From temperature while breastfeeding. Mom's temperature with hot water: reasons how to bring it down and what can be done

The period of breastfeeding is marked by a very careful attitude of the mother to her state of health. However, everything does not always go smoothly, and the reason is not at all in a carefree attitude to one's position.

The body temperature of a nursing mother may increase due to the onset of such circumstances:

  • acute respiratory illness;
  • the onset of lactostasis or mastitis;
  • the presence of other inflammatory processes or infections;
  • food or chemical poisoning, etc.

A fever in a nursing mother often does not require weaning. Modern breastfeeding consultants and doctors even insist on its active continuation. After all, only with breast milk the baby will receive all the antibodies that will help him fight diseases. If, at a temperature during lactation, you also stop breastfeeding, then the risk of transmitting the disease to a cold or flu in your child increases significantly.

How to measure the temperature of a nursing mother?

An important role in determining the indicators of the mother's body temperature is the method of obtaining them. If we take into account that milk flushes cause a natural increase in milk in the armpit, then measuring there is a way to obtain inaccurate information. Until 40 days of feeding, doctors advise you to measure the temperature at the bend of the elbow. Normal temperature in a nursing mother ranges from 36.5 ° C to 37.2 ° C. It is worth noting that these data can fluctuate and be different throughout the day.

How to lower the temperature of a nursing mother?

Before starting treatment for fever during breastfeeding, it is worth determining the exact causes of its occurrence, assessing the benefit-risk ratio for you and the baby, and choosing drugs intended exclusively for breastfeeding. To bring down the temperature during lactation in a short time and in the complete absence of any negative consequences will help candles, which contain Ibuprofen or Paracetamol. They do not pass into breast milk, but their effect is much weaker than that of pills. Fever-feeding women are often prescribed special antipyretic drugs for children, which will gently and harmlessly eliminate a few extra degrees. Also, do not forget about cool compresses and rubdowns with a weak solution of vinegar. You should not resort to rubbing in alcohol or tinctures containing it - this can lead to poisoning of a weakened body. The body itself, which begins to actively release the protective hormone interferon, which helps to defeat the incipient disease, can still take care of how and how to bring down the temperature of a coughing mother.

What to drink for nursing at a temperature?

Drinking plenty and frequent drinking is one of the safest methods of lowering the temperature. You need to drink a wide variety of juices, dried fruit compotes, jelly and fruit drinks. Do not neglect drinking tea with lemon, milk with honey, raspberry or viburnum jam. Be sure to exclude the possibility of an infant's allergic reactions to these components.

Remember that you are responsible not only for yourself, but also for the little creature nesting near your chest. Therefore, only a competent doctor can prescribe a medicine for fever during lactation, and not relatives or yourself. It is he who decides what is possible for nursing from temperature, depending on the characteristics of the lactation period, individual indicators of the state of the mother and child and the reasons for its occurrence.

Family members can also help with how to reduce the temperature of a nursing mother by providing the woman with adequate peace and opportunity to rest.

In a nursing mother, in some cases, the body temperature may rise, which characterizes the presence of an inflammatory process or the body's response to the introduction of a foreign agent of an infectious or viral nature. In such a situation, the question immediately arises of how to bring down the temperature of a nursing mother so as not to harm the newborn baby.

The issue deserves increased attention, since the mother will not be able to properly care for the baby, and breastfeeding will be at risk if she has a high temperature, which greatly worsens her physical condition, up to the inability to get out of bed. It is important to understand the origin of hyperthermia, since many serious pathologies are manifested by this symptom and can threaten the life and health of a woman.

If the temperature rises suddenly without coughing, runny nose and sneezing, but there is weakness and pain anywhere, you need to urgently go to the nearest medical facility or call an ambulance. Viral infections and colds, manifested by an increase in temperature, a nursing mother can treat at home, but if the condition worsens, you should urgently contact a specialist for examination and prescribing adequate therapy, taking into account active lactation.

Usually, the following pathologies are diagnosed in a nursing mother, which cause an increase in body temperature:

  • flu;
  • viral infection;
  • complications of influenza and viral infection in the form of tracheitis, bronchitis or pneumonia;
  • inflammatory processes of the endometrium in mothers in the early postpartum period are quite common, especially if childbirth was proceeding with complications;
  • lactostasis occurs in young mothers in 70% of cases due to an increased stay of breast milk, improper attachment of the baby to the breast, an uncomfortable bra, congenital anomalies of the structure of the mammary gland and cysts;
  • mastitis, as a complication of lactostasis;
  • rupture of the ovarian cyst, as a result of hormonal imbalance;
  • ectopic pregnancy;
  • exacerbation of chronic pathologies, for example, pyelonephritis, otitis media, adnexitis, tonsillitis.

