Breastfeed and getting sick

[katelynBB]

Hey Everyone...
On tuesday night I got really sick and basically threw up the entire night (I think it was something I ate), so of course the next day I was really out of it, couldn't eat or drink much. I was still breastfeeding my daughter, only had her drink expressed milk once from a bottle. Today I am feeling much better, but woke up noticing a huge difference, my breast weren't engorged or full like they always are in the morning, so my plan today was to feed my baby as many times as possible, since I think not eating yesterday decreased my supply.
After the whole day of feeding her every 2hrs, I still feel like breast are empty... what can I do??? Will the milk come back?? I'm trying to eat as much as I can handle...any advice on what else I can do.

Thanks!!!!
Theresa

 

[carang]

your breasts SHOULDN'T feel full. when you actually have that feeling, they are a little "over-full". you're baby is getting enough. relax. one day won't alter your supply. it takes a few days for that to happen.

YOU ARE PRODUCING ENOUGH MILK. take care of yourself and get plenty of rest.

 

[katelynBB]

Thanks Carang... I got so desperate to try to eat more, that I made myself instant noodles... and I'm not even hungry...
Think I'm gonna let hubby have the noodles instead. =)

 

[carang]

remember, your body has more difficulty if you are stressed, so relaxing is important!

 

[Balvo]

I got a bad UTI while breastfeeding and given antibiotics and my supply did drop with that. I tried pumping regularly too but nothing much happened. Baby was still hungry after feeds and I was advised to give him some formula which I did and feed him as well as much as I was able. I know its a sensitive subject but it worked ok for us!

 

[carang]

how long were you on antibiotics? that might have something to do with it.

theresa was only sick for one day. she'll be fine. i'm not a breastfeeding fanatic. i think people should do what they are comfortable with.

theresa is concerned that her breasts don't feel "full". they shouldn't. after the first few months, your body starts to regulate how much you produce. for my first three months post-delivery (the same for each of my two kids) i produced HUGE amounts of milk. i could feed for 20 minutes and still pump 5 oz in 10 minutes! HOWEVER, after about 2-3 months, my body figured out how much the baby needed and really regulated how much it produced.

so long as your baby continues to grow, you know you are producing enough.

 

[Katebabe]

KatelynBB,
I understand how you feel and I think you will be fine. I was very ill after I delivered last Aug, kept coughing till vomit each time, had to sit up to sleep for 3 wks. I had 3 months medication including 4 wks anti-biotics (i shouldn't have when I look back now). My milk supply did dropped and gone up a bit after I stopped taking anti-biotics. My baby is now 6 months old and I am still expressing milk when I work at the same time! So you don't have to worry too much otherwise it will affect your milk supply!

If you really want to do something to make yourself feel easier, perhaps you can consider drinking "mother's milk tea" (http://www.traditionalmedicinals.com/womens_teas/product/29). My OG advised me to drink just like water during the day. So I have been drinking this since I started breastfeeding until now, and I think it works!

As far as diet, eati quality food is far more important than quantity. Instant noodles is no good for baby (a lot MSG) but however, I understand that if eat that once in a while would give you a better mood, then I would do that. Try to eat balanced diet with vege like brocoli (high folic acid), meat, egg and most important drink more water!

BTW, is your baby called Katelyn? This is my baby's name too.

 

[babymommy2]

I wouldn't worry. I had either food poisoning or norovirus once and vomited severely for about 24 hours and kept BF through it. It was really hard feed the baby and not run to the bathroom. It took every ounce of willpower I had to not vomit on the baby, so I totally understand what you went though. If your milk supply was fine before, you will be fine now. You may be dehydrated, so keep up on the fluids if you can now. You did the right thing by feeding the baby frequently to increase supply. The reason your body feels less full is becasue you are feeding frequently. It is all supply and demand, so by increasing demand you will increase supply. the same thing happens when the baby goes through a growth spurt and starts to feed more frequently than usual, you will feel less full , but over all you are actually making more milk.

Don't worry about what you eat, or if you can eat much for a few days. Instant noodles are unhealthy, but I doubt you eat them daily anyways. In any case they are unhealhty for you, NOT the baby. You body takes what it needs to make healhty milk for your baby, regardless of what you are eating. You have to get to a pretty severe level of malnutrition before you are going to have a significant inpact on the quality of milk you make. A few days of not eating, or eating unhealhty food is not a concern for your milk quality.

 

[Buckeroo]

If you want to increase your milk supply, I'd suggest fenugreek. I was out with pneumonia and was hospitalized and even though I pumped the whole time, there was a drop in my milk supply. Taking fenugreek helped tremendously (as well as putting baby directly to the breast whenever possible). Good luck.

 

[tstmum]

I can second fenugreek - I, too, was quite sick a couple of times while breastfeeding (nasty, nasty coughs and respiratory infections) and found fenugreek helped. Mother's Milk tea is not to everyone's taste but I also drank 3-4 cups of that a day. I also tried to get as much rest as possible, feed baby more often than usual to stimulate supply and eat well. While I also felt my breasts were less full, and I suspect that my supply dropped temporarily, baby seemed content and within a week or two we were back on track. I didn't give any formula for top ups, but some people try this for a short period while they recover.