How to Treat a UTI While Breastfeeding

While it's important for a woman's health to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs), it's also important for nursing mothers to not pass powerful antibiotics to their babies, whose systems may not be able to handle them. The alternatives are to treat UTIs with safe, natural cures or to use less-powerful antibiotics that are known to be safe for infants. In cases of serious UTIs, however, women may need to stop nursing a baby in order to aggressively treat the UTI. Prepare for this eventuality by pumping and storing breast milk throughout these steps.

Instructions

Treatment of UTIs

1

The best choice for breastfeeding women is a natural treatment. Do the common-sense things first: increase your intake of water, make sure your undergarments are not tight, and urinate frequently to flush out bacteria.

2

By itself, simple flushing will probably be inadequate, so you'll need to make your system more alkaline and antibiotic. Calcium citrate and magnesium citrate, both available in the supermarket vitamin aisle as mineral supplements, will safely make your urine more alkaline as well as add calcium and magnesium to your diet. Don't overdo them; take tablets as directed on the package.

3

Drink cranberry and/or blueberry juice, without sugar, and avoid all sugary drinks. Both these fruits have antibiotic properties that can be very effective against UTIs, and limiting your sugar intake robs bacteria of nutrients.

4

Do not take other natural remedies, like goldenseal, without talking to your doctor first. While many herbal remedies are safe and effective, they can interact with current medications, and some can pass through breast milk to your baby.

5

If you've tried natural treatments for a week and you still have a UTI, it's time to talk to a doctor about pharmacological treatment. Fortunately, there are many drugs today that work quickly and well on a UTI but that do not pass through breast milk, or that pass through but are safe for your baby.

6

Ultimately, there will be some UTIs that do not respond well to either natural treatments or to safe-for-baby antibiotics. In this case, ask your doctor for the quickest-acting treatment so you won't use up your stored breast milk too quickly.