To bring down the temperature of a nursing mother, it is best to consult a doctor first to prevent unwanted consequences. It should be remembered that in some situations, antipyretic drugs can lubricate the clinical manifestations of acute surgical pathologies, since they have an analgesic effect.

How to measure and when to lower the temperature?

It is very important for a nursing mother to know how to correctly measure body temperature, since there are nuances during lactation. Measurement in the armpit will always give overestimated values ​​(37.1-37.5 degrees) due to the breast filled with milk, which has a temperature of at least 37 degrees. Therefore, you should measure it no earlier than half an hour after feeding and pumping, or, in extreme cases, use the elbow bend for such a procedure. Wipe the skin at the measurement site dry, because moisture reduces degrees.

It is not recommended to knock down temperatures up to 38-38.5 degrees, especially with flu and viral infections. Hyperthermia in this situation characterizes the immune resistance to the virus, that is, the suppression of a foreign agent by the body's defenses. If the indicators are artificially reduced within 38 degrees, immunity is suppressed, and the infection begins to progress, which can provoke complications in the form of tracheitis, bronchitis and pneumonia.

But it should also be remembered that indicators above 39 degrees cause the onset of the process of general intoxication, and at a mark of more than 40, cerebral edema may begin, which is manifested by convulsions and confusion. Therefore, if the mercury column reaches 38 degrees, the nursing mother can drink medications from the temperature, but only allowed during lactation. Usually doctors recommend unflavored Paracetamol or Ibuprofen tablets.

Mom's actions at home

If a nursing woman is sure that hyperthermia is caused by a common cold or a viral infection, she can stop this process at home without thinking about how to bring down the temperature. Usually, in this case, experts recommend the following measures:

  • bed rest, if possible, because the mother usually spends a lot of time with the baby, and she does not always have helpers;
  • wearing a disposable mask with regular replacement every 3 hours to prevent infection of the child;
  • plentiful drink, for which only decoctions from medicinal plants (chamomile, linden, rose hips, sage), tea with honey and lemon are used during lactation, if the baby is not allergic to these products;
  • from the temperature, you can drink paracetamol or nurofen, but in the recommended dosage, according to the annotation to the drug, and no more than 3-4 times a day;
  • the use of rectal suppositories with paracetamol is a safer and more effective option for eliminating hyperthermia;
  • rubbing with a solution of vinegar and water in a ratio of 1: 1, in a warm form, starting with the palms and feet;
  • compresses with a similar solution on the temporal region, armpits and the perineal area, that is, the effect on large blood vessels allows you to reduce body temperature;
  • the lytic mixture is injected intramuscularly and is considered the fastest and most effective method for severe hyperthermia, more than 39 degrees.

If relief does not come after 3-4 days, and the pathological symptoms continue to increase, you should immediately consult a doctor for more effective therapy, which in most cases includes antibacterial drugs. The penicillin series of antibiotics has a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect and is not a contraindication for interrupting breastfeeding. They also prescribe restorative measures, mucolytics, hot drink with paracetamol in a dosage of 500 milligrams, which can also be drunk by a nursing mother from a temperature, but no more than 2 times a day for several days. Drinking plenty of fluids lasts for 7-10 days to reduce the intoxication of the woman's body and maintain normal lactation.

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Unfortunately, all people get sick, and young mothers are no exception. In this case, the question arises as to whether it is possible to breastfeed at a temperature.

Viral infection

Mother's milk is not just food for a newborn baby. It is necessary for the formation of the baby's immune system. Plus, no adapted formula contains as many nutrients as breast milk. Therefore, refusing to feed is an extreme measure, permissible only in the most difficult situations.

Fever is usually caused by viral infections. And the first thing a young mother thinks about is to temporarily transfer the baby to feeding with an adapted formula in order to reduce the risk of infection of the baby. However, things are not so simple.

Symptoms of the disease, including fever, appear several days after infection. By this time, pathogens had already been transmitted to the child. In addition, if the mother is not going to give the baby to the care of grandmothers for the entire duration of the illness, refusing to breastfeed will not give the desired result. After all, viruses are spread by airborne droplets.

In case of infection, milk may be the best medicine for the baby. The immunity of an adult begins to fight viruses as soon as they enter the body. This means that by the time the symptoms appear, a sufficient amount of antibodies have already been developed, which are transmitted to the newborn along with the mother's milk, which will either ease the course of the disease in the baby, or even prevent the development of the disease altogether.

Of course, you need to consult your doctor. However, today most pediatricians do not recommend stopping breastfeeding at a temperature.

Reasons for not breastfeeding

If the temperature rises, the nursing mother needs to find out the cause of the violation. Cold temperatures can be viral or stress-related. In some women, body temperature rises during ovulation. In such cases, breastfeeding is possible.

