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Breast milk adapts its composition when the baby is sick and helps him recover sooner

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The protective properties of breast milk help breastfed babies get sick less often and recover faster than formula-fed babies. However, on many occasions doubts arise about whether it is safe to breastfeed when the baby or mother is sick or unwell.

Among other benefits, the composition of breast milk varies when the mother or baby becomes ill, producing more specific antibodies and leukocytes that fight infection.

Medela brand breastfeeding experts help us to identify all the benefits that breastfeeding has for the baby, also when he is sick, and even if his mother is not healthy. In addition, they explain when to wean.

How Breast Milk Helps Your Baby’s Health

  • It contains white blood cells, antibodies, stem cells, and protective enzymes that help the baby heal faster.

  • It reduces the risk that in the future the baby will contract nausea and diarrhea , colds and flu, ear and respiratory tract infections. The longer, the more protection.

  • It has numerous proteins and nutrients that not only provide multiple benefits in the first months of the baby’s life, but also establish the pillars of a person’s health throughout their life, including their susceptibility to infections, chronic and heart diseases, and even its predisposition to the development of certain types of cancers.

Why continue breastfeeding if the baby is sick

  • When the child is ill, breast milk provides everything he needs : food, drink, medicine and comfort.

  • Faced with a disease, breastfeeding increases the levels of leukocytes , the cells that strengthen the baby’s immune system, and readjusts the vitamins and nutrients it includes to adapt to the needs of the baby.

  • Because of its ease to be digested, it is comforting and the ideal food for babies with upset stomachs.

It is probable that when the baby gets sick he will not have the appetite or the energy to breastfeed. Then, it is advisable to express milk and give it with a syringe, a glass or other methods to avoid dehydration.

  • When the baby has a cold and has nasal congestion, long feedings are difficult, so they may be more frequent and shorter.

  • If your baby has an ear infection or a blocked nose, he may prefer to feed standing up. The mother may experience different breastfeeding positions, such as the ‘koala position’, in which the baby is straddling the mother’s thigh or hip, and both her spine and head are held in an upright position while feeding. .

Milk adapts to the health of the mother

Being sick and breastfeeding can be exhausting, but the baby is the least likely to get sick, since being in close contact with the mother receives a daily dose of protective antibodies through breast milk.

Therefore, when the woman suffers a cold or flu, fever, diarrhea, vomiting or mastitis, it is advisable to continue breastfeeding as normal.

You have to think that the components of breast milk vary depending on the different needs of the mother and the baby:

If the mother is exposed to a bacterial or viral infection, her body will create antibodies to fight it, and later these will be transferred through the milk to the baby.

The only difference is that you should follow some basic tips while you are sick, such as taking care of yourself, resting, and keeping your fluid levels high:

To minimize the risk of spreading the disease, the mother should wash her hands with soap before and after feeding the baby, preparing food, eating, going to the bathroom, or changing the baby’s diapers.

What medications are allowed

The mother can take the recommended doses of ibuprofen, paracetamol and some antibiotics without problem, always consulting with the doctor or pharmacist, especially if the baby is premature, born with low weight or suffers from a medical problem.

This is assured by the Medela experts, who recommend not taking any other without a prescription, since although at first glance they may seem harmless, such as those used for the flu or cold, they may contain ingredients that reduce the milk supply or cause drowsiness .

In case the mother follows a continuous treatment against asthma, diabetes, depression or other chronic problems, she should discuss the matter with a doctor to find the best alternative, since the benefits of breastfeeding the baby may outweigh the benefits. risks.

You can check which medications are or are not suitable for breastfeeding in e-lactation, a professional service created by pediatrician José María Paricio.

There are some situations in which it is safer to stop breastfeeding, but only temporarily:

  • If the woman must undergo surgery with anesthesia, until the effects of it wear off and she is fully recovered.

  • Radiation therapy or chemotherapy sessions in the treatment of cancer.

  • Herpes lesions on the chest or infections that can be transmitted through milk (tuberculosis, measles or septicemia).

In these cases, it is recommended to continue expressing and discarding the milk to keep the supply active until the treatment ends.

In addition, before treatment or admission to the hospital, there are different methods to ensure that the baby continues to drink breast milk, such as expressing breast milk and then freezing it so that someone else can continue to give the baby the milk.

Photos | iStock

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