Baby with Oral Herpes & Breastfeeding
My toddler son got oral herpes from an active cold sore on my lip. He has a lesion on his gum. He is still nursing & it is currently the only thing that is giving him comfort & nutrition during this outbreak.
Can the virus spread to my breasts while I am nursing him? What are the consequences of it spreading there?
I am getting conflicting info. on whether I should nurse or not.
- Herpes Doctor - Public Forums:
What you need is a natural
What you need is a natural non-toxic product that will remove the virus from the blood. This product is also safe to give to children. It warked for me, got rid of my herpes and cold sores and I regularly give it to my youngster to help with his asthma. I can email some info to you. Just email me at :- naturesdetoxifier@gmail.com
Chloe's mom is absolutely
Chloe's mom is absolutely right. I have a 19 month old who received herpes simplex cold sores from her older brother (who had a cold sore) kissing her. She ate absolutely no solid food for 6 days. Nursing was not only her only source of nutrition, it was also her only source of comfort. Unfortunately she had a very bad case and had a hard time latching on, crying and sticking her tongue out. I think she accidentally bit me while trying to latch on, and I subsequently developed the virus on my nipple. I have had it for about 6 days now. I am hoping that it clears up soon. I did show it to our doctor soon after I started to get the sores at a follow up/ well check for my daughter. She did not tell me not to nurse but considering that my daughter gave the virus to me, that makes sense.
I have definitely been exposed to the virus before (my daughter is my 7th child) but have never gotten a sore until now, on my nipple. Can anyone tell me if I could ever get it again on my nipple. She is probably my last child, but if I were to ever have another child would this incident be cause for concern?
Thanks,
Jen
bfing a toddler and bottle feeding
I am dealing with the OP's choice right now! It's great to see this info discussed. We have been nursing for a couple days now without me seeing the sore (it's inside her mouth) so I guess I will see what happens!
One point to raise as a responce from the last poster- as you may know by now bc your baby is born, a toddler nurses not only for food but also for comfort... a toddler will probably not take a bottle when it sounds like, from the op's post, the toddler is looking for some mama time to make him feel better while he is in pain. SO although practically, pumping is a great option, in reality, it may not work. Just to keep that in mind- trying to introduce a bottle at this point, when the baby is already hurting and upset, may backfire.
Possible solution for breastfeeding mom
Hopefully you scroll past the stupid poker stuff to see this.
I personally would not take a chance of infecting my breast, however there is the whol breast milk issue and I thought of a simple answer to your problem: pump. Just for the time that baby is broken out, pump your milk and bottle feed. I have been going to the pre-birth classes and discussing breast feeding with freinds who have done it (I am hopeing to breast feed, given that my milk comes in OK). A friend of mine breast fed from the breast, but had to work and go to school too so she also fed from the bottle. They (med profesion) also suggest that even if a mother is nursing, she should pump some milk for daddy to have feeding times too (especially the 4am ones), the old thing of nipple confusion isn't so legit anymore.
The hard part (from what I hear) is getting them to open wide for a breast nipple after getting used to the little fake nipples, but now they have bigger "natural" fake nipple that help, plus if baby is already used to larger real nipple, it will be easier for baby to go back to it after thier little mouth clears up.
Hope this is a possible solution for you
Mommy to be in July/August
Where on the breast would the Herpes lesions be?
Hi,
I very much doubt that you would get lesions inside your milk ducts as milk ducts express milk when sucked, they can 'suck back', so virus can't get in. You would get lesions on the nipple skin, I would think.
But let's hope that you don't get Oral Herpes on your breasts at all. I think you should see a doctor, and please report back with any advice you are given. And don't forget to mention the nursing shield as possible protection. Maybe antivitral cream on your nipples in between feedings would be a good idea? You should be very careful with wiping it off, though, and do check with a doctor before doing this.
Kind regards,
iv
Breastfeeding a Toddler w/Outbreak
What would an outbreak in the breast area be like -- surface lesions or could they develop inside my milk ducts? If inside, how would I know for future children, if I was having an outbreak & should take precautions when nursing?
Oral Herpes Transmission
Hi,
I understand your concern. Your toddlers Oral Herpes can spread to your breasts, but it is not that common. If you do get it, the consequences are that you might get outbreaks and you night transfer it to others (sexual partners, your next baby if you are planning one etc).
Oral Herpes is very common, also outside the mouth area, and it is quite harmless in healthy people. I would say that the benefits of breastmilk for your toddler far outweighs the risk of catching Oral Herpes on your breasts.
You might want to talk to your doctor about using a nursing shield, that could protect you. The question is whether your todler would accept it.
Kind regards,
iv
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