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MRSA & Breastfeeding Started by Denise	Posted: July 28, 2007 at 16:01

I recently gave birth to premature twins and wanted to breastfeed. The babies (in NICU) were too young to suckle, so I pumped breastmilk as best I could. When the babies were 10 days old, they became very sick. The hospital cultured MRSA in their blood and also in my breast milk. The babies were treated with IV antibiotics and soon recovered. The NICU doctors said I was "colonized" rather than "infected" and seemed to indicate that I would be able to breastfeed once the babies were strong enough to leave NICU. I went to my primary care doctor who prescribed a 2+ week course of an antibiotic (Doxycycline) because he thought even if I was just colonized, I needed to be treated (this with the expectation that I would be able to breastfeed afterward), and I spent about 3 weeks "pumping and dumping" (with ever decreasing milk supply) on the assumption that I would be breastfeeding once I finished the antibiotic. However, at the end of that time, I learned that even with the antibiotic, MRSA can lie dormant on the skin, and my OB and pediatrician discouraged me from breastfeeding because of the MRSA, even though the lactation consultant was encouraging me to breastfeed despite the MRSA. So despite my frustration and disappointment, I want to do what's best for my babies, so they are now being fed with expensive formula. My OB admitted that his opinion "was not based on medical research" and my pediatrician had called the Center for Infectious Diseases who told her that "it would probably be okay to breastfeed," but MRSA was such a horrible infection for babies to get that in her opinion it wasn't worth taking the chance. I wish that the NICU doctors, my OB, and primary care dotors had told me that when I first told them about the MRSA, and I could have saved myself 3 weeks of uncomfortable pumping and false expectations. I'm also frustrated that I can't find much information on the web, and the only sites that seem to have any info on MRSA and breastfeeding charge a lot of money to read their articles, which are written in indecipherable "medical-eese." I am frustrated and disappointed about not being able to breastfeed. On the other hand, I have two healthy babies now home from the NICU. But with MRSA so prevalent, surely I am not the only new mother colonized with it. So why is information about MRSA and breast milk so hard to come by? The whole experience has been frustrating and frought with conflicting information. I would breastfeed if I knew it was safe, but my doctors just don't seem to know. 18240

Re: MRSA & Breastfeeding Reply #1 by Maria	Posted: July 28, 2007 at 16:16

Dear Denise I am so sorry to hear about your experience and do hope that you babies are doing OK now. If you were colonised with MRSA when you were breast feeding there would be a chance that the colonisation could get into the milk. The MRSA bacterium can cause food poisoning if it is transmitted into food - breast milk being food, this is no different. If the colonisation has cleared, and you would need to be swabbed to establish this, then the breast milk should not become contaminated. Breast milk is full of mums' own antibodies and is renouned for its effectiveness for helping babies fight infection. However if I were in your position, and I breasfed all my babies, I think I may decide to opt for the formula milk after this experience. If you do decide to breastfeed your babies then I would make sure to get a swab done, and ensure it is clear. You can wash and shower in antibacterial soap, hibiscrub is very good, also I believe in the USA you use dial soap. This would be a good way to minimise the risk of becoming recolonised. There is a lot of information about MRSA on our website visit http://mrsaactionuk.net. Best wishes Maria 18242

Re: MRSA & Breastfeeding Reply #2 by Grace	Posted: August 24, 2007 at 09:15

Dear Denise, I also have been diagnosed with having MRSA in my breast milk. I have a 2 month old baby. After 4 weeks post delivery, I developed 2 abscesses on my right breast. The pus was aspirated and the culture reported MRSA. I then stopped feeding my baby the milk from the right breast. The pus was drained via needle aspiration and no antibiotics was given to me. 2 weeks after, I had my right breast milk cultured and the report still revealed heavy growth of MRSA. My OB and my baby's pediatrician agree that I should not feed the breast milk. The doctor treating my breast abscess said it was okay to feed the milk, even from the infected breast. So did the lactation consultant, and Dr. Jack Newman, a medical doctor from Canada who specializes in breast feeding issues. To be on the safe side, I discarded the milk from the infected breast. Almost a month later, a general practitioner advised me to have my left breast milk cultured. The report came out today and revealed MRSA growth as well. My baby's pediatrician advised me to stop feeding bresat milk altogether until I am cleared and to get myself treated with antibiotics. I am seeing an infection disease specialist doctor tomorrow. I too am frustrated at not having finding resources on the internet regarding MRSA and breast milk when I agree with you that we are unlikely to be the only ones affected with this condition. But like you, I have to give up feeding breastmilk to my baby. I am also confused about the lack of consensus among the doctors I consulted regarding the safety of breast milk that has MRSA. If I get new information from the specialist tomorrow, I shall post it here. 18609

