My allergies are killing it today.
Congestion, non-stop sneezing, occasional moments where I wish I were dead, the whole thing.
The bad news is: I'm nursing and can't take anything.
The good news is: my voice is in the perfect condition for me to recite the scene from You've Got Mail where Tom Hanks brings Meg Ryan the daisies and makes her some tea (honey?) and she stuffs all the tissues in her trench coat pockets.
(I hope I feel better soon . . . it'd be a shame to miss New York in the Spring.)
I hate being sick or otherwise afflicted while nursing. I swear, the second my daughter is weaned I'm taking NyQuil just for the heck of it.
ReplyDeleteMy dr always recommended taking meds with just single-sympton relief. None of the combo cold/congestion/flu/achey stuff. I never suffered a milk loss or a problem with my wee one.
I hope you find a remedy!
Sudafed (real Sudafed, the stuff that requires your ID) will make your milk supply drop dramatically. Other meds are probably fine--check the LLL website.
ReplyDeleteCough drops are definitely OK, but won't do much.
@rachel - is that true??? i heard menthol can drop supply so i've avoided it. but seriously, cough drops would be enough for me to at least get some placebo effect working!
ReplyDeletea bouquet of freshly-sharpened pencils!
ReplyDeletefeel better!
"I love daisies"
ReplyDelete"You told me"
"They're so friendly. Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flower?"
And, because I love love love "When Harry met Sally" and it has Meg Ryan in it...
"I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. " (probably one of my most favorite movie quotes of all time)
Try microwaving some honey in a coffee mug and adding as much lemon as you can stand and taking spoonfuls. Always helps with a cough/raw throat :)
first summer i haven't been nursing or pregnant since we've lived in utah and i could actually take allergy medicine. still not taking it. must not be bad enough. or i'm just so used to a sore throat that i'm over it.
ReplyDeleteNat, local raw honey is supposed to be great for allergies. If you can find some, it should have the right combination of things that are growing in your area in it. Try a tablespoon a day.
ReplyDeleteAnd does Kathleen Kelley's apartment just KILL you?!
Yes, I do!! You've Got Mail! is my all time favorite movie <3
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving back!
oh, i feel for you. same issues here and i am still BF @ 18 months in. so i hate to contradict, but there are a few meds that are considered BF safe. when i am really suffering i take one that is just loratadine - it is the combo cold meds that are tricker. check kellymom.com here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/cold-remedy.html#antihistamines
you don't want to take it all day everyday, but the amount that passes to milk is very minimal. be sure to choose the non-sedating formulation.
peace out!
See a Doctor! I get terrible allergies and have a year-round nasal spray to keep the allergies at bay and it is fantastic! I used it all through pregnancy and nursing safely. Also, there are a few antihistamines that are safe to take while nursing, but if you have cold symptoms there are not many medicines you can take. I live in Australia so we probably have different medicines but it is worth finding out what you can take, because allergies really are so horrid!
ReplyDeleteI suddenly have the overwhelming desire to watch You've Got Mail. But it's too late in the day to start any of that nonsense, so I guess I'll just go to bed instead.
ReplyDeleteThat scene always makes me wiggle happily. Get yourself a couple of happy hankies, they always make me feel better (and don't disintegrate the way a kleenex does) plus - "a handkerchief is a Kleenex you never throw away." Feel better!
ReplyDeleteyup. nursing is awesome...except when you can't take drugs!
ReplyDelete"I was not charming. I was hahrr-ible."
ReplyDelete"Well, you looked charming."
Oh my favorite love movie of all time. Sorry you are having yucky allergies. I feel the sneezles coming on for me too. :(
you should probably know that you've got mail is my favorite movie of all time...of allll time. and when i read this post title and ''I hope I feel better soon . . . it'd be a shame to miss New York in the Spring'', i got chills. it's that bad.
ReplyDeletei can quote the movie from start to finish, so....if you ever wanna ''watch'' it and aren't near your telvesion, just give me a call. i know all the soundtrack music, too so it would really be a complete movie-watching experience.
i'm the only person in my family without allergies, so though i can't say i know how it feels, i do know that they can be miserable. and daisies and sunflowers are my two absolute favorite flowers.
ReplyDeleteI love love love You've Got Mail (and Sleepless in Seattle too). I'm such a sucker for Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movies.
ReplyDeleteHope you get better soon!
