A sharp cold snap in a nursing breast. Chills while breastfeeding. What is body temperature and what does it depend on

The temperature in a nursing mother can be for several reasons, finding them out, it is urgent to take action. If a woman has recently given birth, perhaps this is an individual reaction to the development of lactation, in these cases, subfebrile values ​​\u200b\u200bare observed that do not exceed 37 degrees. You should never forget about dangerous mastitis or various infectious processes occurring in the body. Before you bring down the high body temperature on your own, it is imperative to contact a competent specialist who will find out the main causes and prescribe a competent treatment. And every mother should remember that even at 39 degrees you can not stop breastfeeding your baby.

Let's take a closer look at what can affect a woman's temperature increase during breastfeeding, and what measures can be taken in specific cases, what medicines are allowed to drink, and how to measure the temperature during lactation?

Checking the temperature correctly

If a woman is breastfeeding a child, then when measuring temperature values ​​​​in the armpit, you can get an unreliable result. During lactation in nursing mothers, the thermometer usually shows above 37 degrees, and this is the norm.

If you feel worse, it is best to measure the temperature in the bend of the elbow joint or in the groin, this is how you can get the true value. Often in maternity hospitals, readings are measured in the oral cavity. But if a woman suspects problems with her breasts, then it is necessary to place a thermometer under both armpits, with an increase in temperature to 38 and above, it is necessary to sound the alarm. Remember that you need to measure the temperature in the armpit half an hour after feeding the baby, and wipe the skin dry beforehand.

Possible sources of temperature change

1. A nursing mother has subfebrile values ​​that do not exceed 37-37.5 degrees, then in many cases you don’t have to worry. Often the body reacts in this way to the production of breast milk. But do not forget, if the milk is too intense, and the time for feeding the baby has not yet come, then it is best to express the breast so that lactostasis or purulent mastitis does not begin. In these situations, there is a temperature jump to 38-39 degrees.
2. Often, immediately after the birth of the baby, the temperature in a nursing mother rises as a result of an exacerbation of various chronic diseases, infections, because in the postpartum period, the woman's immunity is greatly reduced. If the temperature has risen above 38 degrees, and there is a deterioration in general well-being, you should immediately consult a doctor.
3. One of the reasons for high temperature values ​​in the first month after childbirth may be an inflammatory process:
   • inflammation of the seam after a caesarean section;
   • endometritis;
   • divergence of seams in the perineum.
4. If the temperature rises to 39 degrees, accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, pain in the abdomen, then we can talk about poisoning or the development of rotavirus infection. With any infection, you should not stop breastfeeding the baby, because. It is in mother's milk that antibodies are found that can protect the baby.
5. If there is an increase in body temperature to 38 degrees and above, runny nose, chills, sore throat, then most likely this is a simple SARS. In this case, it is necessary to consult a doctor so that he prescribes competent treatment with drugs that are allowed during lactation.

The more effective it is to treat the throat during breastfeeding without harming the baby

The temperature during breastfeeding is a rather dangerous symptom, and any woman must remember that one cannot draw independent conclusions and self-medicate.

If a sharp temperature jump above 38 degrees is noticed, you should immediately consult a doctor.

If you miss a case of mastitis or any postpartum complication, you may need strong drug therapy, which will put an end to the continuation of breastfeeding.

Ways to lower the temperature

When a woman sees a mark of 39 on the thermometer, she asks in a panic: how to bring down the temperature of a nursing mother? After all, not all drugs are suitable during this period, because. many of them pass into breast milk and, accordingly, enter the body of the child.

It is also worth noting the fact that while the thermometer mark has not overcome 38 degrees, the body itself is fighting the infection, and there is no need to use antipyretic drugs, because. This is a normal situation in the development of a cold. There are two ways to reduce a temperature that exceeds 38.5-39: either take medication or use traditional medicine. Let's consider both options.

