As promised, here is the post on nursing a sick baby and it is a timely one because I have just went through it! Nursing a sick baby is rough! My little guy is recovering from croup. He had a fever and a stuffy nose and a painful cough. Nights were the hardest. Despite a stuffy nose, his best comfort was nursing, so I basically was a giant pacifier. This definitely led to some soreness so be prepared for that too.
Some tips for taking care of a sick baby. Keep the nasal aspirator handy. Suction their nose well before trying to nurse if they are having trouble breathing through their nose. Another tip, drink lots! By me drinking lots of fluid, I had a good supply of milk and he got lots of it. I think this helped a lot. So keep both of you well hydrated! Another thing I did: on the night I knew was going to be the worst night, I just didn’t even attempt to lay him down. I just slept in the recliner with him so he could be upright and so I could be sure he was breathing ok and I could nurse him when he was feeling icky. Did I sleep that night? No, not really, but I knew that I wouldn’t sleep much so I didn’t get upset as easily. Your mindset helps so much to reduce the frustration level. Trust me, even though you know it is because they don’t feel good, a sick child can bring you to your wits end. Some may disagree with me, but I give them fever reducer too like acetaminophen or ibuprophen because I know how horrible a fever makes me feel and I just try to put myself in their shoes.
If your baby has begun solids but doesn’t want to eat, don’t sweat it. As long as he’s nursing well just let him. If he doesn’t want to nurse and you’ve made sure that he can breathe as good as possible, that is a problem. It has been my experience though that my sick babies wanted to nurse more because it was comforting and soothing to them. If your baby is throwing up, I say keep nursing. Even though they are throwing it up they hopefully are getting a little bit before it comes back up, and you don’t want to have to end up at the hospital with them trying to stick a needle into a tiny dehydrated blood vessel. There are electrolyte drinks you can try, though I’ve always just nursed as much as possible. Steer clear of sugary sodas and sports drinks. If you think your baby is getting dehydrated get them to the doctor. While it seems like forever and time creeps by when you have a sick baby, the worst is almost always only a couple of days long. Of course I’m referring to common illnesses not chronic ones, that is a totally different ballgame.
As always, I welcome your questions and comments. You can also find me on facebook and leave comments there. Thanks for reading!
Succeed when you breastfeed 