However, more serious problems can be associated with temperature. For example, inflammation that often occurs in the first weeks after childbirth. In addition, in a woman's body, exhausted by pregnancy and childbirth, long-standing chronic ailments can be aggravated.

- the disease of young mothers - provokes not only an increase in temperature, but also inflammatory processes in the mammary glands.

Determine in what situation you can feed the baby, and when you need to refuse, only a doctor can. Therefore, you need to contact a specialist immediately.

A woman needs to know that it is necessary to give up feeding only at a high temperature. Above 39 ° C, the taste of milk may change, and not for the better. This can induce the baby to give up breast. Therefore, if the fever has not been reduced in time, the best option is to take a break.

In cases where the cause of fever is diseases of the kidneys, liver, heart or lungs, breast milk should not be given to the baby.

Taking antibiotics is a reason to stop breastfeeding. However, today there are antibacterial drugs designed specifically for babies and nursing women. Unfortunately, they cannot always cope with serious illnesses, so the choice of antibiotics and the possibility of breastfeeding during the treatment period should be discussed with the doctor. Otherwise, there is a risk of harm to the health of the mother or child.


Treatment methods

Reducing fever in time will help prolong breastfeeding. However, you need to understand that not all fever remedies can be taken by a young mother.

So, drugs based on ibuprofen either, as a rule, do not affect milk, if you adhere to the dosage and dosage regimen. The drugs are taken immediately after feeding. In this case, by the next meal of the child, the concentration of the drug in the milk will be minimal. This means that it will not harm the baby. It is best to use antipyretic suppositories rather than taking pills.

But medications that contain aspirin are strictly prohibited during breastfeeding. Your doctor will tell you what you can take.

In cases where the temperature is less than 38 ° C, a woman can do without antipyretic drugs, giving the immune system the opportunity to overcome the disease on its own. This temperature will not affect the quality and taste of milk.

Drinking plenty of fluids will help reduce fever and feed your baby safely. First of all, you need to drink warm tea. If the child does not have allergies, you can add a few drops of lemon juice to it.

But even in this case, much depends on the reason for the fever. So, with kidney disease, a large amount of fluid can increase pain. You should not be too zealous with drinking in the case of mastitis, as milk production may increase.

Of course, it is up to the mother to decide whether or not to continue breastfeeding during treatment. But it must be remembered that for a child, weaning is a huge stress and, possibly, harm to further development.

What to do when the temperature rises during lactation? Can antipyretics be taken, and which ones? In what dosage and form is it better to use the drugs? Can I continue to feed my baby? Rules of behavior for mothers with fever and illness.

An increase in body temperature serves as a signal for the fight of immunity against the causative agent of the disease. When it comes to a nursing mother, doctors immediately specify the age of her baby. When less than six weeks have passed since birth, there is a risk of postpartum complications, especially if the birth itself was difficult. Temperature may indicate inflammation of postpartum scars or the development of an inflammatory process of the genitourinary system.

In this case, you will definitely need the help of a doctor. And at the reception, you must contact the specialist who delivered the birth. “Within six weeks after giving birth, a gynecologist is responsible for a woman’s health,” comments Nana Ordzhonikidze, doctor of medical sciences, obstetrician-gynecologist. - In case of a fever at this time, you should contact the antenatal clinic or “your” doctor in the maternity hospital. "

Reasons for the rise in temperature

After the postpartum period, the reasons for which the temperature rises during breastfeeding may be as follows.

Despite the differences in the causes of discomfort, the question of how to bring down the temperature during lactation, which has risen to 37 or 39 degrees, is solved by the same means.

Mom's action tactics

So, the temperature has risen during lactation. What to do? Breastfeeding counselors recommend the following tactics.

1. Determine the cause

Usually it lies "on the surface" if the mother has symptoms of acute respiratory infections, lactostasis or intestinal infection. See your doctor for professional advice on the choice of treatment tactics.

2. Don't stop feeding

Often, doctors recommend stopping breastfeeding if the mother's temperature is 38 degrees or higher. There is no reason for this, warns breastfeeding consultant Natalya Razakhatskaya. According to the “Breastfeeding” methodological guide for physicians by lactation expert, doctor Ruth Lawrence, it is not allowed to stop breastfeeding if the mother has the following diseases:

  • ARI, flu;
  • lactostasis, mastitis, breast abscess;
  • diarrhea;
  • hepatitis A, B, C;
  • herpes (except for the areola zone);
  • staphylococcal infection of various localization;
  • rubella;
  • measles;
  • diseases of an autoimmune nature.