1. medical method:
   • the best option for a woman during breastfeeding may be taking drugs intended for babies, which usually contain paracetamol or ibuprofen, drinking such drugs is safe for both the woman and the baby;
   • it is best to purchase antipyretics in suppositories, because. the absorption of components into breast milk is not so intensive.
2. Methods of traditional medicine.
   • if a woman does not have lactostasis, then in case of an increase in temperature, it is shown to drink plenty of water (drinking water, weak tea, fruit drinks, dried fruit compotes); in the absence of allergies in a child, you can add a little honey or a slice of lemon;
   • drink tea with raspberry jam (in the absence of allergic reactions in the baby), you can also separately brew raspberry leaves, which are sold in a pharmacy;
   • it is necessary to strictly observe bed rest, only rest will help the disease;
   • cool compresses on the forehead, or stripping with a weak solution of vinegar, also do an excellent job, but you don’t need to make compresses from vodka or alcohol, because. alcohols penetrate the skin and are absorbed into breast milk.

Naphthyzinum is undesirable for mothers when breastfeeding a baby

Temperature and breastfeeding

Many women during the period of illness are tormented by one question: how does the temperature during breastfeeding affect the quality of milk, and is it possible to feed your baby at the moment? In most cases, it is definitely not worth giving up breastfeeding, because breast milk contains antibodies that protect the baby from diseases. However, there are exceptions, for example, purulent mastitis, pathogenic bacteria enter breast milk and can lead to infection of the baby. Until the woman recovers, natural feeding stops.

Therefore, it is very important to monitor the body temperature of a nursing woman, as soon as the mark is above 37.5, you need to see a doctor so as not to miss lactostasis or purulent mastitis. Any delay can cost the health of the mother and her baby dearly.

I have been breastfeeding for almost a year now. It was not easy to start our breastfeeding, but my son and I, thanks to the huge support of my husband, were able to fix everything.

Returning home from the hospital after a long journey (we gave birth in Seversk and drove home about 4 hours), my son and I went to bed. And then I started to get chills. I was shaking so hard that I couldn't get a tooth on a tooth. I asked my husband to cover me with something warm, but that was not enough. In the end, my husband brought more blankets, wrapped me completely in a large cocoon, and I still managed to fall asleep. This strange phenomenon continued every night for about a week or two, now I can’t remember exactly. And then it passed. At that time I didn’t understand what was happening to me, I lived on some kind of autonomous mode, and since I was treating cracks, I connected my “frosty nights” with them. I didn’t think much about the fact that I had chills every night, because I had to endure terrible pain during feeding. The son fed on demand and for the first month he hung on his chest almost constantly. I did not have lactostasis and mastitis.

After a while, I completely forgot about this strange phenomenon that accompanied me at the beginning of my "feeding" career. But it just so happened that I ran into him again during my training as a lactation consultant. Since many girls also experience chills at night after breastfeeding (judging by the forums), I decided to clarify the situation a little, suddenly this information is useful to someone.

So, it turned out that some mothers, in the evening or at night, during high tide, are very chilly. But it also happens that these “attacks” of chills do not depend at all on the time of day. It always happened to me at night, during the day everything was in order.

However, for all mothers, this happens only in the first weeks of feeding, and then everything returns to normal. And it turns out that this phenomenon is directly related to the hormone prolactin.

Prolactin

Prolactin is the main hormone breastfeeding . The production of this amazing hormone increases during pregnancy and also during the postpartum period when you are breastfeeding. It can also be noted that prolactin is produced during intense physical exertion, during sleep, and even when we are stressed. We are, of course, interested in the effect of this hormone on breastfeeding.

When your baby suckles, the pituitary gland releases the hormone prolactin in response to breast stimulation. In the mammary glands, in the heart, in the lungs and in the liver there are prolactin receptors. And the most important thing for us is that these receptors are also found in the kidneys and adrenal glands, which, in response to an increase in the level of prolactin, begin to produce the hormones adrenaline and norepinephrine. And this, in turn, can cause an increase in blood pressure. Blood pressure rises very sharply in response to the production of prolactin, and we feel a terrible cold and chills.

So this trembling of the body is a consequence of a sharp increase in blood pressure, provided that you have a normal body temperature. Most often this happens at night, at a time when the production of prolactin is increased in response to breast stimulation.
Chills are observed in some women in the first days after childbirth, with the arrival of milk and the start of breastfeeding. In fact, all doctors note that the action of the hormone prolactin is currently not fully understood. Too little we know about this amazing lactation hormone.

Everything passes with time

Take your blood pressure during the day when you are calm and at night when you are chilly. Do this for several days. It is possible that at night your blood pressure rises sharply. This can be considered as your individual feature if there are no other complaints.
Here is such a phenomenon. Once again, I note that my mother's body temperature is normal.

