Any Advice on Taking Amoxicillin While Nursing?

Hi A.,

I'm sorry you are feeling under the weather. My name is H. B. I am a board certified lactation consultant. My answer would be YES YES YES!!!!! What you need to be aware of is the possibility of you developing a vaginal yeast infection (side effect of med's)This may be avoided by eating yogurt w/ live cultures or taking acidophalus, available in GNC or a health food store/herbalist. The acidophalus will help rebalance the intestines decreasing the possibility of a yeast infection. I would also like you to know that if your child developed an ear infection at that age. Amoxicillian woul;d be prescribed for the infection. So, not would I only recommend following the physicians advice and take the antibiotic. If strep throat is not treated effectively it could turn in to mononucleosis. Make sure if you do take the drugs, take it as prescribed and do not discontinue until suggested. If people would be treated and stops the treatment (usually feels better/ feels like I don't need anymore. Then the next time you do need it, the medicine might not work therefor you will need a stronger antibiotic to fight off illness.

Possible diarreah for you and the baby. May delevope cramps due to medication.
Now if you decidied to stop breastfeeding today, then you are putting the child at risk of your illness. Not only will you feel worse,Physically and mentally. You also put your self a risk of plugged ducts, engorgment and or mastitus. I don't think you want anything else besides the strep. Also your breastmilk is producing antibodies to help fight off the illness in your body. So, when you breastfeed, you pass the antibodies and reduce the chance of your child getting sick.

Last but not least ..... if you all of a sudden develop sore nipples (it can feel like glass coming thru your nipples) Don't wait. The yeast infection has most likely developed and they can cause burning while nursing. Any sore nippleswrite me back.Also if you see what would look like....left over milk on the tongue. This would be something that needs to be medicated both you and your baby will be feeling fine again.
If the baby developes at the same time what looks like a typical rash. After 2 days, it looked like blood raised up through the skin and it can be itchy. baby and mom need to boil the bottles because of the bacteria. Also the nipples would need to be thrown out yet.

Hello A.,

I had to take amoxicillin in February because I developed double ear infections due to a nasty cold. I was still able to breastfeed my son and was told that just to take water and ofcourse I took some probiotics to ensure I wouldn't get a yeast infection which may be common when a women is taking antibiotics.

You should be fine...don't worry.

I agree with everything Holly B said. I was sick when my DD was 2 months and I had Amoxy and was really worried and double and triple checked with 3 different doctors about the safety of the drug while nursing. All went well. I was really worried about a yeast infection or thrush so I ate lots and lots of yogurt several times a day.

Take your meds and hopefully you will start to feel better soon.

Yes, I think it is worth it. The benefits of amoxicillin outweigh the risks of it to your daughter. I was sick (bronchitis & sinus infection) within days after giving birth to my son who is now almost 4 months old. I took amoxicillin and zithromax...both are considered safe and he's fine. I held off on the cough medicine since that would make him drunk!

I've had 3 breast infections and taken amoxicillin while nursing and didn't see any effect on my son.....he was over a year old all three times though.....
But, they give amoxicillin to little ones for ear infections, my son had to take it twice himself; I've been told it's the safest antibiotic for them......

As for your question "is it worth it", I would say yes, you definately need to take the medication. Strep will not go away without being treated, and you will pass it along to others, as it is highly contagious. If I were you, I would try to pump as much as possible before starting the meds and save the milk. That way, your baby can still get some of your breastmilk and you can take the meds without subjecting her to the medication. If you can't pump enough before starting, feed her formula while you are taking the meds. And make sure you pump while you are taking it to keep your milk supply up. Just toss the "medicated milk" away. Hopefully this helps some. Good luck, and I hope you feel better soon.

pump out a bottle full and throw it out before you nurse her.

A.,

Check with your baby's pediatrician to make sure, but I'd think it is fine. If your baby had an ear infection, they'd give her amoxicillin and I'm sure she's getting less through your breastmilk than she'd get if they prescribed it for her. I would think that it would be a lot better than running around with untreated strep. FWIW, I breastfed my first child until he was 2 and I'm breastfeeding my now 5 month old. This time around, I broke my kneecap and needed to have surgery when he was 3 months old. I did pump and dump for 48 hours after the surgery just to be on the safe side, but other than that, the only medications my pediatrican had me turn down were steroids (I developed a nasty case of tendonitis in my heel when I started physical therapy for my knee). There is actually very, very little in the way of medication that is not safe to take while breastfeeding. Of course you do want to make sure that the medications you ae taking are necessary, but I wouldn't mess around with strep.

Just ask your pediatrician what to do if your baby develops diarrh and also what to do if you develop thrust (antibiotics can sometimes set off a yeast infection in your boobs and the baby's mouth which can be pretty painful but entirely treatable).

:-)T.

The benefits outweigh the risk of not taking it... your baby will be fine!

i have a 5 week old. The pharmacist told to to reduce the meds that pass through to baby nurse your baby before taking the meds. I had 7 days of Keflax(sp) no diarrhea. I'd take the meds. It's hard to be mommy when you're not at the top of your game. I hope this helps.
~M

Dear A.,

Strep Throat is a very serious thing for a busy mother to have. If I were you, I would deal with a little diarrhea. When I was 9 years old and my sister 5, we both had Strep Throat at the same time. There was no medicine for it at that time, and I still (75 now) remember the fever and headaches and sickness. So be happy that there is a medicine that can make you well quickly.

Talk to your doctor more about the effect that it may have on the baby. You need to be reassured by a pro. C. N.

You would be taking for only ten days. I would use a breast pump just to keep your milk flowing, and give her formula for those 10 days. Strep is a bacterial infection and is very painful. You'll feel better just a few days after taking the amoxicillin. You could just go ahead and see if your baby really does get diarrhea. Maybe it won't effect her. If you don't want to take the amoxicillin, or even if you do, ibuprophen really helped me with the pain of strep.

i am a mother of two (a 4yr. old girl & 11 month old boy). I ran into the same issue, had bronchitis and was prescribed amoxicillan and some prescription cough syrup when my boy was like 3 1/2 months old. I talked to the pharmacist and doctor which they both said everything would be fine. I came home and actually read all labels, the amoxicillan was fine to nurse with, the cough syrup however was not (would of dried up all milk supply!). I took all the amoxicillan like told, and the baby was fine with no side effects whatsoever.

OKay, if you have strep you HAVE to take antibiotics. Yes, it is worth it. if you are really scared about the small amount that will pass into your breast milk, pump and dump! supplement with formula if you think that is a better option than a little amoxicillin milk. many substances build up and then leave the milk supply within about two hours, so if you take your meds and don't nurse for two hours most of it is gone. Check with a lac consultant to get advice on how antibiotics act in this regard, i am not sure but i know it is true for alcohol.

i hate anti-b's myself but you definitely need them to get rid of strep. it's just for a few days... you can work through it. a little diahrrea isn't a big deal, and neither is a couple of bottles of supplemental formula. just use your best judgment. good luck and get well soon!

Ask your baby's dr if its ok for her to be exposed. Kids are given Amoxicillin when they are sick and if not allergic its fine. You need the meds because Strep can get really bad and is very contagious and you don't want to get sicker or pass your illness on to your kids

If you have strep throat, you have an infection. I would take the antibiotic, so the infection will clear up. You don't want it to get worse. If it seems to be affecting the baby, you could always suppliment some of her feedings for the 10 days or so that you need to take it, and pump to keep your milk supply up.

I do not think it is worth your little one getting diarrhea! Make sure you are completely well and off medication before you continue to breastfeed. Also, whenever your on antibiotics you must eat yogurt to avoid getting a yeast infection. Hope this helps you out a little bit.

Dear Amy,

I am sorry that you got that poor advice about Amoxicillin. Amoxicillin is what would be given to your baby in many situations. Dr Hale has a website (you can access the link on my web site www.mybreastfeeding.com) where one can check out the medications and how they are rated for a mom who is breastfeeding. Your doctor could register on the site (http://neonatal.ttuhsc.edu/lact/medicationforumspage.html and get questions answered about various medications that he/she is considering for a breastfeeding mom. If you have trouble finding Dr Hale's web site, you could write to me.
S. lactation consultant

Yes. You do not want a infection like that and not treat it. It could affect your heart and other organs if not treated. Try pumping and dumping during the first few days of treatment. If give your baby formula. Some babies it may not cause diarea. You do not want strep throat to get so bad that you cannot breath. I have gone through it myself. It's even worse when it requires a hospital stay and what good are you to your baby? Take the medicine the side affects for you and your baby are low.

Hi A., you shouldn't worry about your baby getting sick from the strep you have or the amoxy you are taking. Amoxicillin is one of the few antibiotics that is safe when breastfeeding, it does keep birth control from working though! And as far as the strep throat goes, your body is producing antibodies to the infection which will pass to your daughter through the breast milk. This will help prevent her from getting it now and in the future. Hope this helps!

Strep throat won't go away until you take all of your antibiotics so its kind of a toss up!!! Do you want to risk giving your baby strep throat or diarrhea? Its a touph decision to make, maybe you could consult your baby's dr!!!

As a mom who breast feed her self, and worried just as much as you probably about everything I put in my body, this is one thing that is definently a tough call! I am also a pre nursing student in microbiology and a few other general cousres, what I can tell you about taking any kind of abx aka antibiotics is it kills all of your "normal flora" which is microorganisms your body naturally has as its own diffence system, did your doctor tell you about the possible risk of getting a yeast infection from taking abx? I also wonder just how much of it is really passing through the baby, the large intestines also contains this normal flora, which in your childs case is still very premature and just starting to build its natural immunity, I wonder if this is what causes the diarreha? I am not trying to scare you by any means I just want to give you the facts and effects from taking any kind of abx, basically in conclusion I would not recommend taking the amoxicillin unless absolutely nessecary or if you want look up the side effect from taking amoxicillin or any abx in general, theres soooo much I could bore you with on the ups and downs it boils down to your own peersonal feelings, good luck! hope this helped. W.

Yes, you should take your meds. Check on Dr. Jack Newman's website for information. The amount of medication that will pass through your milk is very small and this is a med that gets prescribed to kids, is it not? I think you and your baby will be totally fine. If you go to Dr. Jack Newman's site, I'm pretty sure you can call or email and someone from his office will respond. Best of luck and I hope you're feeling better soon. Oh, another resource on the web for good breastfeeding information is kellymom.com