Friday at 3am I had an emergency c section and I gave birth to a premature baby girl weighing 3.3 lbs.
She is admitted in NICU and will be until mid May or so. She is doing really good except has jaundice. She's so tiny and hooked up on wires. Breaks my heart to see her like that. But I know I have to be strong.
Now my husband wants me to breast feed her and I have been dead scared about Lyme. I read about abx while breast feeding then worry about her GI tract. Does anyone know on this board or group on which breast feeding and Lyme was ok?
Posted by Ellen101 (Member # 35432) on :
Congratulations! I am sure it is heartbreaking to see her hooked up to all those wires , but soon she will be thriving. I am not sure about breastfeeding and Lyme. Hopefully someone else will have some answers for you. Try to take car of yourself during this time as well so you will be in good shape for when your daughter comes home Posted by GretaM (Member # 40917) on :
Congratulations Sonee!
I hope that you are doing OK after your C section and surgery also.
Breast feeding is well documented as a mode of lyme spirochete transmission unfortunately. From both sides of the fence.
BUT perhaps a mom or Dr J patient knows which abx is best for you to take so you can reduce the risk of transmission in order to feed your baby.
Congratulations and I hope others will chime in soon with the information you need about abx and breastfeeding with lyme.
Posted by sonee123 (Member # 18632) on :
I am doing ok. In a lot of pain and coughing doesn't help me at all. But hanging in there.
Yeah I hope someone can pitch in.
Posted by surprise (Member # 34987) on :
Sonee, Congratulations :-)
We can all offer advice, but to what avail? You are in Europe, without help.
My .02 cents, since you are asking, get on antibiotics (probably have to demand) for your unrelenting cough.
Please, please, make sure you are aware of vaccinations.
Breastfeeding is a strongly opinionated subject, I shy away from commenting- But it's YOUR decision. Do not let others guilt you into it.
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
Regarding breastfeeding when the mother has lyme, this is what Dr. J said Oct. 2011:
"The mother can only breast feed the child if she is on antibiotics. Then, yes, it is fine to breastfeed."
He is the world's foremost pediatric lyme specialist. His talk was entitled "Pregnancy & Tick Borne Diseases: Gestational Lyme"
Hope this helps you. Share this info with your husband so the two of you both have the same facts regarding the situation.
Posted by surprise (Member # 34987) on :
Awesome TF, thank you.
It is really SO important to do everything possible not to pass this to an infant. I have real life experience.
Posted by hopingandpraying (Member # 9256) on :
Congratulations to you and your husband on your precious baby girl! God bless you all! Take care of yourself and get as much rest as you can.
Perhaps there might be someone in the EuroLyme Support Group who can help you? Here is their link:
dr j in ct does consult with docs but i dont know if your docs are open to that
i think the type and dose is important
i will send you his phone number in a pm
i breast fed my daughter for 3 yrs when i didnt know i had lyme she was physically weak and had many medical issues but the docs never found lyme
when she was 10 she was too tired to go to school and regular docs still could not figure out what was wrong
and alternative doc did the right test and she was treated for 2 yrs and has done well in life-is 30 married has doctorate
so...its not for sure a problem but best if you can prevent it...i have heard of many stories without a happy ending
i hope you get some lyme literate support soon
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
PREGNANCY, LYME & TICK BORNE DISEASES Reports are mixed- some are good, and some studies show less than favorable outcomes for children born to mothers who have Lyme and/or other tick borne diseases. Concerns have also been raised about infected Lyme mothers passing the Lyme organism (spirochete) to their infant while breast feeding.
At the bottom of the page- the subpages- are medical abstracts and articles you may wish to review if you are a patient with Lyme and tick borne disease and have become pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant.
Subpages (17): 1986 Abstract Bartonella Birth Defects Bartonella Newborns Citations & Abstracts Deaths- Infants/Children Female Hormones Gestational Live Births Lyme During Pregnancy Lyme & Pregnancy Lyme Pregnancy Citations Pregnancy & Babesiosis Pregnancy & Bartonella Pregnancy & Ehrlichiosis Pregnancy Outcomes Pregnancy & Spotted Fevers Stillbirths Confirmed By CDC Syphilis/Lyme Č Ċďv.1 Gestational Lyme- Dr. Jones Presentation- 2011.pdf (11389k)After The Bite After The Bite, Mar 8, 2014, 12:32 PM
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Congratulations on that precious baby girl, sonee!! I hope all goes well from here on out!
Posted by lyme in Putnam (Member # 11561) on :
Congratulations, God bless.
Posted by Sammi (Member # 110) on :
Congratulations on your baby girl!
From what I understand, Lyme can be passed through breastfeeding. I hope you and your daughter can be properly evaluated soon.
I hope your baby gets stronger every day and can come home soon.
Posted by Razzle (Member # 30398) on :
Congratulations!
Posted by Dogsandcats (Member # 28544) on :
Congratulations! My first born was 4.3 pounds and I thought he was tiny!
I could not breast feed the first one and was able to breast feed the second. Both children were healthy and did fine. Breast feeding is wonderful if all works together, go for it. If not, feel no guilt.