Their treatment is possible with drugs compatible with breastfeeding, including "loyal" antibiotics. In addition, during the period of viral diseases in the blood of a woman, antibodies to them are produced, with which breast milk is saturated. By continuing to breastfeed, you are protecting your baby from illness. And if the baby is also infected, you make the course of the disease easier.

3. Measure the temperature correctly

Usually, the armpit area of ​​a breastfeeding woman feels hotter. This is due to the fact that milk, accumulating in the mammary glands, somewhat raises their temperature. Normally, the temperature during breastfeeding is 37.1-37.3 degrees, sometimes slightly higher. To get a reliable result, you need to feed the baby, wait about half an hour, wipe the skin of the armpits dry and only then use the thermometer.

4. Use antipyretics correctly

It is believed that the best antipyretic during lactation is necessary in suppositories, since the active substance remains in the intestines and does not pass into breast milk. This is not true. Regardless of the method of administration of the drug into the body, it is concentrated in the blood plasma, and from there it is sent to the mammary glands. The only difference is that tablets and syrups are absorbed in the stomach much faster than in the intestine, since the area of ​​interaction of the drug with the mucous membrane is larger. Therefore, if you want to quickly bring down the temperature, use tablets. If you need an extended effect, for example, overnight, use candles. The active substance from them enters the bloodstream gradually.

5. Drink more

General recommendation for all diseases of a viral, bacterial nature, lactostasis. When the temperature rises, the body loses more fluid than usual. This can cause the milk to become too viscous and impede its outflow, which creates the risk of lactostasis. Regularly, every hour and a half, drink a glass of water if your body temperature rises above 38o.

Often, mothers wonder how to bring down the temperature during lactation, when the thermometer shows a little above 37. This is not necessary to allow the immune system to fully fight the disease. The reason for taking antipyretics is an increase in the indicators on the thermometer to 38.5.

Safe and prohibited means

Only "Paracetamol" and "Ibuprofen" should be used as antipyretic drugs during lactation.

"Paracetamol"

Compatible with breastfeeding, in accordance with the international drug reference E-LACTANCIA, reference book "Medicines and Mother's Milk" by Thomas Hale, WHO recommendations. Clinically tested, tested in a study by the international center ALSPAC with the participation of twelve thousand pregnant women.

Despite the fact that "Paracetamol" penetrates the placental barrier during pregnancy and has a high degree of secretion into breast milk (according to various sources, up to 24%), the active substance does not adversely affect either the fetus during intrauterine development or the infant ... There are preparations of "Paracetamol" for children from two months of age, so its use is completely safe.

The dosage of "Paracetamol" to bring down the temperature during breastfeeding is 325-650 mg every 4-6 hours. Analogs of the drug - "Efferalgan", "Panadol" in tablets, suppositories. Forms in syrup are intended for use in children, their dosage is not suitable for an adult.

Ibuprofen

Non-steroidal drug, has antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effect. Due to the complex effect, it is increasingly recommended by doctors for diseases accompanied by fever, pain syndrome, and the development of inflammation.

According to the international classifier of medicines, it is compatible with breastfeeding, relieves pain in lactostasis and mastitis well, eliminates headache in acute respiratory infections. As an antipyretic, it has an extended duration of action - up to eight hours.

The dosage is 200 mg 3-4 times a day. For quick relief of the condition, a single dose of 400 mg of the drug is allowed with a further reduction in the dose to 200 mg. The maximum daily dosage is 400 mg of Ibuprofen three times a day.

Drug analogues - Nurofen, Ibufen, Ibuprom. The intensity of penetration into breast milk is minimal, just over 1%, since the active substance is productively bound to blood proteins. It is localized in breast milk one hour after ingestion.

"Aspirin"

The active ingredient of the popular antipyretic agent is acetylsalicylic acid. According to the international classifier E-LACTANCIA, it refers to drugs that should be taken with great care during lactation, once, if there is no other, safer alternative.

There is evidence that the use of Aspirin by the mother during breastfeeding can provoke topical damage to the liver and brain in the child (Ray's syndrome). The drug can cause a deterioration in the baby's condition if he is also sick during the period of the mother's illness.

Antipyretic rules

  • Use only safe product... Your choice should be "Paracetamol" or "Ibuprofen". The absence of their negative impact on the child has been proven in clinical trials.
  • Use the drug only when necessary. You should not take a pill "just in case" so that the temperature does not rise. Despite the proven safety of "Paracetamol", there is no data on its effect on infants when taken systematically.
  • Adjust the appointment time. It is best to drink the medicine immediately after feeding. Then the level in breast milk by the next feeding will be insignificant.
  • Do not adjust your feeding schedule if using approved food. This is not necessary, feed as you and your baby need.

