Can I breastfeed if I'm sick or taking medication? Tips for breastfeeding when sick
- jaimiezaki
- Oct 7
- 7 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Breastfeeding When Sick: What Medications Are Safe?
In this episode of The Breastfeeding With Confidence Podcast, host Jamie Doula, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and mom of five, answers a question almost every breastfeeding mom faces: “Can I keep nursing when I’m sick—and what medicines are safe?”'
Jamie breaks down what you really need to know about nursing through common illnesses, safe medication use, and when to be extra cautious. You’ll also learn about popular over-the-counter meds like Sudafed and Benadryl, how hydration plays a role, and why extra safety measures matter if you’re bedsharing when drowsiness is a factor.
If you’ve ever worried that catching a cold or taking medicine means you have to stop breastfeeding, this episode will help you feel confident and informed.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Whether it’s safe to keep breastfeeding when sick
Key considerations for medications while breastfeeding
Why one dose of Sudafed or Benadryl may be fine—but with caution
How to support your supply and hydration when you’re unwell
Extra safety tips for bedsharing when taking drowsy meds
Confident Mama Breastfeeding Academy
Avoid Mistakes that Sabotage Breastfeeding
Transcript:
Hey Mama Bear. Welcome to the Breastfeeding With Confidence podcast. Do you dream of bonding with your baby through exclusive breastfeeding, but worry about breastfeeding pain or low milk supply? Maybe you're struggling with breastfeeding and no one seems to have any answers. I'm Jamie Doula, international Board certified lactation consultant, and Mom of five, and I have been where you are after working through painful latches, milk supply worries, and postpartum depression, and.
Supporting countless mothers through their breastfeeding journeys for over eight years. I'm here to tell you breastfeeding doesn't have to be perfect to be positive. Each week I'll share breastfeeding tips to help you prevent and overcome unexpected breastfeeding challenges so you can actually enjoy bonding with your baby.
If you are ready to shut out the toxic whispers of the world, embrace your God-given intuition and release your inner fierce Mama bear. Grab some coffee or your favorite herbal tea and let's dive in.
Welcome back to the Breastfeeding with Confidence Podcast. Can you believe it is October. I can't believe it's October. I do not know where time has gone, but I hope everything is going well with you. I hope fall is treating you well. I hope as you prepare for the holiday season, you're getting a little bit of a break before all the chaos starts .
The thing about fall is we kinda start getting into sick season, right? Kids are back to school for a bit. , It's getting chillier out. We're spending more time inside, eating more junk food and sickness starts to run rampant. So today I wanted to talk about a really common question, and that is, can I keep breastfeeding if I'm sick or if I need to take medication?
And there's a lot of conflicting advice out there, so we're gonna break it down together today. First of all, being sick does not usually mean that you have to stop breastfeeding. Common illnesses like cold flus, mild infections are generally safe for nursing. In fact, your milk actually provides antibodies that protects your baby from the illness.
It is very, very rare for you to have an illness that will require you to stop breastfeeding altogether.
The main things to consider are really your ability to take care of your baby. So we would wanna be careful about things like, you know, if you just can't like move and do anything nursing, but actually be really easy. 'cause then you don't have to get up and clean bottles, right? But if you just feel so weak and exhausted, you might choose to pump and have somebody else feed the baby with a bottle.
. But you do wanna make sure that no matter how you're making sure the baby is cared for, you still wanna be removing milk to support your milk supply. , Speaking of supporting your milk supply when you are sick, it is really common that dehydration from fever, vomiting, diarrhea. Um, can negatively impact your milk supply and also the stress of being sick can sometimes make it harder for you to have a letdown and just kind of negatively affect your overall comfort.
So I want you to make sure that if you are sick, you are drinking plenty of fluids and getting plenty of rest. You wanna continue frequent nursing or pumping to maintain that demand and you wanna make sure you're using supportive positioning. Skin to skin, all the skin to skin is so good when you are sick, especially for baby, if baby is sick too.