If you feel chills while breastfeeding, be sure to read this article - Restoring Internal Warmth After Childbirth

But, if you are shivering, but the pressure and temperature are not normal, but rather lowered, then urgently consult a doctor.
If you have a hot and red chest, a fever, and it feels like you are getting the flu - your body aches and shivering, then these are signs of lactostasis or

Every breastfeeding mother should know that breastfeeding is not only the most exciting and reverent period in her life, but also quite difficult, because many women have problems with lactation. It can be both a lack of milk for feeding a child, and its overabundance. And all this has a very negative impact on the health of a nursing mother. For example, a woman may develop milk fever.

Why does milk fever occur in a nursing mother?
When breast milk arrives very quickly and cannot find its way out of the breast, the milk ducts become blocked and milk stasis (lactostasis) occurs in a nursing woman. In most cases, milk begins to arrive with a double amount in the first weeks after childbirth, when the child does not yet consume all the mother's milk, which is why it accumulates and stagnates in the breast. As a result of all this, milk fever begins in a nursing woman, which occurs suddenly, seemingly without any reason. The temperature rises sharply (maybe up to 40 degrees), the woman is very shivering, often the chill turns into a fever. A nursing mother feels weakness throughout her body, she begins to have a headache. At the same time, the chest swells strongly, bursting is felt in it, it becomes very painful, hard to the touch and heavy, as if “stone”. The slightest touch to such a breast causes severe pain. So, if the breast is very sore during breastfeeding, the breastfeeding mother has hard, painful breasts, as well as a high temperature during breastfeeding, then this means that the woman has milk fever. It should be noted that for some nursing mothers, this period passes unnoticed, since milk comes gradually, and not immediately.
What to do if the temperature of a nursing mother rises? How to stop milk in a nursing mother? What to do if a breastfeeding mother has milk fever? How to remove milk fever in a nursing woman? The fact is that many women who do not know about the existence of such a fever get scared, start to panic, do not know what to do, it seems to them that they are ill with something serious that it can be dangerous for the baby. Therefore, mothers stop breastfeeding, fearing that the child may contract this incomprehensible disease through milk. I must say that such behavior of a nursing mother is fundamentally wrong. In such a situation, on the contrary, it is simply necessary to put the baby to the breast as often as possible. After all, the very first thing to do with milk fever is to express the diseased breast as soon as possible, otherwise the pain will only increase. That is why it is necessary to apply a child to the breast, it is he who will be able to help his mother to clear out less painfully by sucking her milk. In the event that the child is sleeping, or in the maternity hospital they do not bring him to feed for any reason, and the breast is already very swollen, then the woman should gently sprinkle the milk, which creates a feeling of strong tension in the breast, while leaving the rest quantity. It is to sprinkle the excess, and not to express the chest, that is, to remove what creates discomfort and pain in the chest. To do this, you first need to gently stroke the entire breast, and then, gently pressing, stroke it towards the nipple, put four fingers under the areola (thumb should be on top) and sprinkle excess milk with light squeezes. As soon as the chest pain passes, this process must be stopped, and when discomfort reappears, the procedure must be repeated again.
If for some reason it is impossible to breastfeed the baby, then the milk must be completely expressed in some other way (the breast must be completely emptied). For example, you can resort to using a breast pump or expressing with your hands. In order to unblock the passages for milk and help pumping, the breast must be massaged. Due to severe pain in the chest, this will not be easy to do, but you will not help here in any other way, because if the breast is not massaged, then the milk can burn out, as a result of which a seal forms in the chest, which will only have to be removed surgically.
You can also call a nurse from the maternity hospital who will provide quick and professional assistance. Still, it is better to use the services of a professional, because inept, improper pumping can lead to a worsening of the situation, and swelling and bruising may appear on the delicate skin of the chest. In the way that get rid of milk fever you need to completely empty your chest.
If a nursing mother has a severe headache with milk fever, then you can take a tablet of paracetamol or analgin, but before that you should definitely consult a doctor. If he allows you to drink a pill, then it is best to do this 5 minutes before feeding, in which case it will not have time to dissolve in milk, thus not harming the baby.
If a nursing mother has a high temperature with milk fever, then we must try to reduce it a little, of course, while it is better not to resort to various drugs, but to do this using natural methods. For example, you can do a cold douche, a cold enema, and a woman can also do a rubdown with water and vinegar.
In addition, during a milk fever, a nursing mother should stop taking hot food, and even more so liquid, this is necessary so that the flow of milk does not increase even more. But the best thing is not to bring yourself to such a state. Every nursing mother should know that her breasts must be expressed regularly (at least for prevention purposes), one should not be lazy, otherwise such an unpleasant problem as milk fever may arise. It is especially necessary to express for those women whose breasts are prone to problems of this kind. And yet - during the period when mature milk arrives, it is very important to feed the baby more often.
Thus, milk fever is not such a terrible disease as it might seem at first glance. The main thing in this situation is not to panic, but to act correctly, adhering to the recommendations described above.