Use multiple products if the temperature does not drop. What medications can be alternated to bring down the temperature while breastfeeding? According to pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky, sequential intake of "Paracetamol" and "Ibuprofen" is allowed. If, two hours after taking the first, the temperature has not dropped, you can take the second in a therapeutic dose.

Do not use combination products. The composition of preparations based on "Paracetamol" may include substances, the features of the effect of which on the child's body are not known. These include Coldrex, Rinza, Terra Flu, and others in powders and tablets. Take the active ingredient in its pure form.

Even if the temperature is high, nothing happens to your milk. It cannot "burn out" or "sour". Both the mother and the baby need to maintain a normal breastfeeding regime in this situation. You - to protect yourself from lactostasis. To the kid - to get a "dose" of antibodies to the disease.

When the mercury column on the thermometer crosses the 38 mark, our standard response is to swallow antipyretic drugs. However, it is known that a nursing mother should take any medications with caution so as not to harm the baby. What is the way to safely lower body temperature during breastfeeding and, most importantly, is taking a pill always the only correct line of behavior?

To shoot down or not to shoot down is the question

Recently, it is increasingly said that the uncontrolled intake of antipyretic drugs, especially in the early days of the onset of the disease, is an incorrect and very dangerous tactic.

You don't always have to knock down the heat

To understand what is the matter here, you need to understand why the temperature rises. Fever is never the cause of the disease, it is always its symptom. Thus, antipyretic drugs are at least not a cure.

Specialists in infectious diseases, as well as mathematics and statistics from McMaster University in Hamilton (Ontario, Canada) published a sensational article in the journal "Proceedings of the Royal Society B": in the United States, at least 700 people die from influenza every year because in society, it is customary to use antipyretic drugs.

N. Markina

https://www.gazeta.ru/health/2014/01/24_a_5862857.shtml

Why is this happening?

The fact is that, in general, an increase in body temperature indicates that the body has noticed a threat, took the information into account and began to act.

In particular, with hyperthermia:

  1. There is an active synthesis of the so-called "heat shock proteins" - specific molecules that protect the cell from damage as a result of any negative factor.
  2. Interferon is produced - a substance that protects the body until the moment when it forms its own antibodies to the causative agent of the disease. The higher the temperature, the more interferon is produced.
  3. The microorganisms that caused the disease die or at least cannot actively multiply: the most favorable temperature for most pathogenic bacteria and viruses is just the normal temperature of the human body. When our body is warmed up to 39 ° C and above, they become very sick. By lowering the temperature, we improve the life of the virus!
  4. The activity of leukocytes increases, respectively, these particles responsible for immunity are more often "found" with a virus (or a microbe).
  5. The elimination of toxins and dead microbes from the body is accelerated.
  6. Antibodies begin to form, which "remember" the enemy and immediately start an attack the next time they meet him.

However, too high a temperature can be dangerous. The problem is that the activation of all of the above processes is accompanied by additional heat release (heat production increases) and a simultaneous decrease in heat transfer. As a result, the thermoregulation process is disrupted. Thus, the body accumulates heat much more than is needed to overcome the disease.

Hyperpyretic fever can be life-threatening

Too high a temperature is fraught with a violation of the water-salt balance and depletion of energy reserves in the body, which can seriously damage the nervous system, as well as the kidneys and heart.

With each additional degree of body temperature, the respiration rate increases by four inhalations and exhalations, and the number of pulse beats per minute - by 10–20. Thus, pyretic and hyperpyretic temperature (40 ° C and above), if no measures are taken to lower it, can lead to the fact that a sufficient amount of oxygen will not be delivered to the heart muscle, which means that an extensive heart attack with fatal the outcome.

It is for this reason that it is said that, as a rule:

  • if in the first days of the course of the disease the body temperature does not rise above 38 ° C-38.5 ° C, it is not necessary to bring it down;
  • the higher temperature must be reduced;
  • if the fever does not go away three days after the onset of the illness, the patient needs urgent medical attention, and if treatment has already been prescribed, it needs to be adjusted.

Nevertheless, some clarifications need to be made to what has been said. The fact is that by the phrase "bring down the temperature" we usually mean taking specific antipyretic drugs. It is in this sense that we used this term above.

However, "not to shoot down" does not mean to do nothing. Failure to follow a certain algorithm of actions for fever is likely to lead to the fact that the temperature will increase, and emergency medication will still be needed. But it is in our power to prevent this situation, or at least try to do it.

Before taking medicine

Any antipyretic drugs have side effects. It is especially important for a nursing mother to understand this. If you can do without drugs, you need to use this opportunity.

