Flu vaccine during breastfeeding

When women are breastfeeding, their bodies are also very weak, because at this time, the nutrition of women themselves will be absorbed by the fetus along with water. Although they will eat a lot of nutritious foods, they will still be physically weak during the breastfeeding period. In order to ensure their health, it is very necessary to avoid getting sick as much as possible. They can get some anti-disease vaccines, such as the flu vaccine. So, can the flu vaccine be taken during breastfeeding?

Can I still breastfeed if I have a cold?

The common cold is mostly a viral infection and is a self-limiting disease that does not require special treatment and can usually heal itself in about a week. The common cold is usually transmitted through the respiratory tract and is generally not transmitted to the baby through breast milk. In addition, the antibodies in breast milk can increase the baby's resistance. Therefore, the common cold is not usually transmitted through breastfeeding. However, due to the close contact between mother and baby, it is still possible to transmit the virus through the respiratory tract, so mothers can wear masks, wash their hands frequently, pay attention to hand hygiene, and keep an air purifier at home.

If it is influenza, try to prevent it. Getting a flu shot before the flu season arrives each year is an effective way to prevent the flu. You can still breastfeed after vaccination, and antibodies can be secreted to your baby through breast milk, thereby producing immunity.

Fever, headache, sore throat, etc.: If the body temperature is above 38.5℃, you can choose acetaminophen (trade names: Priligy, Tylenol) or ibuprofen (trade names: Motrin, Fenbid). They are currently the safest antipyretic and analgesic drugs for pregnancy and lactation, and are safe to use during lactation.

One thing I want to remind everyone is that there is a lag in domestic instructions. The instructions for ibuprofen state that it is "not for use during breastfeeding", but in fact, the WHO and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that it can be used safely during breastfeeding.

Runny nose: budesonide nasal spray, loratadine, cetirizine.

Cough: If the cough is severe, you can take a cough suppressant containing dextromethorphan. Dextromethorphan is classified as L1 (safe level) during lactation. However, the use of dextromethorphan preparations containing ethanol should be avoided.

Use with caution during breastfeeding: It is not recommended to use compound cold medicines, which generally contain pseudoephedrine and chlorpheniramine maleate. Although these two ingredients do not have much effect on the baby, they can reduce milk production, especially the former, which will significantly reduce the amount of milk produced by breastfeeding mothers.