Breastfeeding With Fever and Chills: What to Know

For many common infections, stopping feeds is not necessary. Breast milk can help maintain your baby's usual nutrition and comfort. Wash your hands before touching your baby or expressing milk, cover coughs and sneezes, and consider a well-fitting mask if you have respiratory symptoms. If you feel too unwell to feed directly, express milk if you can and ask another healthy adult to help with feeds.

Chills are episodes of shivering or feeling unusually cold. They can occur as the body responds to an infection, sometimes before or during a fever. Possible sources include a respiratory illness such as Influenza, a urinary infection, a kidney infection, or another infection needing assessment. In some regions and travel situations, illnesses such as Dengue Fever or Malaria also need consideration.

A painful, hot, swollen, or reddened area of the breast, especially with a firm tender patch, can point to breast inflammation or infection. Cracked nipples, milk stasis, or difficulty emptying the breast may contribute. Fever and chills can also have a cause unrelated to breastfeeding, so symptoms outside the breast matter.

Rest, drink regularly, and keep feeds or expressing gentle and responsive to your baby's needs. Avoid forceful massage or repeatedly pumping to empty the breast, which can worsen swelling. A cool pack wrapped in cloth may ease breast discomfort; supportive clothing can help if it does not compress the breast.

Check with a doctor or pharmacist before taking a fever medicine, particularly if you have another condition or take regular medicines. Tell them that you are breastfeeding so they can recommend an option suitable for you and your baby. Do not start leftover antibiotics, and do not delay assessment if symptoms are worsening or not settling.

Arrange same-day medical advice for fever with chills, especially when there is breast redness or pain, worsening weakness, vomiting, painful urination, shortness of breath, or a cough. A clinician may examine your breast and look for another source of infection.

Seek emergency help for confusion, fainting, severe breathing difficulty, blue or grey lips, a rapidly worsening illness, inability to keep fluids down, or markedly reduced urination. These can be warning signs of a serious infection, including Sepsis. If you have recently travelled or live in an area where mosquito-borne illness occurs, mention that promptly.

Ask what may be causing the fever and chills, whether you should continue direct breastfeeding or express milk, and which medicines are compatible with breastfeeding. Mention when symptoms began, whether one breast is painful or swollen, any nipple injury, recent illness or travel, urinary symptoms, and how your baby is feeding and behaving.