Surgery and Breastfeeding

HI S.! I totally understand your situation and want you to know that many mothers have been able to breastfeed through a surgery and have found it to be the best not only for their babies but also for their recovery! You can look up specific medications through Dr. Hales website online. http://neonatal.ttuhsc.edu/lact/medicationforumspage.html
He is a breastfeeding pharmacologist who studies medicines and their passage in breastmilk. You can also contact your local LLL leader and have them look up specific meds that are compatible with breastfeeding, so that you can work with your doctor to find something that works. (Most medications have little passage into the breastmilk and/or little long term effect for the child. The risk of weaning him before he is ready is usually more severe.) I had anesthethia and pain meds and continued to nurse my 10 month old, but again, you'll want to take into account dosage, age of infant, how often they nurse..... I think you will find the help of an experience LLL leader priceless to get you and your son through this surgery as a breastfeeding duo. http://www.llli.org/WebUS.html

I wish you well with the surgery and I know you'll get through it! Let me know if I can help out any more with information or support.

K.

Dear S.,
Bless you for all you are going through right now. I nursed my child and was not ready to wean at 1 either (in fact, I'm more in to the let them decide, why wean? :-)). I understand your worry, because I would have the same. There is no reason why this impending surgery should dictate to you how you feed your child.

It is fantastic to keep breast feeding after 1 year. You intensify the excellent advanatages you give to your child.

I would call a lactation consultant. Perhaps you can contact your hospital and ask them to speak to their's. She will be able to tell you about medicines, what to do, etc. There is an excellent book - Medicine and Mother's Milk - that our lactation consultant has. Unfortunately, not all doc's are up on this and sometimes go too lax and often say you can't nurse when you can. However, an CLC is going to be able to give you good, valid info.

Pumping extra right now is a fantastic idea, for one thing, you will not have to worry if you have it in the freezer! Bless your heart!!!

Please do find a Certified Lactation Consultant and tell her about this. Then ask if you can keep in touch (incase they throw a different medicine your way - your husband can call and check with her).

Hang tough and do not let anyone convince you to stop nursing altogether until you are ready to do so. Kudos to you for your dedication to the best for your son, you will NEVER regret it.
God Bless you and be with your during your surgery and recovery. K.

I would suggest you start pumping one or two times extra per day now and store in freezer. Then after your surgery, you can pump and dump. But I would try to get him adjusted to taking breastmilk from a bottle as soon as possible since some babies have a hard time with that transition and it can take trying several different types of nipple attachments before he accepts. Or maybe he might be old enough for a sippy cup?

Do you live in an area where you can get in touch with a La Leche League leader?

Here is the link: http://www.lllusa.org/groups.php
Just click on your area.

Try talking to someone from LLL and working with your son's pediatrician and your surgeon to see what the safest meds will be for your son.

As for the comment about weaning is more difficult when your child is older, I personally disagree with that. I nursed my daughter until she was 22 months old. I would have gladly continued, but she decided she was done. One day she decided on her own that she was too busy playing with her toys that she didn't want to nurse anymore. It all happened in a matter of a day. I was worried because I had heard some horror stories about weaning, so I thought maybe she was just having a day where she didn't want to nurse. But it continued for the days following. I think every child has their own "time" when they want to quit. Some kids are older and some kids quit when they are younger. It just depends on the individual child. If you want and allow your son to naturally wean, it may be easier on both of you.

My mom and my sisters all nursed their kids as well. My mom said it was easy weaning all of us and 2 of my sisters agree it was easy to wean their kids, but the other 2 said it was difficult with their kids. I guess it just depends.

And, no, I am not a LLL leader trying to push breastfeeding for anyone who is wondering. I just think the choice in how to feed our kids is a personal one and if S. wants to continue breastfeeding and is looking for support/advice, then we should offer her ideas instead of telling her she can't do this or that.

Have a safe surgery and stay in touch and let us know how it all works out!

My friend just had a surgical procedure (her baby is 2 months)and the doctor's were able to tell her how many feedings she needed to pump and dump before resuming normal feeding. She had stored up milk in the freezer ahead of time and it worked great. You will need to start saving up milk soon since it sounds like you will miss more feedings. The good thing is that if you can't quite save enough, it won't hurt your baby to have some whole milk as a supplement. DO NOT warm any breastmilk bottles in the microwave as one person suggested!! It destroys many of the nutrients that are the reason you are breastfeeding in the first place. Always warm breastmilk in warm water, or serve it cold in a sippy cup for a baby that old. Sometimes they like it cold, especially if teething.

