Can a mother still breastfeed if she has a cold?

Author: Xie Yuting, Peking Union Medical College Hospital Reviewer: Feng Shuju, Deputy Chief Nurse, Peking Union Medical College Hospital

Many new mothers may worry whether they can continue to breastfeed their babies when they have a cold. You know, breast milk is an extremely important source of nutrition for the baby's growth, and its nutritional value far exceeds that of milk powder. Therefore, mothers cherish every drop of breast milk. So, will the cold be transmitted to the baby through breast milk? Don't worry, scientific research shows that the cold virus will not be transmitted to the baby through breast milk. Therefore, even if the mother has a cold, she can still continue to breastfeed the baby to provide sufficient nutrition for the baby's growth.

If the mother only has a common cold, the symptoms are mild and she is not taking any medication, she can continue breastfeeding for the following reasons.

1. Cold viruses are mainly transmitted through droplets in the air, not through breast milk. Therefore, breastfeeding does not increase the risk of your baby catching a cold.

2. Even if the mother has a cold, the nutritional value of breast milk remains unchanged and can provide adequate nutrition for the baby.

3. The antibodies in the mother's body that fight colds can be passed to the baby through breast milk, helping to enhance the baby's immunity.

Mothers do not need to worry or be anxious during a cold, because mood swings may affect the secretion of milk. Therefore, mothers with a cold still need to pay special attention to the following 4 aspects during breastfeeding.

1. Wash your hands frequently: Be sure to clean your hands thoroughly according to the seven-step hand washing method before contacting your baby to reduce the risk of bacterial and virus transmission.

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2. Wear a mask: Wear a mask when you are in contact with your baby to avoid infecting your baby with respiratory droplets. If you need to sneeze or blow your nose, you should avoid your baby and change the mask in time. Discarded masks should be thrown into the trash in time to prevent air pollution.

3. Get plenty of rest and drink plenty of water: Rest and hydration can help the body eliminate the virus faster and get better sooner.

4. Properly dispose of used tissues and tableware : When mothers sneeze or have a runny nose, used tissues should be discarded immediately, and tableware should also be disinfected to avoid cross infection.

Tips : If the baby is born prematurely or is not with the mother for other reasons, you can use a breast pump to extract the breast milk and store it in a milk storage bag for freezing. When the baby is older and has stronger immunity, thaw it, heat it up and feed it to the baby. If the mother has enough breast milk, you can also discard it, but you must pump milk regularly to ensure milk production, because the baby grows very fast and the amount of milk he eats will increase very quickly.

In addition to the above 4 points, you also need to pay attention to the following points when pumping milk.

1. Clean your hands thoroughly before and after expressing milk : Before transferring the expressed breast milk to a milk storage bag, wash your hands again carefully to reduce contamination of the breast milk.

2. Cleaning and disinfection of the breast pump : The breast pump should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after each use.

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3. Freezing and storing breast milk : When freezing breast milk, write down the date and time of breastfeeding, and it can be given to the baby within 3 months.

If the mother has severe cold symptoms and needs to see a doctor and take medicine, it is recommended that she choose medicines suitable for breastfeeding under the guidance of a doctor to avoid the drug ingredients affecting the baby through breast milk.

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In short, the common cold will not be transmitted to the baby through breast milk. On the contrary, it can transmit valuable antibodies through breast milk to enhance the baby's immunity. Mothers should take good protection during the cold period, feed their babies scientifically and rationally, and let their babies grow up healthily under loving care.