Pharmacy student note: I looked it up, and you can take a couple OTC antihistamines safely, including Allegra (fexofenadine) and Claritin (loratadine). Just get the plain stuff, no sudafed or -D versions (behind the counter in the U.S.). Of note, it's recommended you NOT take Zyrtec (cetirizine) because that does seem to get into milk at a high-ish dose. I took Allegra the whole 13 months I nursed my daughter with no supply issues and it didn't bother her a bit.
ReplyDeleteI love all things Meg Ryan. And I just planted a bunch of friendly daisies for my front flower bed. :) Hope your allergies get better soon!
ReplyDeleteThis is gonna sound kinda gross, but maybe put some Vick's, like, IN your nose? I did it throughout both pregnancies because my allergies were awful and I was afraid to take anything. My allergies have been awful lately, too. And since my milk supply is already loooooow, I, too, am in the suck-it-up-and-deal camp. Oh, the things we do for our littles!
ReplyDeleteThis might gross you out--but it helps a lot, especially when you can't take meds--but even when you can:
ReplyDeleteFlush irritants out of your sinuses with saline nasal irrigation. Google it. It REALLY helps. I don't like the "netty pot". I use the little blue bulb thingy for baby's noses--only I have my own!
Also, wash eyelashes daily with baby no-tears shampoo and use saline eye drops (the ones with no meds in them) frequently through the day.
All of this helps to wash away the allergens. And, it actually feels good. Once you get over the gross out issue.
My mom always made honey tea with a drop or two of lemon juice. It soothes everything. :)
ReplyDeleteI went to an allergist and he recommended chlorpheneramine (it's available for cheap over the counter) and Beconase nasal spray. I used them while nursing with no trouble. Decongestants can diminish milk production, but anti-histamines should be OK.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently suckling a baby just a month or so older than yours and taking allergy medicine with no problem. You should really ask your doctor about getting on something. You will feel MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH...MUCH better.
ReplyDeleteI'll second the nasal washing (neti pot or they sell saline cans with an attachment to REALLY spray into your nose).
ReplyDeleteCheck out this about natural antihistamines in food!:
http://life.gaiam.com/article/natural-antihistamines-3-foods-fight-allergies
Hi there! I love your blog and really didn't become an avid blog follower til' I started reading your blog and a couple others. I just wanted to share a bit of helpful remedies mother-to-mother about how to beat pretty much every ailment (including dreadful allergies) without effecting your milk supply or being harmful in any way to you or your little one. I use Doterra Essential Oils. They are the purest essential oils in the world that I know of and are amazing for just about everything. I got rid of my infants RSV, ear infections, colds and diaper rash in days and sometimes hours using these oils. You definitely want to use this brand because most other brands (though they say 100% natural or pure) usually have some sort of filler that would be harmful and otherwise in-effective.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, you can check out these oils at doterra.com and my sister and I run a blog called lindeelulabee.blogspot.com that shares our experiences with these oils. They really are miraculous AND there is an oil that will increase your milk supply fyi.
Feel free to call me or ask any questions if you have any. I can't tell you how these oils have saved me so much time and worry where I otherwise wouldn't be able to use anything on my infant or myself. They are safe, fast and amazingly effective.
Here is my #801.836.3599
cpututau@gmail.com
Thanks for all your joy and fun that you share!
Catherine Pututau
I've got terrible allergies too and the BEST natural tool is a neti pot. It has improved my allergies by about 90 percent. You can get one at any natural food store. NETI POT!
ReplyDeleteI definitely recommend the Neti pot and some eye drops!
ReplyDeleteNETI POT! NETI POT! NETI POT! Oh and Vicks on your chest, under/in your nose and on your feet with socks on while you sleep. And, YES, there are drugs you can take while nursing. I'm going to be nursing my seventh in September. I've been around the block a time or two. Trust me on this one. That having been said, medicine is ALWAYS, my last resort. Always. Natural is the way to go.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, if you do Neti pot, I will advise you to do it three times right in row. For some reason, I've discovered that for newbies, this is the magic number. And get the water as warm as you can stand it. Too cool and it will stop you up tight.
Ugh. I hope you feel better soon! And that maybe some of the advice in your comments worked for you!
ReplyDeleteI gave in on the cough drops and other single relief things like acetaminophen. I just couldn't take it anymore! Then, I took some galactagogues (fenugreek) to make sure my milk supply didn't drop.
ReplyDeleteYou're a tough mama!