Nursing Mama with MRSA

You know Audry...I'm not even going to be all foo-foo and sweet about this.

WHY DIDN'T YOU FOLLOW THE DOCTOR'S INSTRUCTIONS?

MRSA is absolutely NOTHING to fool around with, and you quit taking the antibiotics early? DO YOU KNOW THAT'S HOW THIS HORRIBLE STRAIN OF INFECTION WAS CREATED? IT CAN BE DEADLY.

Please please please ladies...I'm begging you...take all medications/antibiotics in full, even if symptoms have subsided unless instructed to stop by your doctor.

I urge you to call your doctor, tell them what you've done and then follow their instructions. Meanwhile, do a Google search on MRSA and read up about this very resistant infection. Follow that immediately with a call to the pediatrician.

I'm just to upset to even type anymore.

Note to Dondi:

When my former boss' father was sick and dying, he developed MRSA on the bottom of his foot. Even with strict hygeine rules, it was eventually spread to all his daughters, and myself...and I was the secretary that never even came in contact with him...so...don't downplay how contagious it is...there is a reason everyone that went into his hospital room had to suit up from head to toe in protective gear...

and it wasn't the cancer.

Note to A.....I have many scars on my forearm from MRSA I caught 2nd hand...you can be offended if you choose, but I do know what I'm talking about.

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Please ask someone with some type of medical degree or training, you are asking random people on the internet important health questions about passing on an illness to an infant. At the very least, someone with nursing experience, such as the la leche league.

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Have you tried pumping and pitching your milk, in order to keep your supply up. Im sorry your little girl isn't responding well to formula.
I hope I dont sound to mean, but you have GOT to take MRSA seriously. That bug KILLS people. You are actually adding to the whole resistance problem by stopping your Med's early. Better a hurting tummy than a Mommy who is so ill she has to be in the hospital on IV drugs and can't take care of her at all. I am REALLY sorry!- Im only speaking so harshly from personal experience.

Oh FYI Dondi...Im afraid I'm going to have to contradict you. You sure don't sound anything like the Dr's & Nurses whom I HAD to see in the infectious disease office that were very worried about my MRSA infection THAT WOULDN'T respond to the usual MRSA 1st choice drugs. They took it very seriously and THEY are the ones that gave me the whole speech about overuse of Antibiotics and NOT stopping meds early. I seriously had no clue how serious it even was before I saw them...incidentally this was prior to all the media hype coverage!

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As a health care professional, and not just someone that works for an infectous disease doctor, which could just be a secretary, this is a serious infection. You should never stop taking an antibiotic,unless your doctor tells you to. This is especially important with bacteria that are already resistent to a strong antibiotic. This is one of the ways these antibiotic resistant bacteria develope. There aren't many anitiotics that treat MRSA, and by not finishing your course of antibiotics, you could make it resistant to the antibiotic you were taking, thus making your options much more limited if you ever have a reoccurance, and if you do pass it along to your child, you will be passing on a even more resistant strain of Staph aureus. This is very important, and you really need to talk to your doctor about a. the possibility of passing this on to your baby, and b. what you should do about not finishing the course of medication. This is VERY important.

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What are you thinking?! You are putting us all in danger! After you have contracted a SERIOUS ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT infection, you decided to stop taking the medication because it was affecting your milk supply?! EVERYONE knows you have to take all of your antibiotics or you just made the bacteria that is infecting you STRONGER. Do you think the world needs a STRONGER MRSA?! Wean your baby, and take the medicine. It sucks that it happened to you, and I am sorry for that, but my God, have some respect for the rest of us.

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Call your local breastfeeding clinic they are usually located in the same hospital where you delivered or go into see them they can help you with medication knowledge and breastfeeding also low milk supply and rather or not to continue to breastfeed or not.The drs or pharmacist don't have all the answers to medication and some that are deemed harmful to the breastfeed baby are actually ok to take.I learned this with my daughter I wished I had gone through the steps to make sure all the antibiotics I was on was safe.I know nobody wants to be on medication while feeding a baby I feel the same way but it happens.

I think it depends on where the MRSA is in your body.

Until you get some good, sound information, pump your milk at regular feeding times. (Then throw out the milk)
Not nursing is probably affecting your milk supply more than the medicine, so pumping will help that.
DON'T stop taking the medicine until you doctor says OK.
MRSA is serious business. You don't want to play with it.

