The rule for feeding infants and children who are vomiting and having diarrhea is to feed clear fluids; breastmilk is considered to be a clear fluid in these circumstances.
Frequent breastfeeding will help ensure any fluids lost through diarrhea or vomiting are replaced. The length and timing of the feeds are not important.
Breastmilk continues to provide baby with essential nutrients in a form that are easy for baby to absorb even when it seems it is all being thrown up or passing quickly to the diaper. Babies can become dehydrated very easily especially when they are less than six months of age.
Signs of dehydration are abnormal drowsiness, dry lips and mouth, sunken eyes, not peeing and cold hands and feet. Talk to your health care provider to discuss whether you should bring your child in to be examined. If your child needs IV rehydration in hospital you can continue to breastfeed as much as baby wants.
More information on pediatric gastroenteritis treatment and management can be found HERE. If your baby continues to have a difficult time breastfeeding, contact your pediatrician. An ear infection can be painful, especially during breastfeeding. Your baby may only breastfeed for a short time at each feeding. So it's important to breastfeed often. You may need to pump or express milk between feedings to relieve breast engorgement and keep up your milk supply.
Notify your pediatrician if you suspect your child has an ear infection. The doctor may want to prescribe an antibiotic. Gastrointestinal illness is less common in breastfed babies, but it can happen. Vomiting and diarrhea can be very dangerous in infancy since they can lead to dehydration. However, breast milk helps fight diarrhea. It is easily digested and more likely to stay down when your baby is sick. Therefore, if your child has a stomach bug, be sure to breastfeed frequently to replace the fluids your child is losing and keep your baby hydrated.
If your child has a little cold but is still breastfeeding well, you can continue to monitor her. However, if you're ever concerned about your baby you should feel comfortable consulting the doctor. You should also call your baby's doctor if:. Get it free when you sign up for our newsletter. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellFamily. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.
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I Accept Show Purposes. What for? The bowel movements of exclusively breastfed babies are often quite loose, even watery. Furthermore, they can be frequent 7 or 8 times or even more in a day is not rare , and can be green or seem to have no substance at all.
As long as the baby is drinking well at the breast , is generally content, and gaining weight well, there is no problem. However, if not all of these three conditions apply, then something may be wrong. One cause of frequent green bowel movements, sometimes even with small amounts of blood can be due to late onset decreased milk supply. With spitting up, the milk comes up often almost without anyone really noticing. If the baby is drinking well from the breast , gaining weight well and is generally a happy baby, then spitting up even a lot, is not bad.
In fact, it is probably good. Breastmilk is full of immune factors not just antibodies, but dozens of others as well that all interact with each other. A baby who spits up has double protection, forming this barrier when the baby drinks the milk and it goes to the stomach and then when he spits it up.
This may be particularly important as it is the upper part of the gut and respiratory tract which is most exposed to bacteria and viruses. I frequently use this example of how breastfeeding is so different from formula and bottle feeding.
Spitting up formula, if all else is going well, is probably not bad. Spitting up breastmilk, if all else is going well, is probably good.
Good, because the immune factors that cover the lining of the esophagus are replenished by spitting up. If you need help with breastfeeding, make an appointment at our clinic. I received this advice from a nurse the first time I had this virus and it works well. Try to nurse as much as possible but don't stress about your supply.
In most cases your supply should rebound once you are feeling better even if it takes a temporary dip. The age of your baby will matter in this too. If your baby is much younger and needs to eat frequently try to keep up the frequent feedings. Keep your baby in bed with you and let your baby sleep with you, or next to you in a bassinet if this helps.
If your baby is older hopefully you will have someone to help you get through it and you will not need to nurse as frequently. Check out more tips for getting through a stomach virus here. When it comes to resting and breastfeeding while sick, I know this is all easier said than done when taking care of children.
Luckily most stomach bugs are quick movers and usually you will be feeling better in hours. It feels so hard when you are going through it though so hang in there. Please let me know if you have any questions! Thanks for the reassurance. This really helped. Thank you for the encouragement.
I want you to know I needed that. I think I caught the bug too. Thanks to you and God for reassuring me. Thank you for writing this.
I am traveling in Mexico with my husband, grand mother and daughter 16 months. My daughter randomly threw up day 3 of our trip, no other symptoms and was seemingly fine prior and after.
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