Reasons to suspect that you have Lyme disease include:
- You live in a region where Lyme disease is common
- Fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes may occur in the absence of rash
- Erythema migrans (EM) rash1
While there are no reports of Lyme disease being spread to infants through грудне молоко, the antigenic material of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, is transferred into human milk. While there has yet to be a case in which an infant was infected through human milk, it is not known if that genetic material is infectious or not. Thus, it is recommended that if someone is diagnosed post-partum or while breastfeeding, they should seek immediate treatment and withhold breastfeeding until beginning an appropriate antibiotic regimen.2
It is safe to continue breastfeeding while being treated with antibiotics. Some antibiotics are safer than others while breastfeeding. Breastfeeding mothers diagnosed with Lyme disease should consult with their healthcare providers who can prescribe an antibiotic that is safe to use while breastfeeding.3
Milk banks do not test for Lyme disease and rely on self-exclusion, physician letters for confirming health, and the Holder pasteurization process to address any possible contamination of donor milk.4 Families using private-arrangement donor milk can screen their donors and use the Holder method of pasteurizing can be done at home when in doubt.
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- – Occurs in approximately 70 to 80 percent of infected persons
– Begins at the site of a tick bite after a delay of 3 to 30 days (average is about 7 days)
– Expands gradually over several days reaching up to 12 inches or more (30 cm) across
– May feel warm to the touch but is rarely itchy or painful
– Sometimes clears as it enlarges, resulting in a target or bull’s-eye appearance
– May appear on any area of the body
– Does not always appear as a classic erythema migrans rash ↩︎ - Infant Risk – Inaccurate Information Online Regarding Breastfeeding with Lyme Disease ↩︎
- CDC - Lyme Disease ↩︎
- Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast – Donor Milk Safety and Screening. ↩︎