Re: MRSA & Breastfeeding Reply #3 by Jessica	Posted: August 24, 2007 at 21:01

Hmm. I developed a localized MRSA abscess (on my bottom) when my daughter was about 6 months old. No one ever suggested to me that I stop breastfeeding. In fact, they went out of their way to find meds for me that were reasonably safe for breastfeeding. Note: doxycycline is NOT safe for breastfeeding. It will stain the baby's incipient teeth. I continue to breastfeed and there's been no incident with my daughter. In fact, I've been patting myself on the back for continuing to breastfeed through all this. It's no walk in the park to nurse 8 times a day when you are not able to sit down...though I'm better now. Anyway, the baby has had a mild virus or two, as babies in daycare will, and it's never developed into anything more frightening. Now granted, no one has ever tested my milk to see if it is positive for MRSA. Additionally, I've never had a nasal swab to see if I'm a carrier--I've just been living life as though I am--cleaning obsessively and doing the nasal ointment, etc. So that's not really any useful information for you two...just another story to share. I'm in the US, if that makes any difference. Good luck to both of you in figuring things out. 18614

Re: MRSA & Breastfeeding Reply #4 by Jessica	Posted: August 24, 2007 at 21:06

ETA: I don't know how I feel about verified MRSA actually in the breastmilk. I don't know what I'd do. But I wouldn't let the fear of MRSA on the skin prevent me from breastfeeding. Mothers and babies have skin-to-skin contact, it's unavoidable. Cutting out breastfeeding for that reason would be like cutting out holding your baby for fear of contaminating him/her. 18615

Re: MRSA & Breastfeeding Reply #5 by Louise	Posted: June 20, 2008 at 13:03

There is a company that sells chemical free baby clothes that are antibacterial and kill MRSA on the skin. They have some information on the products forum but their web address is www.babypinkorblue.co.uk - Hope this helps anyone worried about MRSA and their babies. 21432

Re: MRSA WITH 3 M0NTH OLD Reply #6 by dIANNE KEENAN	Posted: August 28, 2008 at 15:43

my great grandson has been found to have MRSA.he was in the hospital when it found.can u believe it, they sent him home and said there wasn;t anything they could do.my granddaughter too k him to his pediatrian and she wanted more blood drawn on him.although my granddaughter had the resules to give her.what is wrong with our doctors, to send him home with this? 21787

Re: MRSA & Breastfeeding Reply #7 by Tiffany Knapik	Posted: December 16, 2009 at 20:48

I also developed MRSA from breastfeeding. It started with a clogged milk duct and then it followed with a fever and chills. The Dr said that I had mastitis and prescribed Doxycycline. I was told that Doxycycline was safe to breastfeed with. After 2 days my symtoms were not going away. I called the Dr and they presribed me a stronger anti-biotic. The next day I developed an abscess on my ariola. I could not breastfeed from that side because it was severly painful but I continued on the other side. The abscess was so bad, I had to go to the ER to get it drained. The Dr's then had to cut it open and drain the puss from it. That hurt soooooo bad. I screamed and cried (I would rather go through labor again). The ER Dr's said that I should pump and dump from that side and nurse from the other. The next day I saw my family Dr, he took a culture of the drainage and it came back with MRSA. I was then told that I should not breastfeed after that, because the anti-biotic being too strong. How did I get this? What did I do wrong? I'm a clean person. I take a shower every day. I don't wish this on anyone. It was the worst thing that ever happened to me. I feel so sad that my baby can't feed from me. Now I'm all dried up. 23635

Re: MRSA & Breastfeeding Reply #8 by linda mccafferty	Posted: December 17, 2009 at 15:22

Tiffany , im going to give you the USA/Canada site link , so you can get the best advise help & support........... as here in the UK our healthcare is diffrent , here is the link ...... http://www.mrsa-forum-usa.com/index.asp?action=start 23636

Re: MRSA & Breastfeeding Reply #9 by amanda	Posted: December 18, 2009 at 05:36

Tiffany, my story is the same as yours. mine was drained, and i did not nurse from that side. even though it was drained, when the abscess healed up there are still hard lumps inside my breast like it didn't all come out. while this was happening my supply disappeared. i was put on antibiotics- two different kinds because the first one left me with fever and other side effects. and now my breasts look so awful. the left side is the normal sagginess from breast feeding and the right side is much smaller now and oddly shaped because of the lumps that are still there. my husband is in the navy and got it from his ship. it's awful. he says i need to go to the ER immediately to get it taken care of. am i in trouble of it getting into my blood stream? there is no opening any more and it has been three months. 23638

Re: MRSA & Breastfeeding Reply #10 by linda mccafferty	Posted: December 18, 2009 at 09:19

So sorry to hear this Amanda , are you in the UK ? . 23639

Re: MRSA & Breastfeeding Reply #11 by amanda	Posted: December 19, 2009 at 17:46

no i'm not, i live in california-and i just realized that link you posted is for USA, so this must be for the UK. thank you 23640

