Breastfeeding while sick

lauradanielle

My baby is a week old & 4 days old and I've had a pretty good milk supply since the birth but I came down with pneumonia after being in contact with a family member that didnt know she had it and now my baby screams after each feeding. I read online that it is common for your milk supply to go down when you're sick. I just saw a lactation consultant right before i got sick and she said that i had plenty of milk. Just wondering if any other moms had this problem.

elizalegs

Are you letting each breast empty completely? Sometimes the breast can look empty but it may still be providing the rich fatty "hind" milk which is the really satisfying part (the first let down has more watery, thirst-quenching milk). I would check with your la leche league. Also if she is screaming at the end (not in between switching off the breast) it may be gas bubbles. If she has latched on and off a lot or is smacking while she eats, then she's ingesting little pockets of air which can be very uncomfortable. Check out Dr. Jack Newman breastfeeding videos for examples of a good latch and satisfied babies... good luck mama, hope you feel better! 

KD32412

Probably gas. Mine will do this too. After a loud burp or fart, she's back on the boob eating more.

lauradanielle

@elizalegs My lactation consultant told me not to go over 20 minutes (10 min on each side) so I'm not sure if my breasts are completely empty because I've been trying to stick to that. Thank you for info on the videos I'll check it out. I'm desperate to make this work!

elizalegs

sometimes LCs can be wayyy too legalistic. If your baby looks happy nursing and she's not just sucking halfheartedly, she's still getting good stuff.  You can try stroking along your breast to see if she speeds up a little or her eyes widen: that will tell you if more comes out. I would call my la leche league leader over an LC any day.  Good for you, try and relax and believe in your body, trust your instincts. Babies will also instinctively build your supply up, at the beginning of a growth spurt especially, so if she wants to nurse longer on each side, let her. A good burp should help things along too. But I would consider all of those possibilities before say looking at a food sensitivity for example.

KD32412

lauradanielle said:

@elizalegs My lactation consultant told me not to go over 20 minutes (10 min on each side) so I'm not sure if my breasts are completely empty because I've been trying to stick to that. Thank you for info on the videos I'll check it out. I'm desperate to make this work!

I leave my LO on till she pops off on her own, she's been on for 55+ minutes many a time. I just switch boobs for each feeding. I did this with my first daughter and breastfed exclusively till she was 18 months, so that worked for me.