Good morning, A.. Sorry you are having a tough time of it.

My understanding of MRSA is that it is a pretty common bacteria that probably most of us would test positive for, but because we have healthy, well-developed immune systems, the bacteria causes us no problems. The problem presents itself with those who have compromised or underdeveloped immune systems, such as the elderly, babies, and those with some other illness or disease.

If it were me, I'm not sure I would be comfortable exposing my baby to that. However, I'm sure the ruling is still out and you will get as many different opinions as people you asked! Also, did they tell you where you tested positive for the MRSA; ie. did they test your nipples, your nose, your blood, urine? I think that would make a difference in my decision of what to do about nursing.

Did you talk with your doctor and baby's doctor? If neither is giving you an answer you are comfortable with, then ask someone else!!

I wish you the best in finding information to help you make an informed decision!

I also think that it would be useful to contact La Leche League. Even if the leader you talk to doesn't have the specific information that you need, they have access to a huge number of resources and should be able to find the answers you need.

At the very least you should check out Medications and Mothers Milk by Dr. Hale and look up the medication you were prescribed. It may be perfectly safe while breastfeeding. If your library doesn't have this book, many LLL leaders can access the information for you.

Here's the link to the "get help" page of la leche league
http://www.llli.org/resources/assistance.html

I looked up your town, but didn't see anything locally. They really can help, though. You can find who to call using this link.

Also included the Mayo Clinic articles on MRSA for you, cause I wasn't sure what it was.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mrsa/DS00735

I don't know much about the nursing w/ MRSA but I am vaguly familar w/ it. My 2 yo daughter had MRSA along with two other bacteria's when she was diagnosed w/ Cystic Fibrosis. Her dr put her on an inhaled antibiotic, TOBI, and an oral med, Ciproflaxin, (that was in April) and her last four throat cultures have been clean. Tobi is VERY expensive, $4400 for a 28 day cycle, but your insurance should cover most of it. If you have medicade, they should pick up the rest of it. MRSA can come back any time esp. in kids w/ CF but it is treatable and thank God we've not had it come back yet...HTH. Keep me posted would you? I'm really curious what your dr says. Your the only non CF case I've heard of...www.caringbridge.org/visit/kenziechrisman

If you have an open wound, that would be the main concern for giving your baby MRSA. You should cover all of your wounds and have your Dr. prescribe antibiotic cream to put on any scratches or spots. After having MRSA some people are considered to be "carriers" and some people are not...you would have to be tested to see if you are a carrier. I was told I would not be a carrier since I was young and healthy after months of being recovered but I consider myself to be a carrier to help keep my family safe and take extra precautions not to get myself or anyone else sick. Myself and my infant have both had MRSA and we just take the daily precautions.

I would contact La Leche League to find out if the medication you were on is safe to take while breastfeeding. From experience, I have found that doctors aren't educated in that department. They will tell you not to nurse when you're taking almost anything. I recommend the book Medications and Mothers' Milk by Thomas W. Hale PhD. It lists every medication and tells you if it safe to breastfeed. As for quitting your antibiotics early, you're probably going to have to start over on your meds if you want to kick MRSA. Good luck, and I hope you can continue nursing as long as YOU and your baby want to!

If you're not already, try lactose-free formula (soy, if you have to) for your daughter, if you choose to supplement. She's likely lactose intolerant (causing gas pains). Most people are lactose (milk) intolerant or more sensitive when sick.

I have read that staph and other infections are helped by simply taking garlic pills (there's some super stong ones, and some are actually tasteless good for you and your baby). One daily. A few drops of grapefruit seed extract can be also helpful.

Have they tested the baby for staph? Does the baby have diaper rashes regularly by chance (though that could also be reaction after antibiotics)? Did they also give you cream for your skin. Have you seen any small boils on any of you (including face), call doctor if they are increasing. I'd be worried about your baby also.

My 3 year old had staph infection that's why I know some of this. He finished his meds, because I was too scared at that stage to risk the alternative methods (he had try a second type of oral anti-biotic because he was having a hard time not throwing it up). I do a lot of cooking with garlic now. He gets sick less often now. He had 3 viral infections in a row right after the anti-biotics!