Clindamycin Question

[dandb925]

Morning! I started a 10-day dose of Clindamycin for mastitis last night (I'm allergic to Penicillin). My OB said to pump and dump for a few days, which is ok with me because I have a large freezer stash.

The last time this happened, my son was only 5 weeks old and developed thrush because I nursed him from the start of the antibiotic. I wanted to start nursing again on Friday but I'm worried about thrush again. Does anyone have any advice or thoughts on nursing him in a few days? Thanks for your help!

[emmyg65]

I would not pump and dump, but I'd give him some probiotics to help counter the risk of thrush.

[vvvvvfee]

you do not need to pump and dump. nursing is better when you have mastitis because babies empty the best more effectively than the pump, which should help you get better faster.

Clindamycin is a very safe med to use in breastfeeding. Less than 2% of what you take ends up in the milk. This is far less than what is prescribed directly to babies for their own infections. Keep an eye out for changes in your baby's bowel habits or any new rashes, but otherwise you should be fine. Mastitis is usually not a problem for nursing either. You should only stop breastfeeding if you have a large abscess or infectious material coming out of the nipple. The mastitis protocol written by the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine is linked below.

www.bfmed.org/Media/Files/Protocols/2014_Updated_Mastitis6.30.14.pdf
-from InfantRisk, the leading researchers on medications and BFing

as for preventing thrush, i would...

-take a probiotic and give LO a probiotic-- you can break open an adult capsule and pour some on your finger, then swab inside LOs mouth. continue on the probiotics for a couple of weeks after you finish the course of antibiotics

-eat probiotic/fermented foods-- apple cider vinegar, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, kefir, etc.

-drink tons of water

-avoid sugar/processed carbs/yeast in your diet as much as possible

[dandb925]

vvvvvfee, thank you! DS has been on a probiotic for a while and I started taking one yesterday. I'll stock up on yogurt too.