How to Protect Your Immunity While Pregnant and Breastfeeding

Catching an infection while you are pregnant, or breastfeeding can really zap your energy levels and make you feel quite wobbly and low. What’s more, navigating all the information about what you should and should not take during this important time of your life can be a minefield. This blog gives you a simple breakdown of the nutritional options to support your immune system while you are pregnant or breastfeeding so you can fight colds, coughs and viruses more easily.

In our NatureDoc clinic, we often see expectant and new mums looking for nutritional ways to protect their immunity, especially if they are a teacher, need to take public transport to work or have older children bringing home all the bugs from nursery or school.

An infection during pregnancy or breastfeeding isn’t usually cause for major concern, but it’s the last thing you need when you already have so much to prepare for! Read on to find out how to protect yourself against the worst of it and learn my top tips on how to deal with viral and bacterial infections with a little bit of help from Mother Nature. I also share which foods to prioritise and safe supplements you can take to help perk you up.

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When to see your doctor

Most infections during pregnancy and breastfeeding aren’t dangerous to you or your baby, although sometimes your symptoms can be cause for concern – if you’re at all worried, always check in with your doctor or obstetrician, especially if you have any of the following symptoms:

Fever
Chills
Foul-smelling vaginal discharge
Unusual vaginal bleeding
Abdominal pain
Burning sensation when urinating
Rash
Cold and flu-like symptoms that don’t seem to go away

Which foods and supplements can you take?

If you are fighting off an infection, or you want to protect yourself against illness, you can naturally support your immune system using nutritional know-how. I share below what you can eat and supplements to take daily (including the safe maximum doses) whilst you are feeling under the weather.

You can make home-made fresh juices with a combination of lemon, ginger, turmeric, apples, pears, pineapple, carrots, red peppers, romaine lettuce, cucumber, celery and kale. You can also make smoothies packed with berries, mango, oranges and pineapple and add in superfood powders such as pink pitaya (dragon fruit), baobab, haskap (wild blueberries) for extra antioxidant support.

Chicken soup with vegetables and home-made stock or bone broth with lots of ginger and garlic can be very soothing and nourishing and help you to clear your head if you are very bunged up with catarrh and congestion.

I am afraid that most herbal remedies for cold and flu are off limits whilst you are pregnant and breastfeeding, except for some herbal teas such as ginger root, hibiscus or rosehip. If you are breastfeeding a child over 12 months you may be able to take a broader range of herbs. The rule of thumb is that if the home remedy is safe for your little one to take themselves, then it is ok for you to take whilst you are breastfeeding. Elderberry for instance is suitable for babies from 3 months old, but there is not enough evidence to suggest you should take it whilst pregnant or breastfeeding a newborn.

You may be taking a pregnancy multivitamin and mineral already, so remember to allow for the levels of daily nutrients in the multi when you add in extras whilst you are fighting an illness. Here are my top recommendations for supplements you can take:

Vitamin D

A vitamin D deficiency is common in pregnant and/or nursing mothers, with research figures ranging from 24-77% in Western countries and it is often worse in Asian and African countries with a 46-97% likelihood of a vitamin D deficiency due to having darker skins or wearing more sun lotion. Some studies have found that breastfeeding mothers may be at four times a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency than women who aren’t pregnant or breastfeeding. This may be because you are spending more time indoors with your baby and less time outside in the sunshine.

Vitamin D plays a key role for your immune system, helping to keep inflammation or pain down and help you to fight an infection – so getting enough of it is important for keeping colds and viruses at bay.

Recommendations vary from country to country, partly due to latitude. The US Endocrine Society recommend a daily dose of 1,500-2,000 IU in pregnancy and breastfeeding. Studies generally recommend between 200-2,000 IU during pregnancy and post-partum. In the UK’s high-ish latitude, the NHS recommend you get at least 400 IU per day, whether from sunlight or the diet, and no more than 4,000 IU per day.

In the summer you can usually get enough vitamin D from sunlight by going outside with exposed arms and legs every day, but doctors recommend supplementing in the winter months, particularly if you are living at higher latitudes.

Oily fish, egg yolks, milk and meat from outdoor reared animals are good sources of vitamin D, or you can use vitamin D supplements. Do not consume liver while pregnant – although it’s high in vitamin D, it’s also high in vitamin A, and high doses of that can be harmful to your baby.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C helps you to regulate your immune system. It’s also a powerful antioxidant, and it has been shown to promote wound healing and to help reduce the severity of allergy symptoms such as sneezing. In short, it’s an immune-boosting superhero!

Since your body can’t store vitamin C, you need to make sure you get enough of it every day. The NIH recommends 85mg per day if you are pregnant and 120mg per day if breastfeeding. 120mg is the equivalent of eating two oranges. You can take a maximum of 2,000mg vitamin C a day when you are poorly or recuperating.

You can increase your vitamin C intake in your diet by consuming more citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, grapefruit and limes as well as kiwi fruit, strawberries, bell peppers, potato, parsley and broccoli.

Zinc

Zinc is found in all body tissues and helps with normal foetal development. It is vital for a healthy functioning immune system and zinc helps to prevent cell damage from viruses and other infections.

The RDA for pregnancy is 11mg per day and 12mg whilst breastfeeding. However, if you are unwell you can take up to 40mg a day until you feel much better and have fully recuperated.

Zinc-rich foods include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, pumpkin seeds oats and legumes.

N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)

NAC is a form of the amino acid cysteine, which is known as semi-essential because the body cannot always synthesise the amount that it needs. During periods of illness or growth, you need much more dietary cysteine to keep up with demand. NAC also replenishes glutathione, which is a powerful antioxidant made by your own body that has been shown to help with infection recovery.

NAC is considered safe to take during pregnancy. Doses of 600mg per day and 2,400mg per day have been tested with positive outcomes, but ideally it is best to take under supervision from an experienced naturopath or nutritional therapist. NAC is likely safe in moderate doses whilst breastfeeding and studies have found it to be neuroprotective for the baby’s brain.

Dietary cysteine can be found in poultry, beef, pork, fish, dairy such as yoghurt, lentils, oats and eggs.

Lactoferrin

Lactoferrin is a protein made in the body that helps protect and support the immune system. Scientists often call it a “miracle molecule” because of its important roles. It prevents bacteria from growing by binding to iron. Lactoferrin also stops viruses from entering human cells by attaching to their receptors.

Doses as low as 10-20mg per day have been shown to activate the immune system, though most studies have supported doses of 100mg per day in pregnancy. Animal studies have shown promising results for the use of lactoferrin supplements during breastfeeding, but human studies remain scarce. However, lactoferrin is naturally present in breast milk, and scientists have emphasised its importance in developing immunity.

Cow’s milk is a great source of lactoferrin, as are other dairy products, lean cuts of beef, eggs, soya beans, apples, oranges, and spinach. Lactose-free versions of dairy products still contain some lactoferrin. You can also supplement with lactoferrin.

Round up

Help is at hand if get a nasty cold, cough or infection whilst you are pregnant and breastfeeding through what you eat and extra supplements whilst you are feeling under the weather. If you would like specific or personalised supplement suggestions, contact us here, or reach out to our expert NatureDoc clinical team – we’ll provide tailored advice for you and your baby to naturally support your immune system and your baby’s health.

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