Can You Continue Breastfeeding If You Have Food Poisoning Or The Flu?
A special evening, that included eating out, ended wrong. Very wrong. By 11:00 that night, I became violently ill and spent the next 5 hours in the bathroom, praying for anything that could put me out of my misery.
That was the first of only two times that I have ever had food poisoning. If you have ever experienced it, then you know just how bad it is. So horrible that you think, “This must be what dying feels like.” And despite my unbearable thirst, my body rejected any sip of liquid.
I was so weak by morning that I could barely walk back to my bed. My husband came to me, holding our hungry 5 month old son. I was hardly able to lift my head but I panicked. My baby needed milk and I was sick. Could I still nurse him if I had food poisoning?
I called a resource number that I received from the hospital for the La Leche League. The woman that I spoke with assured me that yes, it was safe to nurse my son, even if I was sick. Here is additional information that I found while researching this topic.
“When a mother gets food poisoning, the bacteria stays in her intestinal tract, so the baby is protected from it.” (breastfeeding.com)
More helpful information was found on kellymom.com.
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