Winter is here and the weather is unpredictable. Every time the temperature drops, children’s hospitals are packed with people, mostly children with fever and coughing and wheezing, usually because the mother has a cold and infected her child. A small cold in adults can turn into pneumonia, wheezing bronchitis, or even combined heart failure in children. So prevention is better than cure. A mother’s greatness lies in her willingness to sacrifice herself for her children. In the case of sickness, it manifests itself by preferring to carry on rather than take medicine, simply because of the fear that the medicine will reach the child through breast milk metabolism. But is the child really safe if the mother does not take medicine when she is sick, or if she takes medicine to wean herself from breast milk? Can a nursing mother breastfeed when she is sick? Nursing mothers are prone to get sick because they have to take care of their babies for breastfeeding around the clock and do not have enough rest themselves. The key to whether you can breastfeed when you are sick depends on what kind of illness the mother has. Usually, mothers are most vulnerable to colds, followed by mastitis. The flu is caused by a respiratory virus infection, which “does not” spread through breast milk, so a mother can breastfeed when she has a cold, but she should take precautions to avoid infecting her baby. If you have a fever during a cold, you can take oral antipyretics, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, without weaning. By the same token, mastitis caused by milk stagnation can also be nursed. Stopping breastfeeding not only affects the baby’s feeding, but also provides an opportunity for milk stagnation. The baby’s mouth is the best suction device, and allowing the baby to suck several times and in large quantities is the best way to eliminate the lump and help the mother avoid mastitis and its deterioration. In the above mentioned cases, breastfeeding by the mother also provides the baby with specific antibodies, which in turn strengthens the baby’s resistance. Can breastfeeding mothers take medication if they are sick? It is generally accepted that all drugs can be transferred to human milk to varying degrees. Fortunately, the amount of transit is quite small, and these very small amounts enter the baby’s body, are first deactivated by stomach acid, and then a few enter the intestine, and even if they are unfortunately absorbed by the intestine, they have to be detoxified in the liver before they can enter the circulation. After all these losses, how many drugs can reach the clinical dose for infants? Why are drugs not recommended for nursing mothers in the drug label? Because few pharmaceutical manufacturers have supported studies on the use of their drugs by nursing mothers, there is no accurate information on the use of drugs by nursing mothers in any of the drug inserts. In fact, none of the instructions recommend the use of their medications for nursing women, nor do they indicate how much of the medication is present in breast milk. What is the proper use of medication for a nursing mother? The age, development and gastrointestinal stability of the infant are important indicators for premedication evaluation. In general, medications for children are safer and can be given in consultation with a doctor who “knows breastfeeding”. Most medications are relatively safe for breastfeeding women, and breast milk is the most suitable food for the growth and development of children, so do not wean your child from breast milk easily. Referring to the “Drugs and Breastfeeding” handbook published in China, we can choose drugs with a lower risk level for breastfeeding, such as L1 or L2. L1 is the safest in controlled studies of breastfeeding women, with no evidence of harm to the baby, or little effect on the baby. L3 Moderately safe This class of drugs should be used only after weighing the benefits to the infant against the harms L4 Potentially dangerous Nursing mothers in life-threatening or serious medical conditions should consider the benefits of using this class of drugs against the harms if other safer drugs are not available or are ineffective L5 Contraindicated This class of drugs is contraindicated in nursing women The following is a list of some of the commonly used L1 and L2 graded drugs for the reference of mothers, the purpose is to provide an extra layer of protection rather than to select their own drugs, the specific use of drugs should follow medical advice. Antibiotics L1 amoxicillin, amoxicillin clavulanic acid potassium, penicillin, ampicillin, ampicillin sulbactam, cefradine, cefazolin, cefoxitin, cefazoxime, ceftazidime, erythromycin, etc., L2 azithromycin; antiviral L2 acyclovir, ribavirin; antipyretic and analgesic L1, ibuprofen, acetaminophen. Anti-allergic class L2 loratadine, benadryl, cetirizine; hormones L2 hydrocortisone, methylprednisolone, prednisone; cough and asthma class L1 sodium cromoglycate, dextromethorphan, L2 salbutamol If the mother wants to continue breastfeeding, what needs attention? 1, wear a mask only medical surgical masks and N95 masks can prevent viruses, ordinary cotton masks and disposable masks, can only prevent dust, and anti-haze masks, can only prevent haze, can not prevent viruses at all. But also still wear a mask, pro-feeding care not to breathe towards the baby. 2, air disinfection every day after waking up, open the window ventilation or open the air purifier for half an hour. The baby is not in the room when the air is disinfected. 3.Hand hygiene Every time you hold your baby before you need to wash your hands thoroughly, especially after covering your mouth and coughing or blowing your nose. 4, try to isolate when not breastfeeding, try to let the rest of the family caregivers take care of the baby.