carried away with these drugs. They can be used for no more than seven days.
• During this time, you should use products that have a local effect and are antimicrobial in nature. These include Hexoral and Strepsils. As for the mucous membrane, it can be spread.
• Herbal oil drops have an excellent anti-inflammatory effect on the sinus area.
• Acute respiratory infections caused by infections of viral origin can be eliminated with the help of Grippferon. This drug has no contraindications to treatment during lactation. In addition, the body tolerates it well.
• During a cold, the nasal mucosa must be additionally moisturized. This can be achieved using sea salt drops and sprays.

It should be remembered that during lactation it is strictly forbidden to use drugs containing bromhexine.

Traditional methods of treatment

Since ancient times, treatment of acute respiratory infections using traditional medicine recipes has been not only safe, but also had a fairly good effect:

• Application is as safe as possible for the mother’s body. They can be made using herbs (for example, steaming eucalyptus leaves). Using steam from boiled potatoes gives excellent results. To facilitate the process, you can purchase a special drug -. It will also be useful to the mother when the child grows up for treatment. Inhalations with its help are done using Borjomi, Ambrobene (solution) or saline. The doctor must decide which remedy will be most effective for acute respiratory infections. By doing inhalations three to four times a day, after just two days you can see how your health has improved.
• With the help of raspberry tea, you can easily soften the general condition during such a disease.
• To help a sore throat, use a solution that contains water (1 glass) and apple cider vinegar (1 tablespoon). Procedures with its help should be carried out at least once every hour.
• To make breathing through the nose easier, use the following recipe: heat a quarter cup of sunflower oil in a water bath and mix with garlic and onion, previously crushed into fine crumbs. This mixture is infused for an hour to two, and the resulting composition is lubricated inside the nasal sinuses.
• Linden tea with the addition of honey has an excellent effect. The concentration of such a drink should not be too strong; it should be slightly darker than water. You should not be overzealous with the use of linden; its excessive use is fraught with the appearance of pain in the heart area.
• For acute respiratory infections, the use of onions and garlic is very useful. They can be pre-chopped and mixed with honey. To get rid of colds, one or two teaspoons of this composition are eaten after each meal. However, we should not forget that these odorous products can provoke diarrhea in an infant. Therefore, before using such a drug, you should consult your doctor.

Useful video - Colds during lactation.

Causes, symptoms and best remedies for colds

Many nursing mothers are concerned about the question: is it possible to steam their feet if they have a cold during lactation? Yes, such procedures are indicated during acute respiratory infections. It is very important to follow one rule: the water temperature should not be more than 40 degrees, and the process itself should last approximately 8-12 minutes. This method is quite effective. And to make its effect even better, you can add a small amount of mustard to the water. Immediately after the procedure, you must put on cotton socks.

Actions at temperature

If the temperature during lactation rises to 38.5 degrees, the nursing mother can take paracetamol (one tablet) or drugs based on it. This medicine is the safest for reducing high fever. This drug perfectly eliminates pain in the head and muscles that accompany acute respiratory infections.

But before this, you need to consult your doctor to avoid unwanted effects. As for drugs like Theraflu, Fervex or Coldrex, it is better not to take them on your own, since it has not yet been established how they can affect the baby’s body.

At temperatures below 38 degrees, you can use a wipe based on a weak vinegar solution. Vodka in equal proportions with water is also suitable for this purpose. After the whole body has been rubbed, you need to cover yourself with a light sheet.These steps should be repeated every 15-25 minutes. If the thermometer shows a temperature of 37.5, then there is no need to bring it down.

But when the temperature is very high (more than 38 - 38.5 degrees), the milk may well “burn out” and lactation will stop.

One important rule during acute respiratory infections is that if a prolonged increase in body temperature occurs, you should never self-medicate. You should immediately seek the help of a general practitioner, and do not forget to mention breastfeeding at your appointment. A specialist can prescribe antibiotics and other drugs against this viral infection that will not harm the baby’s health.

There are situations when it is not possible to cure this type of infectious disease without simultaneously interrupting lactation. This can occur in diseases that are bacterial in nature. There are also cases when surgical treatment is required for a nursing mother. If such a situation occurs, the woman needs to consult a doctor and warn him that she is breastfeeding.

If there are acute respiratory infections that are in no way compatible with breastfeeding the baby, the doctor will prescribe a switch to artificial feeding. In this situation, the child may need additional therapy if he has already become infected. This is a necessity, since having lost the milk of its mother, the baby needs a natural increase in the immune forces of its body.

