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Expert: - 3/11/2009


Question
I have had the flu for 4 days now and unless I take medication, I'm constantly running a fever of 101 deg.  I'm still nursing my 9 month old daughter and she is sick with RSV.  The doctor wants her to have a lot of fluids and so I'm trying to breastfeed her more often and I'm drinking a lot of fluids myself.  The problem is if my fever starts to creep back up, my milk will not let down.  (This is very distressing in the middle of the night.)  She will not take bottles.  I've tried pumping for 10 minutes and nothing comes out.  As soon as I take medication and my temperature returns to normal, I can nurse her just fine.  I don't understand why when I have a fever my milk doesn't let down.

Answer
Dear Lynn,

First, congratulations for giving your daughter the best start in life by breastfeeding her!

I'm sorry to hear that both you and she are sick. It's not surprising that when you're sick you produce less milk. It's good that you're drinking a lot of fluids, and the more you can get your daughter to drink, the better off she will be. If she won't take a bottle, try giving her breast milk, formula, or water in a cup. A sippy cup is the least messy.

If you can rest, your recovery will be faster. If you can rent an electric pump, you may be able to stimulate your breasts so that you produce more milk. If you're taking medication to bring down your fever, it's most likely safe for your baby.

RSV usually goes away on its own. If your baby can't breathe well enough to eat or sleep, suction her nose. Keep an eye on her, and if her symptoms worsen, call her doctor.

I hope you both recover soon.

Warm wishes, Sally
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Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters. Now in revision for a fourth edition, with Laura M. Marks, M.D.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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