Re: MRSA & Breastfeeding Reply #12 by ladyk	Posted: December 22, 2009 at 19:03

Amanda - Please seek an Infectious Disease specialist! It is NOT advisable to nurse from other side, as MRSA is not isolated to outward symptoms of lesions alone. It is likely you have passed along bacteria to babe, and little one should be seen along with you by an ID. ["OBJECTIVE. To determine a potential source of MRSA colonization and infection among preterm infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) using molecular analysis of breast milk samples. DESIGN. Case report, outbreak investigation. RESULTS. Preterm triplets were delivered at 26 weeks’ gestation via cesarean section when routine active surveillance for MRSA was performed for all infants in a NICU. Surveillance consisted of swabbing the throat, nose, and umbilicus (TNU) weekly. Although infants A and B initially had negative TNU swabs, repeat cultures were positive for MRSA on day of life (DOL) 10 and DOL 18, respectively. Surveillance and clinical cultures for infant C were negative. Infant A developed sepsis, and multiple blood cultures were positive for MRSA beginning on DOL 14. Infant B developed conjunctivitis and a conjunctival exudate culture was positive for MRSA on DOL 70. Both infants were fed breast milk via nasogastric tube. Cultures of breast milk samples for infants A and B dated prior to either infant’s first positive surveillance culture were positive for MRSA. All MRSA isolates had identical results on antibiotic susceptibility testing. PFGE demonstrated identical banding patterns for the MRSA isolates from the blood culture of infant A, breast milk for infants A and B, and a surveillance swab from infant B. At no time did the mother develop evidence of mastitis or other local breast infection. *CONCLUSIONS. MRSA can be passed from mother to preterm infant through contaminated breast milk, even in the absence of maternal infection. Colonization and clinical disease can result."] http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/502476 Please come see us on USA side for further assistance... http://www.mrsa-forum-usa.com/index.asp?action=start ladyk 23646

Re: MRSA & Breastfeeding Reply #13 by Brandy	Posted: March 29, 2010 at 02:47

Tiffany, My story is VERY similar to yours. I developed terrible mastitis, tried several antibiotics, none of which worked. The infection was so bad that I developed necrotic tissue that had to be removed. I developed Toxic Shock Syndrome when the MRSA infected my bloodstream. It was very bad. I had to stop nursing my baby too, not only due to the pain and infection, but because I was so near death. I am thankful to be alive, but like you, am in search of answers as we are expecting another baby in July. I am disappointed that the medical community knows so little about this type of illness, particularly MRSA/TSS cases. 23867

Re: MRSA & Breastfeeding Reply #14 by TracyI	Posted: April 14, 2010 at 17:29

I have had a bump near my nipple for two + wks.I saw 6 doctors until one finlly drained the lump and it came back as MRSA/Staph!I am on a third antiobotic!I am expressing and discarding but I fear my three mo old caan still get it out of my other breast?I have to wait a week on this new med until they will see me and treat the issue.I feel if the Doctors would have taken a different approach it would be under control.I have breatfed all 3 of my children and had mastitis once.I knew the symptoms and tried several times to tell these professionals.I aam really frustrated on how I was shuffled around and put off.The five doctors told me to feed and if it burst my mamy could fight whatever bacteria it is.Heaat compesses where perscribed and made it worse.Finally the 6th Doctor drained it and took the culture.Told me not to compress w/heat but ice.I have five more days till i go back and my breast is tender I don't know if its from getting engorged then draining it or from the infection.They think its an oil gland that got clogged.I am clearly not at ease with anyones consultation that I have seen.I am at loss.I dont want to stop breastfeding but if my baby is at aall at risk i wkill stop altogether.And if they cut it open how contagious will I be than? 23922

Re: MRSA & Breastfeeding Reply #15 by LLLJeannie	Posted: June 23, 2010 at 17:52

I am so sorry all of you women have gone through such terrible problems with MRSA. It is sad that there is STILL SO MUCH misinformation out there regarding being properly treated for MRSA, and, if it is safe to continue to breastfeed. It IS SAFE to breastfeed with MRSA. If fact, the baby could possibly be the host! It is imperative that you find a breastfeeding knowledgeable provider that can help you in these cases. It is up to doctors to provide the EVIDENCE that one should NOT breastfeed with MRSA. Breastfeeding is the NORM. The evidence does not suggest anything less. I know MANY docs who say it is perfectly safe to feed but it is critical that mom is treated properly. A good site for doctors to refer to is Thomas Hale's site, http://neonatal.ttuhsc.edu/lact/, or book, Medications and Mother's Milk. Go to breastfeeding and medications forums at the website. This is for professionals. Please share with your doctor and do not try to self diagnose. Find a BOARD CERTIFIED lactation consultant who can help. I am truly sorry for the losses that you all have felt due to this resistant staph that MANY, MANY hospital patients get. There are drugs that are more effective and many docs still are not up to date on this. Dr. Hale's site is where they can find the best, current recommendation, based upon RESEARCH! I hope this helps someone in the future. 24097

Re: MRSA & Breastfeeding Reply #16 by linda mccafferty	Posted: June 23, 2010 at 19:33

Thank you LLLJeannie . 24098

Re: MRSA & Breastfeeding Reply #17 by Breastfeeding	Posted: July 13, 2010 at 20:20

I agree. But I also understand the ones avoiding breastfeeding with MRSA, they are scared, that's all! It's true- we are afraid of what we don't know, so sometimes we prefer to stay in the dark... http://newborn-babies.net 24132

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