It may seem unbelievable, but just the observance of elementary and very simple rules allows you to achieve a decrease in body temperature with fever by a degree and a half! In other words, go down from 40 ° C, which is dangerous for health, to “useful”, especially in the first days of illness, 38.5 ° C

All we need is to optimize thermoregulation by:

  • reduction of heat production;
  • increasing heat transfer.

If the temperature is lowered through the gentle regulation of natural mechanisms, and not at the expense of an aggressive drug, all the above-mentioned beneficial effects of hyperthermia (production of interferon, strengthening of immunity, destruction of the pathogen) will be preserved: we will just remove the excess heat generated by the body in the process of active fight against the disease "in excess" of what is needed to overcome it.

Reducing heat production

At elevated temperatures, you need to try to limit the processes associated with the production of heat as much as possible, and even more so not to supply heat to the body from the outside.

Try to reduce heat production before taking an antipyretic

The rules are very simple:

  1. We observe bed rest (the less physical activity, the less heat is generated).
  2. We limit food (digestion of food is also accompanied by the release of heat).
  3. Food and drink should not be hot (too cold is also not allowed, we will say more about this, better room temperature or slightly higher)
  4. No warming folk entertainment like mustard plasters, cans, rubbing and inhalations.

Increased heat transfer

There are a few points worth highlighting here:

  • drinking plenty of fluids;
  • temperature regime in the room;
  • the right clothes.

It's amazing how often we hear these simple and clear rules and how rarely we follow them! Perhaps the fact is that the principle of their work is not clear to us? Let's try to fix the situation.

Drinking plenty of fluids

Sweating is one of the natural mechanisms of heat transfer.

The activity of internal organs and skeletal muscles form heat, which requires an outlet to the outside, otherwise the entire system is threatened by overheating, therefore, getting rid of excess heat occurs through the surface of the body, mainly by evaporation of sweat. Evaporation from the surface of the skin, water passes from a liquid to a gaseous state and absorbs energy. Thanks to this, the skin, and with it our body, cools.

Sweating. Sweat biochemistry.

At elevated body temperature, normal sweating is therefore particularly important. In order for sweat to be produced, a sufficient amount of fluid must be present in the body (it is this fluid that exits through the sweat glands and evaporates, cooling the skin).

Thus, drinking plenty of fluids with hyperthermia is a prerequisite for connecting the body's internal reserves to remove excess heat.

It is very important that the liquid that we drink during this period is enriched as much as possible with the necessary minerals and vitamins, as well as glucose: all this will provide additional assistance to the immune system in a moment of extreme stress. It is best to give preference to non-carbonated sweet drinks at room temperature - compotes, herbal infusions or decoctions (it is especially good if raisins, dried apricots and other dried fruits are included in the raw materials for their preparation).

But the famous tea with raspberries, contrary to popular belief, is undesirable to drink during high temperatures. There are three reasons for this:

  1. Raspberry itself is a very strong sweat stimulant (the diaphoretic properties of raspberry jam are even higher than that of aspirin).
  2. Tea, on the other hand, has strong diuretic properties.
  3. A hot drink is a source of heat that is completely unnecessary in a situation where we are struggling with excess degrees.

Thus, the loss of fluid from an ordinary cup of tea with raspberries turns out to be inadequately high and, if the body, due to the high temperature, is currently dehydrated, such a medicine will simply finish it off. Do not give up your favorite treat: just put it off until the recovery period, when the body temperature drops a little, and until then, drink cool compotes!

Raspberry tea is a poor choice at high temperatures!

The above fully applies to hot milk with honey. This drink soothes a sore throat well, but it is absolutely inappropriate for hyperthermia.

So, drink more, but only the "right" drinks!

Temperature regime

We constantly want to warm a sick person. Moreover, high fever is often accompanied by chills. But this is also a vicious practice.

Breathing, like sweating, is a natural heat transfer mechanism. The colder air gets into our lungs, the more heat is lost when we exhale.

Let's compare. In a room warmed up to the generally accepted +25 ° C, there is a patient whose body temperature has risen to +38 ° C. Once in the lungs of such a patient, the air leaves them, warmed up by 13 degrees, this difference between the inhaled and exhaled (thrown out) temperatures is the level of heat transfer. But if the air temperature in the room is +18 ° C, heat transfer increases from 13 to 20 degrees, that is, for a minute, by 50%! It is quite obvious: in the second case, the likelihood that the patient will need antipyretic drugs is much lower than in the first.

Of course, +18 ° C indoors is quite cold. At the same time, the patient with hyperthermia does not need to freeze and generally experience any additional discomfort. Nobody says that households should repeat the famous torture of radio operator Kat from the movie “17 Moments of Spring”, when the child was left without diapers in front of the open window in front of the unfortunate mother. Not at all. The patient should feel warm, but at the same time be in a cool room. The optimum temperature is the range from +18 ° C to +22 ° C, and the closer to the lower limit, the better.

