How To Treat A Cough While Breastfeeding: Alternative Methods

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-15 19:51

How to treat a cough while breastfeeding

The content of the article:

Treatment approach during lactation
Inhalation
Traditional methods
1. Black radish juice
2. Infusion of medicinal herbs
3. Milk products
4. Potato steam inhalation
5. Warming compress
Cough and accompanying symptoms in various diseases
1. For colds
2. Pharyngitis and laryngitis
3. Bronchitis
4. Allergy
5. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
6. Psychosomatic cough
Why does a cough occur during lactation?
Video

The answer to the question of how to treat a cough during breastfeeding depends, first of all, on what causes the development of the pathological process in the body of a nursing mother.

Treatment in women while breastfeeding is complicated by the fact that the choice of medications approved for use during these periods is limited. So, some medicines can have a negative effect on lactation, others can negatively affect the baby.

If a nursing mother coughs, there is no need to stop lactation; on the contrary, breast milk will protect the baby from infection

If a nursing mother is coughing, there is no need to stop lactation; on the contrary, breast milk will protect the baby from infection

At the same time, the refusal of the mother from treatment during breastfeeding (HB) is inappropriate, since the progression of the disease can be more harmful than taking medications.

Treatment approach during lactation

Before using any drugs, you need to make sure that there are no contraindications, carefully study the instructions for use and adhere to the prescribed dosage of the drug.

Depending on the type of cough, mucolytic, expectorant, antitussive drugs, and anti-inflammatory drugs can be used to treat it. Herbal medicines are often prescribed during breastfeeding.

For bacterial infections, antibiotics may be needed. If you have a high fever, you may need to use antipyretic drugs.

When coughing caused by diseases of the upper respiratory tract (laryngitis, pharyngitis), which is often accompanied by a sore throat, gargle with antiseptic solutions.

Rinses are popular:

a solution of table or sea salt;
baking soda solution;
infusion of medicinal plants (chamomile, sage, calendula).

If you have a psychosomatic cough, you may need to take sedatives.

If a symptom occurs against the background of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, prokinetics, antacids, antisecretory agents can be used.

If the patient's cough is caused by an allergic reaction, first of all, the causal allergen should be identified and contact with it should be excluded or minimized. You may also need to use anti-allergenic drugs, enterosorbents.

Patients are usually advised to drink plenty of fluids. In the absence of contraindications for a nursing mother, you can drink tea with raspberries, extracts of chamomile, calendula, rosehip infusion, tea from viburnum berries, tea with lemon and / or honey, juices or fruit drinks from fruits and berries, dried fruit compotes, mineral water, milk.

Inhalation

In the absence of a fever in a nursing mother, steam inhalation can be performed, but they are effective only for diseases of the upper respiratory tract. The procedure with a nebulizer can be performed even at high temperatures, as well as for diseases of the trachea and bronchi.

Some medicines, solutions of salt, soda, saline, alkaline mineral water, honey, essential oils, solutions based on medicinal plants can be used as a therapeutic solution for steam inhalation. For a nebulizer, ready-made solutions are used - saline, alkaline mineral waters, medicines in liquid form.

Inhalation is contraindicated for:

the presence of individual intolerance to the components of the solution;
tendency to bleeding (nasal, pulmonary);
arrhythmias;
heart and / or pulmonary failure;
suffered myocardial infarction or stroke;
pneumothorax.

Traditional methods

In the case of a cough during breastfeeding, folk remedies are often used, but they cannot be used uncontrollably, since many of them can cause the development of an allergic reaction in the baby. In addition, if taken incorrectly, they can be ineffective or even harmful to health.

Black radish juice

In the absence of contraindications for coughing attacks, you can use a mixture of equal parts of liquid honey and black radish juice. The remedy is taken 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day.

Infusion of medicinal herbs

To accelerate the elimination of sputum from the respiratory tract, you can use an infusion of chamomile, oregano and coltsfoot mixed in equal parts. Dry raw materials (2 tablespoons of the mixture) are poured into 0.5 liters of water, brought to a boil and left to cool. The remedy is taken in 1/4 cup every 4-5 hours throughout the day.

Milk products

Milk-based remedies are good for coughing:

warm milk with honey (1 teaspoon of honey in a glass of milk);
milk with mineral water (in a ratio of 1: 1);
milk with soda (0.5 teaspoon of soda in a glass of milk);
milk with figs (3-4 figs per 250 ml of milk, cook over low heat for about 2 hours), etc.

Milk products can be taken in small portions throughout the day and / or taken before bed.

Potato steam inhalation

With laryngitis, inhalation with boiled potatoes can be carried out. The potatoes are boiled without peeling, the liquid is drained, the tubers are kneaded, they wait until the steam cools down to an acceptable temperature (not higher than 60 ° C), breathe steam over the potato mass for no more than 10 minutes. You can add a few drops of essential oil to potatoes.

The most effective are inhalation with a nebulizer

Warming compress

For some pathologies, compresses are used that can be placed on the back. So, you can make a compress from flour, honey and vegetable oil. A cake is formed from the mixture, which is applied to the skin, covered with cellophane and fixed. The compress can be left overnight.

Cough and accompanying symptoms in various diseases

For colds

In addition to coughing, there is a runny nose, nasal congestion, pain and sore throat, sneezing, hyperemia of the mucous membranes of the pharynx, fever, chills, weakness and fatigue, muscle pain.

Pharyngitis and laryngitis

With pharyngitis, breathing difficulties, symptoms of colds may develop. With laryngitis, there is hoarseness or temporary loss of voice, pain when swallowing, difficulty breathing, and cyanosis of the skin may occur.

Bronchitis

With bronchitis, chest cough is observed. At the initial stage of the disease, it is dry, after a few days it becomes wet. Patients may complain of fever (usually no more than 38 ° C), headache. The cough can get worse at night, causing sleep disturbances and worsening of the patient's general condition.

Allergy

Allergic cough may be accompanied by:

liquid transparent discharge from the nasal cavity;
sneezing;
lacrimation;
itchy throat and nose;
nasal congestion;
gore in the eyes;
skin rashes;
angioneurotic edema.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

With diseases of the digestive tract, in addition to coughing, there may be nausea and vomiting, unpleasant smell and taste in the mouth, heartburn, bloating, and defecation disorders.

Psychosomatic cough

usually is a dry cough due to intense anxiety, stressful situations. It is repeated in such situations, it is absent at night.

Sputum for some diseases:

Sputum characteristics	Pathology
Transparent liquid sputum, does not contain impurities	Acute respiratory viral infections, allergies
Mucopurulent sputum, may have a yellowish or greenish tint	Bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchiectasis
Viscous (vitreous) sputum	Bronchial asthma
Sputum with blood impurities	Tuberculosis, malignant neoplasms, pulmonary embolism
Rusty phlegm	Croupous pneumonia

Why does a cough occur during lactation?

Often the period of lactation, especially its onset, is difficult for a woman, caring for a child takes a lot of energy, a young mother does not always succeed in getting enough sleep, and there has not been a full recovery after childbirth. A weakened body is easily exposed to infection, especially for viral infections during seasonal epidemics. They account for the vast majority of coughs.

The rest of the cases are caused by allergies, bronchial asthma, diseases of the digestive tract (gastritis with high acidity, reflux esophagitis), endocrine pathologies, heart failure. Sometimes a cough develops against a background of stress, strong feelings.

Tuberculosis and neoplasms of the respiratory system are rare in nursing mothers, but they also cannot be discounted.