By the way, for those wanting to know why keep breastfeeding past a year...the health benefits to baby (immunity from some infections, perfect balance of fat/carbs/protien, etc.)and mother (decreased risk of some cancers, calming hormones, etc.) continue as long as nursing continues. The World Health Organization recommends nursing until age 2. It's just here in America that we try to grow our kids up so fast. Besides that there is the calming effect and the bonding that walking babies still need. May God bless you during this stressful time and may you heal quickly and completely!

I highly recommend calling your local LLL leader. There is a book called Medications in Mother's Milk by Dr. Thomas Hale where you can look up individual medications. Most medications in milk are okay if necessary. Of course it is your personal decision too, whether to deal with the negative effects of the drugs, to pump and dump, or to deal with the negative effects of weaning so young (I too agree that it is very young).

You are lucky that you have some time to talk to doctors, LLL leader, lactation consultant and do your own research (and extra pumping if that is what you decide to do). I had surgery (with about 12 hours notice) when my baby was 3 months old and I continued to breastfeed and never regretted that decision. I really recommend trying to find drugs that have the least potential for problem (use Dr Hale's, it is more breastfeeding friendly). Many Doctors don't understand how important breastfeeding may be to you and you need to make that clear. Many surgeons, etc. don't deal with breastfeeding much and to be on the safe side recommend weaning. Remember breastmilk is so good for your baby.

K.

First off I want to say that it is great that you are so committed to breastfeeding. You clearly understand that it has tremendous benefits, both emotionally and healthwise, for your little boy and both of you should be able to continue to enjoy those benefits despite your medical situation. I'm going to echo what I've seen a few others say in that I think that you should contact a La Leche League Leader. They have access to all sorts of resources and can provide information about breastfeeding while taking medications. Contacting LLL is free. It's great that you have some time to look into all of your options. Take advantage of that and contact them soon so that you can be as prepared as possible.

I'm having heart surgery in three weeks and I am still nursing my son who will be 13 months when I have my surgery. I have talked with my OB, my pediatrician and my cardiologist about the medications I will be on. Each has told me it's safest to pump and dump. I don't pump very often b/c I'm a stay at home mom but my pediatrician has assured me that as long as I make an effort my milk will not dry up. If you have been nursing for this long your milk supply should be safe for a few days, is what they told me. Most medications will be at non-dangerous levels within 24 hours of stopping them. My son is not ready to wean either so I'm hoping what everyone has told me is correct. We travel internationally every few months and the nursing is very soothing to him when we're across the world. Best wishes for you and your family.

I had surgery when our middle son was a few months old. I discussed in length with the surgeon my desire to continue breastfeeding and he worked me as far as choosing medicines that would be safe for him. The only good advice I can give is to talk to your surgeon and ob and come up with the best plan possible. I would talk to them as soon as possible so that you can plan for pumping/freezing, etc if necessary. Also, I'm currently nursing and just finished a short round of steroid which was completely safe for use while nursing. The doctors will know what is best and safe for both of you. Good luck!

Hi S., It is perfectly fine to nurse while you are on most medications. Talk to your surgeon about the steroid he is going to put you on to make sure it's safe while nursing. I know the pain medication is safe. I was on a lot of pain medication after 2 of my births that were traumatic. I was able to nurse straight through with the pain medication. Even if the surgeon tells you that the steroid medication is not safe while nursing, get the name of it and call La Leche League! They have an awesome book and provide services for free. They can look up the medication and tell you the half life of it and even if you can not completely nurse it may be safe to nurse so many hours after you take the steroid. Typically though if explain to the DR the importance of you nursing they will prescribe something that you can take while nursing. I think it's great that you are still nursing your baby. I am an extended nurser myself. I do want to let you know that at 12 months they do hit a growing spurt and want to nurse a bit more. It's never a good idea to try to wean right at 12 months because of the growing spurt and emotional development at that age. Wishing you the best!

Try to find a La Leache League Leader in your area. If you can't, I can probably find one for you. Then find out exactly what drugs you will be taking before, during, and after the surgery. Then contact your LLL Leader and she should have a book that she can look up each drug and find out wheather or not you can nurse taking it. MOST DOCTORS ALMOST ALWAYS TELL YOU THAT YOU CANNOT BREASTFEED TAKING DRUGS (they prescribe) AND IT ISN'T ALWAYS TRUE. They just don't have the book to look it up and they just say that to cover their butt. Believe me, I know! I broke my arm when my 2nd son was just 12 months old and still nursing full time.

