Can you get botox while breastfeeding is a question many moms want to know to retain their body image while nursing their newborns.
Breastfeeding is when a new mom chooses to feed breast milk to her baby, usually from her breast directly. Breast milk is considered one of the best sources of nutrition for the child. It is considered beneficial for both the mother and child in ways more than one.
To feed the baby breast milk or not is a completely personal choice of the mother. This is because there are various things that a person needs to keep in mind while breastfeeding.
While some of these are facts and must be followed, others are just myths getting passed on from one person to another.
In this article, we have discussed some questions mostly asked by breastfeeding mothers. Read on to know more.
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Botox while breastfeeding
Before we know the answer to can you get botox while breastfeeding, let us know what botox is. Botox (onabotulinum toxin A) is a medication or an injectable drug. This drug is made by the bacterium known as Clostridium botulinum type A after purifying it to a great extent.
The toxins that this bacteria produces are known as neurotoxins. While botox treatment began as one of the most widely used cosmetic surgeries, it has many side effects.
A person can get fatal diseases from this toxin. This is because this bacterium has a huge tendency to cause a fatal infection when it overgrows.
Before we know in detail if you can get botox while breastfeeding, let us look at the procedure.
What are the uses of Botox
Botox helps to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. They are mostly used by plastic surgeons in cosmetic surgeries.
It helps to treat a few health conditions like:
- Excessive sweating
- Crossing of the eyes – strabismus
- Muscle stiffness
- Severe neck spasms
- Anal fissures
- Crossing of the eyes – strabismus
- Muscle stiffness
- Migraines
- Cerebral palsy
- Spasm of the eyelids
- Neck and Shoulder muscles spasm
How do Botox works?
To know if you can get botox while breastfeeding, it is important to understand the procedure that Botox works. The Botox is injected directly into the neck and face muscles in the procedure.
It works by blocking the nerves in the particular area where it gets injected. This, in turn, paralyzes the muscles in that particular spot.
Botox is also used to treat other medical conditions apart from just cosmetic surgeries. In those cases, it is injected into the overactive glands.
However, the effects of Botox on the area where it is injected are temporary. It stays in the body for a maximum of six months before getting excreted. Hence, for cosmetic purposes, a person needs to repeat the procedure at an interval of 6 months.
Can you get botox while breastfeeding
There are few types of research or studies on how Botox affects breastmilk. However, as per doctors, botox is safe for breastfeeding mothers. This is because there are very few chances that neurotoxins are transferred to the baby through breastmilk.
However, many other problems can arise if a person takes botox injections. If a person is allergic to the chemicals used in Botox, it could cause serious infections in them. Sometimes it could also be life-threatening. The infection that botox causes are referred to as botulism.
Therefore, as they say, it is better to be safe than sorry. For the same reason, it is suggested not to feed breastmilk to the baby just after taking the botox treatment. Even though there is very little chance of the neurotoxins going on to the baby, this would even make the chances lower.
How to combine breastfeeding and pumping?
Pumping your breastmilk for feeding your baby when you cannot feed breastmilk could be a savior in times more than one. But as they say, pumping your breastmilk is not as easy as a person might consider it to be. It could be stressful and overwhelming. The most stress is connected with some people thinking that they won’t pump up enough milk.
If you are one of those, then fret not. These tips will ensure you have a stress-free pump in good quantity.
Relax yourself
One of the most important things to do before you pump is to ensure you are stress-free. Stress can hinder the process of your body producing enough breast milk.
Therefore, before you start pumping your breast milk, relax. You can also go for some of the de-stressing techniques. Listen to some nice and soft music, look at the picture of your baby, meditate, and/or find yourself in a comfortable spot.
Pump on demand often
The production of breastmilk works on a supply and demand basis. The more you pump, the more your body produces breastmilk. Hence, set the alarm to pump breastmilk for at least 10 to 15 minutes after a few hours gap. Pump on both breasts. This is because pumping on both the breasts stimulates the production of milk.
Pump in the morning
Most women have noticed that they produce more milk in the morning compared to the later parts of the day. It is also ideal that in the latter part of the day when the person starts working, they can get stressed up. This, in turn, also hinders the production of milk. Hence, it is also a good decision to pump the first thing in the morning.
