After having a baby, the new mother is absorbed completely in looking after the newborn. However, a new mother also needs to understand the changes her body undergoes not just for her well being, but also for the baby’s. When a woman is breastfeeding, she should refrain from consuming alcohol or smoking. In addition, take OTC cold medicine should also be avoided.
Whatever the new mother eats or drinks also gets passed on to the baby, albeit in small amounts. So, if a woman is suffering from a cold, she should not take any medication without first checking with her doctor. It is possible that the medication she takes could be harmful to the newborn.
Even a small amount of the cold medicine could have harmful effects on the newborn baby. According to some medical researches, around one percent of medication consumed by the mother is passed on to the baby via breast milk. This amount is more than enough to cause an adverse reaction in the newborn.
Therefore, if a woman, who is breastfeeding, suffers from a cold, she should look for alternative ways of treating the cold. Things like steam inhalation, gargling with saltwater or drinking herbal tea with honey could help to alleviate the symptoms of the cold and give the woman some relief. However, if the cold is particularly severe, there are medications available that do not instantly appear in the breast milk. But, for this it is best to consult a doctor. The doctor will give you a prescription for the medication and also advise you to time the drug intake so that the medication has minimal effect on the newborn baby.
