BFing when sick

I always dread sick days. But they're even harder when you have to nurse a baby. You can't just relax and sleep in bed all day because there's a baby to feed! Well, like it or not, I did get sick for a few days last week and here's how it went:

On Thursday Sam came down with a fever and on Friday the doctor pronounced him as having a virus plus an ear infection. He had fever and the fussies until Monday-Tuesday. On Monday afternoon I already felt like I was coming down with something and I figured it was what Sam had been ill with. I also had a fever, but it was low-grade, like in the 99s. I could not sleep that night because fever makes me unable to sleep, in general. So eventually I had the sense to take Tylenol and once my fever broke I was able to sleep, although very fitfully. I barely slept Monday night and Tuesday night. Wednesday night I took 3 grams of melatonin and that got me asleep in no time!

I stayed home from work on Tuesday because my skin and bones and joints were all sore and I still had fever. I let Sam take his morning nap at home and I was able to feed him at 12 instead of having to pump at home. Then I sent him to the babysitter and like this I only had to pump once at 3. That arrangement worked out well. The rest of the day I could relax in bed and just hang around.

Because I had fever, when Sam was nestled in me while breastfeeding, his body felt so hot which worried me that his fever had returned. My husband was able to confirm that he did not feel hot!

All in all, it wasn't so bad to nurse Sam while I wasn't feeling well. For those few days it just wasn't so comfortable, and the sleep I lost while he was up at night wasn't helping me one bit, but it wasn't as catastrophic as I thought it would be!