With the flu season in full swing, including the swine flu, you may be wondering how safe it is for you to feed and care for your baby if you get sick. First, you should know it’s important that you get a flu shot to protect yourself against this disease.

When you’re breastfeeding, it’s safe for you to get either the shot or the nasal spray vaccine. If you’re concerned about the preservative thimerosal in flu shots, ask for a thimerosal-free vaccine. This year it’s especially important that you also get the H1N1 vaccine, particularly if you’re still pregnant when you’re reading this article.

The flu isn’t the only infectious disease you need to try to prevent. The CDC notes that all vaccines, except the smallpox vaccine, are safe while breastfeeding. Vaccines can provide some protection to your baby because they’re designed to protect against bacterial infections that may pass though breast milk.


Even if you get the flu, in most cases it’s best to continue breastfeeding because your baby will gain protection from antibodies in your breast milk. In fact, with most viral infections, such as colds, sore throats, and stomach viruses, you are infectious but starting to produce antibodies before you have any symptoms. So if you don’t interrupt breastfeeding, your baby gets protection both before you knew you were sick and throughout your illness. And don’t worry; these common viruses are not passed to your baby through your milk.

If you aren’t up to nursing your baby for a feeding or two, have your partner or a friend feed your baby a bottle of your pumped breast milk. Check with your healthcare provider to see what medications you can take for your symptoms, as many over-the-counter cold and flu remedies are safe during breastfeeding.

Maintain your milk supply by nursing or pumping regularly during your illness. If you don’t, your breasts can become hard and engorged and lead to mastitis, a painful breast infection. Cold medicine can be drying, so drink extra fluids to keep up your milk supply.


Breastfeeding is even more important if your baby is sick so that he gets the fluids and nutrients needed during illness. If your baby has a cold, nurse him in an upright position. Call his pediatrician, especially if he has a fever, diarrhea, is vomiting, or won’t breastfeed.