The fact is that the maximum heat transfer is provided precisely by breathing, and not by cooling the skin. Get dressed, take cover, but ventilate the room and turn off the heating if possible!

On this occasion, by the way, I would like to recall another national fun - knocking down the temperature by wiping the patient with alcohol, vodka, moonshine and - favorite! - vinegar. Yes, all these liquids, falling on the surface of the body, quickly evaporate and thus provide cooling, but at the same time, the substance is actively absorbed into the skin, from where it directly enters the bloodstream (in addition, we also inhale poisonous vapors) ... Alcohol and acetic acid in the blood are not the most useful component, but in the case of a nursing mother, such treatment is tantamount to a crime, because these substances easily penetrate into breast milk and can cause serious poisoning in the baby!

You should also not get carried away by taking ice baths or cold wipes. The problem is that the thermal shock experienced by the heated skin in the case of a sharp temperature contrast is accompanied by a spasm of the vessels located on its surface. The body is, as it were, "sealed" from the outside: outwardly, the patient will seem very cold, but the temperature of the internal organs, on the contrary, will rise greatly. Imagine an actively boiling boiler that is tightly closed, and it will be easy for you to understand how dangerous the consequences such a situation can cause. The skin of a patient with hyperthermia should be pink, not pale: this means that the pores are open and moisture can evaporate and excess heat through them.

Rubbing a patient with a high fever is permissible, but:

  • use only clean water for this;
  • the temperature of the compress should be comfortable (a few degrees below normal body temperature).

We wipe ourselves off only with warm water

However, if you managed to cool the air in the room to the desired values, most likely you will not need to wipe the patient, on the contrary, you need to dress him well!

High temperature clothing

In order to feel comfortable at + 18 ° C, a light T-shirt is clearly not enough. However, it is physically unpleasant for an actively sweating person to be sealed in "a hundred clothes". Therefore, the optimal outfit for such a patient is one layer of clothing made of natural material that allows air to pass through and absorbs moisture, plus a warm blanket. We lie down and sweat.

In conclusion of the review of "pre-drug" methods of knocking down the temperature, we note that they should be used in full even by those who cannot imagine their life without magic pills. The fact is that the principle of action of any antipyretic drug is to stimulate heat transfer, including by activating blood circulation. If, due to a lack of fluid, the patient's blood is too thick, no antipyretic agent will work!

Antipyretic drugs

In the overwhelming majority of cases, compliance with the above recommendations will save a nursing mother from the need to take medications "for fever". But if you have drunk two buckets of compote in the last couple of hours, if the room is cool and humid, and the thermometer still crossed the 39 ° C mark and is confidently creeping up, then yes, it's time to resort to emergency measures.

In all the variety of different antipyretic drugs, you need to remember only two drugs that a nursing mother can afford to take without first consulting a doctor and without interrupting breastfeeding: these are ibuprofen and paracetamol. Forget the rest!

Do not confuse the active substance with the trade name: a medicine can be called anything, in order to understand whether it suits you or not, open the instructions or check with the pharmacist (the first is more preferable).

Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) is a cheap and effective antipyretic. However, this drug has much more serious side effects than the two substances mentioned above, so in Europe it has long been forbidden to use aspirin for hyperthermia.

Metamizole sodium (analgin), nimesulide (the most famous trade name is Nise) and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, except for the two mentioned above, do not belong to drugs compatible with breastfeeding.

Ibuprofen

Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory substance that has a very important property for the topic of our conversation: it practically does not penetrate into breast milk.

During lactation, the maximum daily dose of the drug is 800 mg, a single dose is 400 mg. The course of treatment should not exceed three days, otherwise a doctor's consultation is needed.

A small dose of ibuprofen, which passes into breast milk, reaches its peak half an hour after administration and lasts for about an hour and a half. To minimize the risk of harm, the baby should be fed either immediately or at least two hours after taking the pill.

The most famous drug with ibuprofen has the trade name Nurofen. Depending on the manufacturer, one Nurofen tablet contains 200 or 400 mg of ibuprofen.

Nevertheless, the list of drugs with this active ingredient consists of several dozen names. Let's name just a few of them:

  • Advil;
  • No pain;
  • Bolifen;
  • Bren;
  • Brufen;
  • Burana;
  • Long;
  • Ibalgin;
  • Ibuprone;
  • Ibuprof;
  • Ibusan;
  • Ibutad;
  • Ibutop;
  • Ibufen;
  • Ypren;
  • Markofen;
  • MIG 200;
  • Motrin;
  • Perofen 200;
  • Profen;
  • Profinal;
  • Reumafen;
  • Solpaflex.

