| QUESTION: | | I have abstained from eating sashimi (raw fish) since I got pregnant. Is it safe to eat now that I have given birth? I am breastfeeding. |
| | ANSWER: | | The danger of eating sashimi is that of getting food poisoning. This would happen if the raw fish was contaminated with bacteria or parasites. When a mother gets food poisoning, symptoms might include vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhoea. According to the *LLLI ( La Leche League International) Breastfeeding Answer Book (pg 458), when a mother has food poisoning, it usually stays localised in her gastrointestinal tract and does not pass into her milk. As such, breastfeeding can continue and poses no danger to the the baby. The breastfeeding mother with diarrhoea and vomiting however, will need to ensure that she drinks enough liquids to maintain her fluid balance and avoid dehydration. Only in the rare cases where food poisoning becomes systemic (meaning the bacteria has passed into the mother's bloodstream and her milk), breastfeeding should be discontinued until blood tests are negative. |
| | Please note that this information is for personal use only and is provided based on the limited information from your email. It is private and confidential and is provided by volunteer counsellors, who are not medical professionals but have breastfed their children. Please do not distribute or disseminate to third parties or alter the information. It is the property of the Breastfeeding Mothers' Support Group (Singapore). If you are in doubt or have any difficulty, please consult a lactation consultant or a health professional with an interest in breastfeeding. |
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