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Milk Supply After Taking Cold Medicine |
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Written by Leslye Adelman, M.S., IBCLC, CCE
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Thursday, 14 January 2010 |
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Dear Lactation Consultant:
I am currently breast feeding and decided to take cold medicine because of the severity of my cold. After taking the medicine my milk supply decreased significantly. I have been pumping and feeding the baby as much as possible and my supply has returned however one of my breast is harder and engorged while the other is the opposite- smaller and super soft. Both are producing milk very well but are looking very odd and have been this way for 5 days please help me.
Shahidah Brown
Sherman Oaks, CA
Dear Shahidah:
Once your milk supply decreased from the decongestant, you did the right thing by getting the baby to the breast and pumping to get your supply back. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, your breasts reacted unevenly, which I have seen happen before. There are several ways to handle this:
- 1. Begin the nursing on the softer side more often just until that side becomes more full, then alternate the starting breast again. You can also use moist heat and massage on the fuller side each time you nurse on that side to help the milk flow better.
- 2. Ice the fuller side after nursing to slow down production to that breast so you do begin to even your production.
- 3. DO NOT pump unless it is absolutely necessary. If the baby is nursing well, this should get your supply back to where it should be and pumping will only provide oversupply. If you need storage for bottles, try to give yourself a break for at least a few days until things settle down and then you can begin to pump again.
I hope you find this helpful. Please let me know if you need more assistance.
—Leslye
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