Drink a lot of fluids
The key to producing a good quantity of milk is to keep yourself hydrated at all times of the day. Add a lot of water, milk, and juices to your diet. Along with that, choose to cut on caffeinated products and alcohol from your diet. If you occasionally choose to have it, avid pumping or breastfeeding your baby for at least some hours.
Stop smoking
Smoking is one of the worst things to do while breastfeeding your child. Smoking increases health risk factors in the child and must be avoided at all costs. It can cause severe respiratory diseases and lead to sudden death syndrome in the baby. Along with that, it also hinders the production of breastmilk. Therefore, in case you smoke, you must stop immediately.
Pamper yourself
For the baby to be healthy, the first thing to do is keep yourself healthy. Include tons of healthy fluids, fruits, and vegetables in your diet. Do things that make you happy and shine you within. Exercise and indulge in physical activities often to stay fit.
Does breastfeeding make you tired?
Another most common question asked after can you get botox while breastfeeding is if breastfeeding tires a person. The answer to this is a huge yes. Breastfeeding can be extremely tiring and overwhelming.
The human body breaks down the food the person eats and stores the nutrients converting it to breastmilk. This is the process that drains the maximum energy from the body. You can consider heading towards a proper workout when you are breastfeeding.
This is for the fact that you can lose up to 500 calories by just breastfeeding every day. For this reason, breastfeeding moms can feel drowsy, tired, and sleepy at all times of the day.
What does breastfeeding feel like?
The feeling of breastfeeding varies from one woman to another. It depends on a lot of factors. Mainly, it depends on how comfortable you are breastfeeding your child. A woman goes through a roller coaster of emotions while breastfeeding her child.
At the initial stages, breastfeeding may feel uncomfortable and painful. The breasts become heavy, swollen, and full with all the milk. Along with that, the nipples can become swollen and painful with the sucking.
Breastfeeding causes dopamine levels to drop in women. This drops to a huge extent in some women and leads to self-loathing, sadness, anger, and anxiety.
However, as time passes, a person gets comfortable with it. That is when most women claim it to be one of the most beautiful feelings in the world. Most women feel a warm, gentle tugging sensation while breastfeeding. Some women can also come across a tingling sensation.
Does breastfeeding make you hungrier?
If you ask most breastfeeding mothers, you would know that they feel hungry at all times of the day. This is more just after they breastfeed their child. And why not? As we mentioned before in the article, breastfeeding makes people lose around 500 calories per day. It drains a person of the fluids, causing dehydration. This makes a person feel extremely thirsty.
Hence, breastfeeding mothers might constantly feel thirsty and hungry. Fill your diet with energy foods and tons of healthy fluids. Also, do remember to hydrate yourself frequently when breastfeeding.
What are the ten signs pregnancy while breastfeeding?
One common myth passed on from generation to generation is that a person cannot get pregnant while breastfeeding. But, this theory is completely baseless. A breastfeeding mother can get pregnant. She can conceive even before her periods get back to normal after giving birth.
The only problem is the signs of pregnancy may go unnoticed in women who have had childbirth only recently. However, certain signs and symptoms can give away that you are pregnant if you notice them closely. Those signs are:
- The breasts become sore
- Sense of fatigue
- Sudden uterine contractions
- Milk production of the body reduces
- Irregular periods
- Constant feeling of tiredness and nausea
- The shape of the breasts begin to change
- In most women, the milk taste changes
- Sudden mood swings where you do not want to nurse your child
- Increase in tenderness and breast pain
Can you take NyQuil while breastfeeding?
Many breastfeeding women may want to take the over-the-counter medicine NyQuil to relieve them of cold and flu symptoms. Although NyQuil is safe to consume, it must also be kept in mind that it contains alcohol. This might become a problem for the breastfeeding mother.
Alcohol is one of the worst things there is for the child. This is because it tends to get passed on to the breastmilk. When the baby consumes the breastmilk, it could put him under the radar of getting many diseases.
Having Nyquil can make the babyface a lot of underlying health conditions. Some of the diseases are abnormal sleep patterns, hormone problems, and weight gain. Hence, it is advised to wait for at least 2 hours after you take this med before breastfeeding your child.
Final Thoughts
Botox and breastfeeding can be challenging to do together. Mothers must speak to their gynecologists when making such decisions for themselves and their babies.
In this article, we have tried to jot down some of the most common questions generally asked the new breastfeeding mothers. We hope it helps you decide how you wish to go about the process.