As a newly mother, you know how breastfeeding enhances your baby’s immune system. It prevents the newborn from several diseases including allergies, and infections. But what if the mother is sick? Can the milk prevent the baby from getting infected with the disease of the breastfeeding mother? Well, breastfeeding does prevent your baby from getting sick up to some extent.
If a mother is suffering from a cold and flu, breastfeeding is commonly continued. The infant receives the antibodies produced in mother’s body to fight the illness. However, the road is not safe all the time. Sometimes, breastfeeding can become dangerous when the illness can pose a higher risk to baby’s delicate metabolic system.
In certain cases, illness can impact the process of breastfeeding. There might be occurrences of changes in mother’s bodies. These include:
- Change in the color of the milk
- Low or delayed milk supply
- Decreased or increased feedings
- Sore nipples
- Fussy baby at the breast
- Increased sensitivity
If you are ill, you can recover the flow of milk by breastfeeding more often as it will urge your body to produce more milk.