If doctors’ forecasts are not so disappointing, and complications from acute respiratory infections in the mother can be combined with breastfeeding, then there is no need to stop it. To do this, a woman must express her milk so that the lactation function remains normal. This needs to be done several times a day.

Before you begin to treat a cold and its complications with medications, you should carefully read the instructions included with them in advance.

These actions are necessary because any, even the safest drug, may contain chemical components that can harm the health of a nursing mother and her baby. It is strictly forbidden to exceed the amount of the specified dose prescribed in the instructions for the medicinal product.By following all the above rules, you can easily survive the unpleasant period of a cold during lactation and not be afraid that the child will be left without breastfeeding.

As you know, giving birth to a child is a serious stress for a woman’s body. Due to this, after the birth of a child, a nursing mother can easily develop various diseases, including ARVI. But what to do if you get sick? Read on.

Symptoms of ARVI in a nursing mother

First of all, it is worth noting that ARVI is transmitted by airborne droplets, so to avoid the disease, try not to visit crowded places. Most often, after an illness, a woman feels general malaise, weakness, and nasal congestion. A cough may also develop and the temperature may rise. In very rare cases, headaches may occur.

Already in the first stages, if you notice such symptoms, you need to take action. To do this, make yourself a hot decoction of herbs and berries. You can use tea with lemon and honey.

Drink one cup every few hours. Such prevention may not prevent further development of the disease, but it will definitely weaken the virus.

Causes of the disease

As mentioned above, the main cause of the disease is infection from another carrier. At the same time, the person who infected you may himself be healthy. The fact is that the incubation period lasts from 2 days to a week.

Thus, if you were infected a week ago, you may only begin to feel symptoms today.

Treatment of ARVI

Of course, if the disease has already developed sufficiently and suppressed the immune system, then drug treatment cannot be avoided. But if you have just begun to feel symptoms, then you can resort to treatment using traditional medicine.

The problem is that a nursing mother can use a very limited range of medications, since any treatment can affect the baby’s health. In any case, if symptoms appear on your first free day, contact your doctor, who will determine exactly which medicine you can and cannot take.

Treatment of acute respiratory viral infections in nursing mothers using medications

As already mentioned, during lactation a nursing mother can use a limited range of medications. Almost the only thing that is allowed to be used independently during feeding is Paracetamol to reduce fever. It should be used only in extreme cases, when the temperature has risen above 39 degrees, and strictly adhering to the dosages specified in the instructions.

You can also use various syrups to treat cough, such as Lazolvan or Ambroxol.

Do not forget that these drugs can cause an allergic reaction and contain large amounts of sugar. Ideally, of course, it is better to replace such remedies with traditional medicines.

For a runny nose, you can use various drops, and also do not neglect gargling with soda or sea salt diluted in water.

Treatment of ARVI with folk remedies

First of all, if you get ARVI during lactation, you need to remove its most dangerous symptoms, namely high temperature. You can use orange juice for this. Just squeeze a few oranges into a glass and drink. You can also add a little lemon juice to it. You will receive a large amount of vitamin C, which perfectly helps the body cope with fever.

You can also use cucumber juice in the same way. To do this, squeeze out one-fourth glass of cucumber juice and just drink. Repeat this procedure three times a day.

Don't forget about such an excellent way to fight a cold as inhalation. It can even be done at home. To do this, boil a pot of water, and then simply lean over it, cover your head with a towel and inhale the hot steam. To enhance the effect, you can add various herbs to boiling water, or use essential oils, which will make the steam fragrant, and the use of inhalation will become much more effective. But do not forget that this method is quite dangerous. Therefore, in order not to get burned, it is better not to boil water, but to heat it to 60-70 degrees Celsius.

The simplest way to treat a runny nose during ARVI is to instill squeezed garlic juice into the nose. But you should not drip it more often than once every four hours, so as not to burn the mucous membrane. Yes, this method is not the most pleasant, but it is very effective. If something happens, you can dilute the garlic in water.

Well, probably the most pleasant recipe for treating ARVI is preparing viburnum with honey.

To do this:

• Take 100 grams of viburnum berries. Clean them of debris and rinse well with water;
• Pour viburnum into a saucepan and pour 200 grams of liquid honey;
• After this, heat the mixture for about 5 minutes in a water bath. Heating will help the viburnum release juice, making the mixture tastier.

After this, the finished mixture should be cooled and taken one tablespoon 4 times a day. During use, drink it with hot water.