Photo gallery: the most famous ibuprofen drugs

Nurofen Ibuprofen Ibuprom Max

Ibuprofen preparations are contraindicated for people who are allergic to its components, as well as with cardiovascular diseases, liver or kidney problems, intestinal inflammation, stomach or duodenal ulcer, gastritis.

Paracetamol

This medication is also considered compatible with breastfeeding as long as the dosage is safe. The amount of the active substance that gets into breast milk does not exceed 0.23% of the dose contained in the mother's blood in the period from 40 minutes to three hours after administration (outside this period of time, the amount of paracetamol is even less). Despite the fact that the drug has a fairly large list of contraindications (including everything that has been said about ibuprofen), it is often used even in the treatment of children in the first year of life, so the risk of harm to the baby is still minimal.

Permissible doses of paracetamol for women during breastfeeding are 500 ml one time, during the day - 1 500 ml. The course of treatment is no longer than three days.

The most famous drug with paracetamol is Panadol. Usually one tablet contains just 500 ml of paracetamol, which makes the drug very convenient to use.

Other trade names for drugs that are essentially paracetamol include:

  • Adol;
  • Amakol-Teva;
  • Aldolor;
  • Aminadol;
  • Acetaminophen;
  • Acetomay;
  • Bindard;
  • Volpan;
  • Daynafed EX;
  • Daleron;
  • Dafalgan;
  • Deminophen;
  • Dolo;
  • Dolomol;
  • Ifimol;
  • Calpol;
  • Lecadol;
  • Lupocet;
  • Medipirin 500;
  • Mexalen;
  • Napa;
  • Novo-Jessik;
  • Opradol;
  • Pamol;
  • Paramol;
  • Paracet;
  • Pasemol;
  • Pacimol;
  • Perfalgan;
  • Piranol;
  • Pyrimol;
  • Passage;
  • Sanidol;
  • Syphenol;
  • Tylenol;
  • Febriset;
  • Tsefekon D;
  • Efferalgan.

Photo gallery: the most famous paracetamol preparations

Paracetamol

Dosage forms

Antipyretic drugs are available in a wide variety of dosage forms. These can be tablets, capsules, syrups, solutions for injections, powders, suspensions, suppositories, and even ointments. Let's try to make a choice.

Tablets

The most common form of taking antipyretics is, of course, tablets (capsules). When purchasing a medication, it is very important to know that the content of the active substance in preparations of various brands is far from always the same, and an overdose can adversely affect not only the condition of the mother, but also the baby. Therefore, you cannot do without arithmetic calculations, especially when the drug is purchased as self-medication!

Tablets are the most common dosage form for antipyretics

It is also worth noting that antipyretics (usually paracetamol) very often form the basis of various powders "against the flu and colds" (Teraflu, Coldrex, Fervex, Pharmacetron, etc.). A nursing mother should refrain from taking such drugs, because, in addition to the main active ingredient, they also contain other active ingredients, many of which are incompatible with breastfeeding and have other serious contraindications.

Injections

Among the various dosage forms in which paracetamol and ibuprofen preparations are produced, there are also solutions for injections.

It is better not to bring yourself to the point where you will need to do a drip

Intravenous infusion of antipyretic drugs is used in cases where the patient's condition is so severe that he is no longer able to swallow a pill, or it is necessary to ensure the fastest possible action of the drug. If this happened, of course, there is no choice, but a woman during breastfeeding is better not to bring herself to such an extreme.

Candles

Antipyretic drugs in suppositories are very often used in pediatrics, since it is sometimes difficult to cram a pill or syrup into a very small patient. But for a nursing mother, this dosage form is also quite relevant (and, according to some doctors, even preferable), since the risk of penetration of the active substance into breast milk in this case is much reduced. Both paracetamol and ibuprofen are available as suppositories.

It is impossible to unequivocally answer the question of which of the two indicated drugs should be given preference. It has been noticed that ibuprofen is better for some, while paracetamol is better for others. Neither substance causes addiction, so if your body is "tuned" to paracetamol, keep it in your home medicine cabinet (in tablets and suppositories), you should not experiment. And vice versa.

Video: Dr. Komarovsky on how to deal with high fever without medication

Fighting fever does not mean taking antipyretic drugs. You can bring down the heat by a degree and a half by drinking plenty of fluids, setting the optimal air temperature in the room, refusing a hearty lunch and hot drinks. Another degree and a half in excess of the norm must be "left" to the body in order to make it easier for it to cope with a bacterium or a virus, this is especially true in the first days of illness. If the fever, despite all the measures taken, does not decrease, there are only two drugs that a nursing mother can take without fear of putting the baby at risk. One is called paracetamol, the other is ibuprofen.