NO VACCINE IS CONTRAINDICATED DURING BREASTFEEDING

When we are breastfeeding our baby, we may have doubts about the advisability of taking certain medications or undergoing some treatment, because we fear that they may be contraindicated with breastfeeding and harm our child. Likewise, if the mother has to receive any vaccine You may also be wondering about your safety, or issue that affects the quality of your milk in some way.

But the Vaccine Advisory Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (CAV-AEP) makes it clear: there is no reason to delay or suspend any vaccine during breastfeeding, whether it is the mother who will receive the vaccination, as if it is the baby.

The mother can get vaccinated during breastfeeding

Either because they correspond by age or by certain personal circumstances, there may be vaccines that women need to get during breastfeeding. And in this situation it is common to ask: are the vaccines the mother receives safe for the breastfed baby, or can they affect the quality of her milk?

As explained by the CAV-AEP, "all vaccines indicated in a woman, including live vaccines, can be administered (and should not be delayed for this reason) while breastfeeding."

On the other hand, certain circumstances, such as the birth of a premature baby, require the indirect protection of all people living with him. Hence the importance of the mother (regardless of whether she breastfeeds or not) have your vaccination calendar up to date, in addition to receiving the seasonal flu vaccine.

In Babies and more Not vaccinating is crazy: vaccines save lives

But it suits mention a couple of vaccines that require special attention:

On the one hand, there would be the yellow fever vaccine, which should be administered when traveling to regions of the world where the disease is present. This vaccine contains live viruses that are transmitted through milk, so it would generally be convenient to avoid it during breastfeeding.

However, experts clarify that if the mother cannot avoid traveling to endemic areas, vaccination must be carried out, because the risk for the baby to be exposed to this vaccine virus is lower than that which the mother would assume when exposed to the disease.

Another option to shuffle if the baby is less than nine months old, would be take out the milk and discard it within 14 days after vaccination, which is the duration of viral elimination.

And the other vaccine to control would be chickenpox, since it is rarely associated with the presence of a contagious rash in the puncture area. If this happens, it would be enough to cover the rash with a dressing or with clothes to avoid direct contact with the baby.

In any case, if you have to receive a vaccine while you are breast-feeding your baby and you have any doubts about it, it is recommended that you speak with your doctor or take a look at the e-lactation consultation website, created by professionals.

How do the vaccines the mother receives affect the milk she produces for her baby?

When a woman who is breastfeeding is vaccinated, the antigen load it receives does not pass into milk, because your immune system is responsible for transforming it. In any case, experts warn that even if these antigens came to sneak into the stream of breast milk, they would not pose any risk to your baby's health.

In response to vaccination, the mother's body makes antibodies that could pass into the milk, but being a natural product of maternal origin, not only would not harm the baby but could provide additional protection, but not significant (hence the importance of complying with the baby's vaccination calendar regardless of the maternal).

In Babies and more Breastfeeding and flu: can I continue breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding, baby's first vaccine

As UNICEF noted in a campaign two years ago, breastfeeding can be considered as the first vaccine a baby receives after birth, as It not only contains nutrients, but also antibodies that protect you against serious diseases.

In Babies and more Unicef says that breast milk is a baby's first vaccine

But the CAV emphasizes that breastfeeding is not a substitute for infant vaccination, but both complement and are necessary. Also, remember that no vaccine is contraindicated in the baby while breastfeeding, including those administered orally such as that of Rotavirus.

And finally it is worth mentioning the analgesic effect of breastfeeding against the puncture of the vaccine ("tetanalgesia"), something that has even been echoed by WHO. And is that breastfeeding while being vaccinated would help reduce anxiety and stress levels, and therefore feel less pain.

Photos | iStock