Contraindications for the treatment of ARVI

If you have already decided to choose a drug for the treatment of ARVI on your own, then be sure to pay attention to the composition of the drug. If the drug contains a substance such as bromhexine, then treating a nursing mother with such a medicine is strictly prohibited.

The disease ARVI itself has no contraindications to feeding, so young mothers do not have to worry about this.

In fact, ARVI, although it is a viral disease, does not pose a serious danger to your baby or you. It is better to start treatment of this disease from the very beginning, with the appearance of the first symptoms, without hoping that it will somehow go away.

During treatment, use hot tea with lemon and honey. But as soon as you have free time, do not forget to go to the doctor. Remember that a virus can only spread greatly if you do nothing to prevent its spread.

The best way to avoid ARVI during lactation is not to appear in crowded places where you can be infected, and if you have to do this, then wear a gauze bandage or a mask purchased at the pharmacy.

To prevent infection, you need to strengthen your immune system. To do this, breathe fresh air more often, do daily exercises and eat more fruits and vegetables in your food. Remember that it is better to prevent a disease than to treat it later.

The materials posted on this page are informational in nature and intended for educational purposes. Site visitors should not use them as medical advice. Determining the diagnosis and choosing a treatment method remains the exclusive prerogative of your attending physician.

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Fever, profuse runny nose, bubbling cough - people try to relieve all these symptoms of viral infection with medications, simply buying them on the advice of a pharmacist at the pharmacy. This approach to the treatment of ARVI, especially during breastfeeding, is unacceptable. Consuming antiviral, cough, and anti-inflammatory drugs without consulting a doctor can cause terrible harm to the baby. Let's consider safe options for getting rid of the infection, recommended by pediatricians and traditional healers.

During the process of bearing a child, the immune defense of the expectant mother is significantly weakened, which is why after childbirth many women become infected with viral diseases much more often than before. ARVI is dangerous for both mothers and children due to unpredictable complications.

Pathogenic microorganisms are usually spread by airborne droplets and through contaminated hands (objects). Therefore, if a nursing mother gets sick, in order to protect the baby from infection and recover quickly, it is important to follow the following precautions:

• Immediately put on a special bandage to cover your mouth and nose. Replace it with fresh one every 2 (3) hours.
• Constantly ventilate the living space (you can place garlic around the perimeter on saucers, which kills viruses).
• It is important to keep your hands and breasts clean (wash often, always with soap).
• After feeding, be sure to express all the milk from the breast (this will protect against mastitis).
• It is imperative to increase the volume of liquid consumed (filtered water, or fruit drinks made from cranberries, raspberries, lingonberries, and other berries that have antiviral bioactivity). This is necessary to suppress the activity of viruses and cleanse the body of toxins.
• You should rinse your larynx and mouth more often with solutions of sea salt or infusions of medicinal herbs: echinacea, calendula, plantain, chamomile. Plant antioxidants, hormones, and bitters often destroy microbes more quickly than synthesized drugs.
• If the room is too hot, cover the radiators with damp cloths; coughing attacks will be less of a concern.

All of the listed, easy-to-implement measures contribute to the rapid destruction of pathogenic microorganisms; ARVI does not develop further dangerously. The disease is receding.

If the viruses win, medicines are needed, the woman has the main question: “Is drug treatment for ARVI in the mother during lactation dangerous for the baby?”

Can I breastfeed or should I immediately stop breastfeeding my baby during ARVI?

Be sure to adhere to the usual schedule for taking milk from your mother. Why?

Negative symptoms of any infectious infection appear after the incubation period, when the body’s immune bodies begin a fierce fight against pathogens.

• Therefore, by the time symptoms appear, mothers’ breast milk already contains the necessary antiviral antibodies that can protect the baby from the unfavorable development of the disease.
• There is no need to stop breastfeeding in the presence of ARVI, since milk helps strengthen the immune system due to a natural increase in natural interferon, which begins to neutralize viruses in the mother’s body. And it completely destroys pathogenic microbes when reaching the child, activating his own immune defense. The virus is not transmitted through milk.
• Modern antiviral drugs intended for women during lactation are non-toxic: they penetrate into the bloodstream and milk in small quantities. Do not accumulate in the body.

Usually, a nursing mother who has become infected with ARVI is prescribed inhalation treatment (using a nebulizer) for a cough, sore throat, or runny nose. The local effect of drugs directly on the foci of inflammation in the nasopharynx does not cause the baby the slightest harm.

