In this article you will find information about cold and flu medication and supplement safety during lactation.

The MMR vaccine is the best known way to prevent severe cases of measles. Measles is contagious to both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Evidence supports that those who do receive the MMR vaccine are less likely to develop severe illness and complications associated with the measles virus. The MMR vaccine is compatible with breastfeeding. Research is currently being done to determine if antibodies increase in milk that may be beneficial to breastfed infants who are too young to receive the MMR vaccine themselves.

Breast milk confers both direct and indirect infant benefits through at least 6 months of age and is recommended by the WHO and AAP to continue until 24 months. General anesthesia and most perioperative medications are compatible with breastfeeding. Physical separation from the infant may require a mother to pump, but discarding the expressed milk is rarely necessary. Mothers of normal term or older infants can resume pumping or direct breast feeding without interruption following anesthesia as soon as they are awake and alert. This is consistent with recent guidelines by the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine.

Empower yourself with knowledge and confidence, and remember that you have the right to question and understand the healthcare decisions that affect you and your baby.

Pregnancy brings remarkable changes to your body, but these shifts can also increase the risk of developing gestational diabetes, a condition that can affect both you and your baby. Understanding how pregnancy impacts your blood sugar and learning strategies to manage it can make a world of difference for your health. With simple lifestyle adjustments—like choosing the right foods and staying active—you can help ensure a healthy pregnancy. Discover how managing your blood sugar can protect you and your baby from potential complications and set the stage for a smooth, healthy journey ahead.

Many women are eager to lose weight after childbirth. However, a common concern is how to do so safely without compromising milk supply. Self-compassion is very important in this process as societal pressure for women to quickly revert to their "normal" state is often unrealistic. It's normal for it to take 6 to 12 months for a woman's body to return to its pre-pregnancy weight. In this article, we will discuss how to safely lose weight during lactation.

In recent decades, domperidone has gained popularity in the breastfeeding community and has been used off-label to treat low milk supply. Domperidone’s major drawbacks are rare, but severe, including heart complications (cardiac arrhythmias due to QT-prolongation), weight gain, and anxiety or depression when it is discontinued. Average increases in daily milk volume are around 1.7 ounces (60 mL), which can be significant for premature infants, but less so for babies as they grow older. Currently domperidone is banned in the United States (US) and its consumption may complicate receiving healthcare in the US.

Rain, shine, winter, summer, or any time spent outdoors leaves skin vulnerable to damage from the sun’s harmful UV rays. Regularly wearing sunscreen is clinically proven to reduce the risk of squamous cell carcinoma by about 40% and melanoma by about 50% (Sander, 2020). Additionally, daily sunscreen use plays a big role in antiaging prevention, a hot topic for women of all ages! Breastfeeding moms often know sunscreen isn’t recommended for babies until they are 6 months old. This raises questions about sunscreen safety when breastfeeding. The short answer is: use sunscreen (preferably non-nanoparticle zinc oxide). The long answer? Keep reading.

Complementary feeding can be an exciting opportunity for your child to explore new foods and develop their palate. When trying allergenic foods for the first time, children should be monitored for the development of wheezing, hives, vomiting, and diarrhea. Children with eczema and allergic rhinitis are at high risk of having food allergies and may desire to try allergenic foods for the first time with a clinician present. Recent AAP guidelines recommend against delaying the introduction of allergenic foods, even with children at high risk of having food allergies.