And that'll help that oxytocin release as well. Even when you are sick, your body will keep producing milk. But like I said, that stress and the dehydration can kind of make it harder. So we wanna make sure that we are supporting your milk supply and really focused on that. A lot of times moms are worried that medications are gonna be either unsafe for their baby or negatively impact their milk supply.
So on that, I wanna say first of all, that most medications are compatible with breastfeeding, depending on dosage, timing, and baby's age. , , if we're talking about like flu and cold things like Sudafed or Benadryl, a lot of times you'll be told you can't take that because it'll hurt your milk supply.
, I would say usually one dose is fine. For the most part, one dose is usually fine, but frequent and high doses could negatively impact your milk supply. They can also cause drowsiness, which is where the danger would come in. So if you are holding your baby, if you are bed sharing, you need to be very cautious.
If you are taking something that causes drowsiness, we need to make sure we're not bed sharing, that we have another adult who can help us care for the baby. Otherwise, if there's other medications, , you have an injury and you're prescribed a pain medication, the majority of the time medications, antibiotics, et cetera, will be safe for breastfeeding.
And if the doctor in the emergency room where your primary care says that they don't think it's breastfeeding safe, look for an alternative. Most of the time there is an alternative and a lot of the time. We find out that the one that they said wasn't safe was just an overabundance of caution and it actually is safe.
So if you are concerned about a medication you've been prescribed, go ahead and check out the LactMed database. That is through the National Institute of Health. , That is a medication safety database. Now they do not, I, I believe they have like archived it, so I do not believe they are. Continuing to update it any longer, but it still has lots of really good advice.
There's also the infant risk Center. You can Google Infant Risk Center and get the website and the phone number. They have a hotline that you can call where they have research-based, , safety, medication for breast medication safety for breastfeeding, and they are a really fantastic resource as well for most medications.
, Things to consider, you know. A newborn is gonna be so much more sensitive than an older infant. So depending on the medication, it might be important to be really cautious with a newborn and have extra monitoring, whereas there's next to no risk with an older infant. It's very rarely black and white and context always matters.
So again, if, if you are in a position where you really need a medication, there are no alternatives and they're telling you it's unsafe for breastfeeding, talk to a lactation consultant. Call infant risk. Do your due diligence to make an informed decision, because too often I see moms, , quit breastfeeding over needing to take a medication that they didn't need to quit breastfeeding for.
So it is, it is very important to put your health and safety as a priority, and your baby's health and safety is a priority. But I want you to know that a lot of times the benefits of breastfeeding dramatically outweigh the risks. Of taking a medication short term and sometimes even long term. If you are sick or taking medication, don't panic.
Most of the time it is compatible with breastfeeding, and most of the time there is an alternative that will be compatible with breastfeeding. What is most important is staying informed, supporting your milk supply, and seeking help when you need it. Don't rely on the ER doctor or the first, the first physician you talk to, to give you UpToDate evidence-based information on medication safety.
They're going to usually kind of cover their butt, and it's up to you to really follow up and make sure you're getting evidence-based information. Thank you so much for joining me today, and I will see you in the next episode.
Alright, mama bear. That is a wrap for today. If this episode helps you feel a little more confident or a little more prepared for breastfeeding, can I ask you a quick favor? Go ahead and leave me a review. It helps other moms find this podcast and join us in this amazing community of fierce and confident Mama bears.
And hey, if you know a friend who could use some encouragement or real talk about pregnancy, breastfeeding, and all things motherhood, share this episode with her. You've got this Mama Bear Trust your instincts, stay fierce, and I'll catch you in the next episode.
Jaimie Zaki is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and mom of 5! Jaimie has volunteered as a La Leche League Leader, worked as a nurse, doula, and birth photographer, and is the host of the Breastfeeding With Confidence Podcast and founder of the Confident MamaBear Society. Jaimie provides holistic breastfeeding advice for pregnant & new moms, helping them overcome unexpected latching trouble and milk supply issues. She empowers mothers to make informed decisions from a place of confidence and intuition.
Breastfeeding Resources Available:
