Cough Syrup/ Cold Medicine for Nursing Mommy

I use a homeopathic cough syrup, Boiron Chestal, which I also use for my toddler. You can find it at walgreens, CVS etc.. This is a good website/list for modern medicine and breasfeeding, it shows all of the approved medicines and their risk category. I wouldn't take sudafed, it is listed as a category C, which means "risk has not been ruled out" (potentially not safe).

EVERY NURSING MOM SHOULD HAVE THIS LIST BOOK-MARKED!! :-) http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/aap-approved-meds.html
Feel better soon!

3 moms found this helpful

only a Neti Pot! No antihistimines---or drying up stuff--it WILL decrease your milk---it did mine--and with no real help===let the cold play itself out---good luck!!!!

From a mother of a 19 yo, a 9 yo, and a 7 yo, I believe mom's safest bet is Sudafed. Check with your pharmasist 1st, then go from there. I believe Sudafed is harmless...
Good Luck and feel better soon!

You should consult with a dr since you are nursing and you don' t want your milk to dry up, and that is what will happen with any of the antihistimines. When I was nursing and sick, the only the that the dr. Would give me was guafinisin (obviously I can't spell it properly)! It is is mucinex (not the d variety, just then plain mucinex). Call your dr and talk to the nurse and make sure before you take any meeds.
Steamy showers, vicks vapor rub and lots of fluids will help. I feel your pain, as I have been there too.
Hope that you are feeling better soon,
K.

Tylonal Cold is the only thingthat helped w/o effecting my milk.

Sudafed allways effected my milk

I second the advice on using Boiron Chestal. I use it nursing and on my 3 and 6 yo. Great stuff! Just know that it is a homeopathic and that certain foods, etc. can negate it. Feel better soon :)

you can go to whole foods, stuff like elderberry syrup is all natural. avoid milk and sugar, take tons of vitamin c (like 3000mg) a day, and lots of fresh raw greens and veggies to help your body recoop

I was sitting here thinking the same thing. I'm on day 2 of a cold and my son came home yesterday with a note saying he's probably been exposed to strep -- great!

Anyway, I would just take Claritin (loratadine) for the congestion and Advil (ipubrofen) for aches or sore throat. Tea and honey for cough, or cough drops. I can't find any great information about the safety of cough syrups, so unless I'm having trouble sleeping or it gets uncontrollable I'm going to avoid those. I read something about fenugreek as a natural treatment, but haven't tried it yet since it would require a trip to the health market and not sure I'm up for dragging my sick self and baby out just yet. Hope you feel better soon.

As with anything, you should always check with your doctor. As a rule of thumb, you can take anything that's "plain." Like regular Sudafed, or regular Benadryl or Tylenol Cold. Don't take the ones that are combos. Stay away from medicines that have a high alcohol content in them. I just recommend using plain ol' Vicks, warm tea, steamy showers and a Netti Pot. My ENT told me that Neti Pots or a similar product are really what's best to use for a sinus cold or infection. They help to rinse out all the gunk that's in your nose. I use the Neil Med version with their rinse and it works perfectly.

for your cough, put vicks vaporub on the bottom of your feet and cover with socks. you'll be surprised how effective this is!! also a spoon of honey to soothe your throat. just take a little and let it melt down your throat. i also like to put the vicks on the chest and then cover with a warm towel. my mom used to pin the towel behind our necks to keep it in place. my son loves this!! hope you feel better soon!

Plain Robitussin & Sudafed are okay to take while nursing. I didn't have any issues with my milk supply either although everyone may be different.

Mucinex Children's cough syrup, it's alcohol free and lower amounts of all the active stuff.

Sudafed and plain Robotussin.

But, you also might want to try hot decaf tea with lemon and honey. The steam can help loosen up mucus and the honey coats and soothes the throat. The lemon has vitamin C, which will help shorten the life of your cold.

Feel better soon!

While I know all the moms have great advice for you, when you are pregnant or nursing always consult your doctor. What may be good for one may not be good for another.

sudafed or benedryl but be careful they can dry you up. I suggest some peppermint tea w/ honey and some saline spray if your nose is congested. Hope you feel better soon.