Question
My baby is not even a month old yet, and today I accidentally leaked milk and got a fever. Should I take medicine? Can I still continue breastfeeding my baby?
Answer
The fever after expressing milk is mainly due to improper feeding posture, compression of the breasts, and the obstruction of milk flow leading to acute inflammatory symptoms. You can consult a lactation consultant to help with milk expression. Once the lactation consultant clears the milk ducts and removes the leftover milk, the pain will subside. Take some anti-inflammatory medication first. If the fever is severe, you can also take some fever-reducing medication. After expressing milk, do not let your baby breastfeed immediately as the milk has been contaminated and your baby may feel unwell after drinking it. You can start breastfeeding again after expressing the leftover milk.