Suddenly switching a baby to artificial milk formula threatens the development of severe stress and inevitable infection with viruses flying around the apartment. And also a sharp decrease in immunity due to the unequal struggle of infectious agents with the baby’s body, which does not receive balanced and high-calorie food from the mother.

What treatment is appropriate during periods of breastfeeding?

If a mother suspects that she has been infected with ARVI, the best option is to invite a doctor to her home. (As a last resort, call him and ask for advice on how a nursing mother should be treated if the nearest clinic is tens of kilometers away).

And before consulting a doctor, you need to take all precautions to prevent the baby from becoming infected (see the beginning of the article).

The doctor will determine the main measures for treating ARVI during:

• Rest and nutrition regimens for babies and mothers.
• Possibility of application.
• The feasibility of prescribing antiviral, immunocorrective, and anti-inflammatory drugs.
• Will solve the issue of continuing (terminating) breastfeeding if the mother is infected with ARVI.

Self-medication with medications and medicinal herbs during infant feeding periods is very dangerous for their health and full development.

What advice does the luminary of Russian pediatrics offer during periods of breastfeeding:

• If the mother is very sick, then the milk can be expressed, and the care of the baby and its feeding can be entrusted to the grandmothers and father. This will help avoid close contact and infection of the child with viruses.
• All persons living in the room, and not just the mother, must constantly wear bandages throughout the entire period of the acute respiratory viral infection.
• The apartment should be ventilated very often. It is advisable to illuminate the room with sunlight. Pathogenic microbes are instantly killed by fresh air saturated with oxygen, ozone and ultraviolet radiation.
• In order to quickly destroy viruses and remove toxic elements of their vital activity from the body, it is important to drink at least 2 liters of water and fortified liquid: fruit (berry) juice, fruit drink, compote, infusion.
• You should not force feed your mother; excessive amounts of food weaken the body. The consistency of the dishes should be mushy, and the structure should be tender and easily digestible. The diet is dominated by vegetable soups, mousses, and purees. Broths from domestic chickens and turkeys. Curd products and yoghurts.
• The honored doctor advises rinsing the mouth and rinsing the nasal passages with disinfectant solutions made from water and sea salt that are safe for the body. Or use pharmaceutical saline solution.
• To soften the cough, the mother can breathe through a nebulizer, filling the device’s glass with mineral water or saline solution (liquid volume up to 4 ml).
• The doctor is categorically against self-medication of nursing women with medications, as well as ingestion of herbal decoctions prepared according to folk recipes.

Komarovsky pays priority attention to the personal hygiene of each relative living with the mother and baby. And also the comfort of the room: the temperature and humidity in the room should be favorable for recovery. Optimal climatic values ​​for ARVI: temperatures - from 18 to 19 degrees. Humidity – from 60 to 70%.

It is especially important for nursing mothers to follow the dosage and time regimen of medications prescribed by the doctor when treating ARVI.

List of safe ARVI medications for mothers while breastfeeding

The main rule for treating viral infections is not to use antibiotics, they are not only useless, but also destroy the immune system. Prescribing them by a doctor is advisable only against the background of a bacterial infection associated with ARVI. Mom's self-medication with antibiotics is very dangerous for babies. What can nursing mothers do?

The safest antiviral drugs:

• Aflubin,
• Viferon,
• Grippferon.

Must be used exclusively as prescribed by a physician.

To ease the course of ARVI, you can use the following reliable medicines:

All of the listed products are not harmful to infants, provided that the rules and regulations for use are followed.

Alternative treatment options

In addition to pharmaceuticals, for the treatment of acute respiratory viral infections during breastfeeding, infusions (decoctions, drinks) of forest and field herbs, berries, and fruits with powerful bioactive antiviral properties are used to gargle and gargle the mouth:

• Berries include raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, sea buckthorn, lingonberries, and viburnum.
• Plants useful for inflammatory processes are rose hips, calendula, oregano, eucalyptus, chamomile. Willow bark, oak bark, linden blossom.

If a nursing mother is sick, such procedures cannot be done, as they cause a large flow of milk. Insufficient and untimely pumping can provoke the formation of mastitis.

Pathogenic viruses are uniquely tenacious. They have an incredible ability to instantly replicate, so treatment of ARVI in mothers while breastfeeding must begin at the time of the earliest manifestations of infection: the onset of malaise, weakness, nasal congestion, etc. The sooner a woman undergoes a medical examination, the lower the risk of infection of the baby will become. And the treatment will also be more effective. Take care of your loved ones!