Illness strikes again

Apologies for the hiatus. Once again, a cold has wiped out the adults in the family, though the baby is healthy as can be. Makes me a little jealous that he gets all those yummy antibodies. (Side note: I wonder if drinking my own breastmilk would shorten the life of my cold.) I finally made my way to the doctor yesterday, which is an indicator of just how sick and miserable I am. I haven't been to ANY doctor since my postpartum check up. I've lived in Austin for 5 years now and I still don't have a primary care physician. I just don't do doctors. But, my trip to the doctor yesterday confirmed what I already knew: I have a severe sinus infection. The good news is that my doctor was able to recommend some medications that are safe to take while breastfeeding and gave me some antibiotics and nasal spray.

This leads me to the meat of this post. I started feeling sick last Thursday. I suffered for three days, assuming that I couldn't take ANY medications because I was breastfeeding. This is completely false, and if I had been in my right mind, I would have run over to kellymom.com at the first sign of symptoms and seen what was safe. As it turns out, there are quite a few medications you can take while breastfeeding. You can find the information here:

http://kellymom.com/health/meds/index.html

In my old life, before the Eskimo, I took the shock and awe approach to being sick. I blasted my body with every kind of cold medicine available in an attempt to drug the cold right out of my system. However, having a child has made me much more aware of what's actually in all of those medications and what they can do to your body. If it's not safe for him, how can it truly be safe for me?

Ideally, I'd like to treat all illnesses naturally and let my body heal itself. But sometimes you really do need help. On those occasions when you do need medication, make sure your doctor knows that you are breastfeeding and that this is a priority to you. I made it very clear yesterday that I was unwilling to take any medication that would impact my son. By maintaining an open relationship with your doctor and making sure your voice is heard, you can usually find a solution. But be sure to do your homework too, because not all doctors are as educated as they should be about breastfeeding. Good luck, Mamas!