Each of us knows exactly what to do at the first sign of a cold. But when chills appear and the temperature rises during breastfeeding, this inevitably raises fears of harming the baby. Young mothers are at a loss how to help their body as soon as possible and are looking for the cause of fever.

Elevated thermometer readings may indicate that a nursing mother has a cold, but there are other reasons, which a qualified specialist will help you to establish. Temperature failures can be observed in the first weeks after childbirth, but how dangerous they are, let the doctor decide.

If a nursing mother did not visit public institutions with a large crowd of people in the near future, then postpartum inflammatory diseases or exacerbation of chronic diseases should not be ruled out.

Self-medication in such cases is dangerous, as it can aggravate the problem.

One of the reasons may be lactational mastitis, when inflammation in the mammary glands is observed against the background of general weakness of the body with an increase in temperature. This disease cannot be treated without antibiotics.

Is breastfeeding allowed at high temperatures?

Breastfeeding temperature can indicate a serious illness, so only a doctor can make a diagnosis and determine how much treatment will affect milk production.

Breastfeeding can be continued if:

• The temperature during breastfeeding increased against the background of the menstrual cycle,
• Fever is one of the symptoms of a cold, mastitis, tonsillitis, even pneumonia, which can be treated with gentle drugs or special antibiotics that do not affect the feeding process. If you stop breastfeeding at such a moment, the baby will be deprived of protection from various kinds of viruses and bacteria.
• The temperature is caused by overwork or sleep disturbances.
• The temperature is caused by the stagnation of milk in the milk ducts.

However, there are some diseases in which breastfeeding can be dangerous, and the baby is temporarily transferred to artificial nutrition.

What are these diseases?

1. Purulent mastitis - with this diagnosis, harmful bacteria are able to penetrate into breast milk.
2. Heart failure.
3. Renal failure.
4. A disease in which antibiotics are prescribed that are incompatible with hepatitis B.
5. Exacerbation of chronic diseases of the liver, lungs, kidneys.

Usually, breastfeeding is stopped for the duration of treatment, decanting the breast and maintaining lactation for the subsequent resumption of feeding. But if a serious diagnosis is made, there may be a need to stop breastfeeding.

How to deal with the temperature during HB?

Since many of the drugs are able to penetrate into breast milk, many mothers prefer to bring down the temperature and be treated with folk methods without resorting to drugs.

It must be remembered that the temperature up to 38.5 degrees is not brought down by medication, since at such a time the body fights on its own with the disease and the elevated temperature contributes to the production of antibodies.

Rest, bed rest, airing the home will help speed up the healing process. If the temperature has exceeded 38.5, then a common remedy for lowering it is paracetamol.

Paracetamol has no effect on breast milk, unlike aspirin and ibuprofen, which can cause allergic manifestations in a child.

They will help reduce the temperature and wiping with a damp cloth dipped in cool water. Hot teas with chamomile, raspberries, lemon and honey will also help. It should be remembered that drinking plenty of water contributes to increased milk production, so fluid intake should be controlled.

The described methods of reducing the temperature are suitable, provided that it lasts no more than three days. With a longer period, the help of a doctor is needed, who will determine the diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment.

If in the early postpartum period (in the first 2 hours after childbirth) fatigue is a direct consequence of muscle work and the psychological stress of the birth process, then within 6-8 weeks after childbirth and beyond, weakness is an indicator of various conditions associated with both physiological and with psychological reasons.

Let's consider the main ones.

