I NEVER see a mother when I have a cold. Because although a cold is not going to kill you or the mother, it could indeed kill the baby. There is somethng called RSV which in older children and adults can look very much like the common cold but in infants, esp premature ones, but all newborns are at risk, it can cause severe respiratory complications that can land the baby in the NICU. Over 4000 infant deaths a year are caused by this. 

When  I am sick I will explain to the mother that I can't see her and set her up with a colleague or help her over the phone. I do not see the mother unitl I am well again. No one who has a cold has any business being anywhere near a newborn unless the benefits of that contact outweigh the risks of RSV.

Kathy Lilleskov RN IBCLC

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