Take good care.
Posted by SickofLyme2 (Member # 16544) on :
Congratulations on the birth of your baby girl! What a blessing! I pray she gets stronger every day.
If you didn't pass TBI's on congenitally, you may through breast milk. I passed them on to my 2 year old that way. Yes, I was still nursing my daughter at the age of 2, so I am a strong supporter of breast feeding, but not with TBI's. It hurts, but I've already got my 12 yo daughter saying she's bottle feeding when she becomes a mom.
However, I am no doctor, and if the experts say it's OK as long as you take antibiotics then, it's probably OK. And, one of the benefits would be that your antibodies would pass on to the baby in the breast milk.
Tough choice. I'll pray for you.
Posted by mlg (Member # 35383) on :
Congratulations!
This sounds like me. A few years back, when I was pregnant, I had liver and kidney failure and had to have emergency c-section. They had me on IV magnesium and high BP medicine 4 times a day. the hospital was really pro breast feeding, they told me not to beat myself up. My daughter was 3.3 lbs born at 31 weeks and in NICU for 2.5 weeks. I breast fed for about 5 weeks and she did okay, has had some gut and respiratory issues that might br due to the fact that she was soo early. But overall not bad.
Posted by dbpei (Member # 33574) on :
Congratulations to you and your new family! I wish I could advise you on the breast feeding.
Below is an informative website on Pregnancy and Lyme that is followed by a discussion thread that may be of help.
Please take care of yourself so you can enjoy that precious little girl when you are both stronger. Posted by Catgirl (Member # 31149) on :
Congrats!
Posted by jlcd1 (Member # 18138) on :
congratulations!!!
Posted by Looking (Member # 13600) on :
They do wonderful work with preemies these days, so hang in there. Congratulations!
My daughter breast fed her last baby on a herbal protocol until she was 10 months, (herbs were muscle tested as effective for her and no harm to baby). The baby is almost 2 and is doing great so far.
Anyway you must decide with medical advice because no one here is qualified to do that. All we can give is opinion or experience.
Congratulations and prayers for all to go well!
Posted by beaches (Member # 38251) on :
Congratulations! Thank goodness you were able to hold on to her for a little while! 3.3 is tiny, but you'll see how fast she puts weight on!
I am not a medical professional but if you were my friend or relative, I'd advise you against breastfeeding. IMO we have to reduce risks of getting this disease/coinfections, and that's one way of reducing risk. That's just me.
Posted by GretaM (Member # 40917) on :
Hello Sonee, how are you and your baby girl doing? Posted by sonee123 (Member # 18632) on :
We are doing OK. Except my healing process from surgery is taking a long time.
My daughter is a strong baby. She has started breathing on her own for the past two days.
The doctor is still pushing me to breastfeed and my lyme doctor said it is ok to do so while taking amoxicilin. i am still very very scared!
Posted by Sammi (Member # 110) on :
sonee123, I am glad your baby is getting stronger!
You do what you feel is best. Don't let anyone push you into anything you are not comfortable doing.
Be sure you are getting optimal treatment.
Posted by dbpei (Member # 33574) on :
Glad to hear your baby girl is getting stronger! I have read that amoxicillin makes it safe to breast feed also. Of course you would be scared. It is a very hard decision. Trust your instincts on this.
I hope you feel better soon. It is such a trying time for you - both emotionally and physically. Please take good care and try to enjoy that precious little girl of yours, who sounds like a fighter!
Posted by GretaM (Member # 40917) on :
Awesome Sonee! Thanks for the update!
So glad to hear your girl is breathing on her own.
That makes my day
I will hope and pray you heal up quickly from your c section.
Yes, I agree with the others, follow your instincts. Whatever you decide will be the right decision-God will help to guide you
Hugs
Greta
Posted by 2plustwins (Member # 43084) on :
Congratulations on the birth of your little girl! It is awesome that she is breathing on her own now :-). I pray that she will continue to grow and you will continue to heal.
I was in a similar experience 10 years ago, giving birth two preemie twins, about the weight of your little girl, but I didn't have lyme disease. Instead, I needed to make a decision to take a medication but would have to stop pumping the breast milk (they were too small to suckle) because it would be detrimental to the girls. In the end, it was my decision to make. I agonized over it because I wanted to be able to feed my babies breast milk while they were trying to grow...it felt like the only thing I could do for them. But, I also knew I needed to do what was good for my own body. I finally made the decision to take the medication and quit breastfeeding. They survived, had some ups and downs that are normal in the NICU that had nothing to do with breastfeeding. They are smart little girls now. So, you need to do what is best for you. Your little girl will be okay whether or not she is breastfed. If it is such a part of you that you will always regret not doing it, then you probably should do it. But, if you will always question the risk of that decision, then maybe you shouldn't do it. Don't let well meaning friends, relatives or doctors guilt you into or out of doing or not doing it. Make it your decision and then you will always know you made it with the best of your heart. But, if you do it, make sure you are protected with the antibiotics.
It's not an easy decision, but you are the mom and it is your decision to make.
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