Anemia. Occurs as a result of birth or postpartum hemorrhage (if any). Normal blood loss during childbirth is considered not to exceed 0.5% of body weight (on average, after physiological childbirth, it is 200-300 ml). The bleeding then continues into the postpartum period. There is a decrease in the level of red blood cells and, as a consequence, hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is contained in red blood cells - erythrocytes, consists of protein and iron and is the main respiratory enzyme - a substance that delivers oxygen to organs and tissues. The more blood loss, the stronger the feeling of weakness due to the resulting oxygen deficiency of organs and tissues. Weakness is one of the signs of anemia (a decrease in the amount of hemoglobin in red blood cells - erythrocytes), especially iron deficiency, which is determined in 90% of cases of all anemia. The fact is that iron binds oxygen, thereby ensuring the respiratory function of the blood. It is known that iron in the body is contained, in addition to erythrocytes, liver and spleen (the main hematopoietic organs), also in brain cells and myoglobin - a kind of "hemoglobin" of muscles. Hence, observed in anemia, muscle weakness and inhibition of mental activity. In addition, shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, as well as changes associated with a lack of oxygen and nutrients may appear: hair loss, brittle nails, cracks in the corners of the mouth. With pathological blood loss (after caesarean section, hypotonic postpartum hemorrhage, placental abruption, massive soft tissue ruptures), as well as in the presence of anemia during pregnancy, weakness is aggravated.

In turn, iron deficiency leads to a sharp weakening of the immune system, which can also be manifested by weakness and susceptibility to viral and bacterial infections. To stimulate hematopoiesis, iron and vitamins C, B, folic acid, and proteins are needed.

In case of detection of anemia, it is recommended to take iron-containing drugs, vitamin therapy, protein diet, normalization of sleep and wakefulness. It is desirable to check the clinical analysis of blood in dynamics - several times during treatment. Treatment of anemia is long-term (at least 4-6 weeks), although health improves quickly. This is also true during breastfeeding.

Changes in the activity of various body systems

Features of the cardiovascular system. It is known that during pregnancy the volume of circulating blood increases by 30-50%. At the same time, blood pressure changes, the work of the heart becomes more intense. After childbirth, these indicators also change, but only in the opposite direction, and not gradually, but sharply. And any sudden physiological changes in the body are initially felt as discomfort and take time to adapt.

Hormonal changes. There is a reconfiguration of the work of the endocrine glands (hypothalamus, pituitary gland, adrenal glands) in order to adapt to the new needs of the body, primarily to postpartum recovery and breastfeeding. The hormonal shift is manifested in the first two or three days after childbirth by an increased release of prolactin (a pituitary hormone that stimulates milk production) - the first milk supply that occurs with breast engorgement, fever and severe weakness. Further, throughout the entire period of breastfeeding, such vegetative manifestations as “internal trembling”, sweating, especially at night, and again weakness can be observed. Hormonal changes directly depend on the restructuring of the activity of the central nervous system with a change in the dominant of childbirth to the dominant of feeding and motherhood 1.

Change in topography (location) of internal organs. By analogy with empty nest syndrome, termination of pregnancy can be called "empty belly syndrome". This condition has psychological and physiological components. Within a few months, the organs of the abdominal cavity and chest (intestines, diaphragm, heart, lungs) gradually changed their location, moving up and to the sides by the pregnant uterus. And then they were forced to immediately "fall" into the vacated space. This sudden movement of organs can be accompanied by discomfort. In addition, a woman who has been interacting with a child for nine months on the principle of “I carry everything with me” suddenly loses her constant “burden”. And despite the fact that the child becomes psychologically closer, the feeling of bodily "loss and emptiness" can make itself felt. This symptom is temporary. Sometimes women may experience the moment of childbirth as a loss of a sense of fullness, which can subsequently provoke postpartum depression.

Psychological changes. It should be noted that special psychological conditions can also be the cause of postpartum weakness. This so-called postpartum adaptation, associated with the arrival of a new family member, and postpartum depression, one of the symptoms of which is a feeling of lack of strength. But such states are the topics of separate articles 2 .

A young mother should not forget that postpartum weakness is a treatable and (importantly!) passing condition. It will definitely be replaced by a period of vital activity. Weakness arises in accordance with the law of the general rhythm of our life: tension is always followed by relaxation. Remember how during childbirth, every contraction was followed by a pause. The alternation of daytime wakefulness and nighttime rest, inhalation and exhalation, also well illustrate this pattern. Therefore, if you feel weak, you should not give in to panic: you should simply accept this state as temporary and help yourself to wait it out.