"How Can I Manage Severe Coughing Effectively While Lactating?"
During lactation, mothers should avoid taking excessive medication when experiencing cough. This is because medication taken will prevent them from breastfeeding their babies, potentially allowing toxins from the medication to enter the baby's body and affect their growth and development. Therefore, in case of a cold, mothers should first adopt methods of physical cooling and dietary cough relief. Only when the condition cannot be controlled should they consider taking traditional Chinese medicinal herbs with minimal side effects.
If a mother experiences a cold during lactation without a high fever, she should drink plenty of water, eat a light and digestible diet, and take medication such as cold medicine and板蓝根 granule. It is also advisable to have someone help with childcare to allow for more rest and sleep. Breastfeeding can continue, but wearing a mask while feeding is recommended due to close contact with the baby. Newborns have a certain degree of immunity, so there is no need to worry excessively about transmitting the illness through breastfeeding.
If a mother experiences a high fever along with a cold, and is unable to eat properly or feels extremely uncomfortable, she should seek medical attention. The doctor may prescribe intravenous fluids and antibiotics that have minimal effects on breast milk. Medication such as板蓝根 granule and cold medicine can still be taken. Breastfeeding can be temporarily suspended for 1-2 days during the high fever period, but it is important to continue expressing milk from the breasts to maintain breastfeeding in the future. The mother should drink plenty of water, fresh fruit juice, and eat a light and digestible diet, and rest well to aid in recovery.
During lactation, the baby and mother are closely connected, and the baby can often sense the mother's mood. Therefore, it is important for the mother to stay calm and relaxed, even when ill. A pleasant mood can often help in the recovery process.
During a cold or other illness, mothers should avoid self-medicating and follow the principle of preferring traditional Chinese medicine over Western medicine. Oral medication should be preferred over injections, and injections should be preferred over intravenous drips. The choice of medication should be of good quality. Additionally, certain medications such as lactation-suppressing drugs, anticancer drugs, antipsychotics, and antithyroid drugs should not be used during lactation.