You will denifately need a good electric pump. Of course to store up the milk and to also 'pump & dump' after the surgery. The drug knowledge tells you how long you will need to 'pump & dump' as well. Just remember to have a "pumping schedule" made out following the surgery. The hardest part about pumping when you have nursed, is KEEP up the schedule of pumping. First of all, you will be tired and recovering from surgery, second of all, you can keep putting it off until later, and third, you can just forget until your boobs hurt. Remember, if you don't pump, your milk supply will dwindle, and when you return to nursing again, you won't satisfy your baby.

Good Luck & God Bless!
C. R.

I'm sorry to hear that you are going to have to have surgery. You need to take care of yourself so that you can be there for you child. I breastfed all three of my boys until they were exactly 1 year old, then I switched them to whole milk in a tippy cup, and they have always been very healthy little boys. I think it would be fine for you to go ahead and wean him, that way you can take care of yourself without the extra stress of nursing, which also takes a lot out of you!! I wouldn't want to risk putting the other drugs into my baby's body!! Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

I don't want to sound mean but I would PUMP & DUMP your son will get some medication through expressed milk from you feeding him and who knows what that can lead to it can be extremly harmful for him to come into contact with these medications.He could suffer major overdose.If you really want to make sure talk with a Breastfeeding educator at your nearest hospital they have the books of studied medication and the effects it will cause during breastfeeding.For now pump all day long if you have to and freeze it while you recover for a few days, and you can always ask for a breast pump in the hospital for you to pump and dump.

I had to have back surgery when my oldest was 12 months old. I was informed that my milk could dry up as a reaction to the medications--and it did. Luckily, I had begun weaning her and she was down to just the night time feeding at that point. You might try talk with one of the anesthesiologists at the hospital. You've given your baby a wonderful start on life with 12 months of breast feeding. More than the breast milk, he needs a healthy, happy momma. Take care of yourself, and the rest will fall into place.

wow. i would pump in advance, as much as you can, and even mix 1/2 and 1/2 with formula if you have to to stretch it out. check with your dr the compatibility of your meds with breast feeding...i think vicodin is ok but the stroids and iv pain meds you'll want to check, for sure. so why the craniotomy? my advice to you, no offense, is to worry about YOU. this will be a hard row for you guys at first, and stress won't help. do everything you can to chill before the surgery. good luck! ____@____.com (this is actually tifR, under my friend's login). once again, good luck and DOUBLE CHECK the meds.

First of all good luck with the surgury. I would start pumping maybe once a day and freezing it for during and after the surgury. You will have a nice supply for the next 3 months and breastmilk will store for several monthe in the freezer. Also, find out from your dr exactly what meds you will be on post op then go to www.safefetus.com and look those meds up. They have the safty rating of almost EVERY med out there for both pregnancy and breastfeeding....Take care and I hope this info helps.

~A.~ Mom of 6 going on 7

I had to have my gall bladder removed when my daughter was 5 weeks old. Obviously, I was breastfeeding and it was important to me to continue to do so. My surgery was fairly minor so I was not on heavy drugs. The doctors at the time told me to pump an dump one time but after that it was ok to feed her. She did take a bottle ok at that point so we were able to feed her just fine. We had to use some formula because it was kind of an emergency procedure so we were not able to store up breastmilk before the surgery. You really should talk to your doctors about the medicines that you will be on and ask them their oppinions on the situation. You also need to consider your comfort level after the surgery, not just the pain meds. He will be a bouncing, rowdy boy who can crawl and most likely walk by that point and will not understand that he has to be soft with mommy. This is a hard decision but, if it really would be better for you to wean before the surgery, 12 months is really a good age to do it anyway. He will be able to drink cows milk at that point and use a sippy cup so he would probably be just fine with it. Just start cutting out a little bit at a time. I started the processes of cutting back with my youngest daughter and she pretty much weaned herself at 11 1/2 months. Good luck with the surgery.

Not safe for baby... You would have to pump and dump for a week or more to make that work. As a mom who's been there...It is a good opportunity to wean....It may seem a little early to you, but if you nurse much past a year, you have a lot harder time weaning....My aunt nursed long enough that her son would ask for it in public and unbutton her shirt or stick his arm down her shirt when he was hungry.... With the kind of surgery you mentioned I'd say there isn't much option on different meds, and some of those stay in your system for a long time. Give it a month or two, you still have time....You may change your feelings by then. I loved nursing too, and I missed it a little when I weaned, but you can still have close time with your baby with a sippy cup... Good luck.

I had a really short surgery just about a month ago. I am breastfeeding my 9 month old son. I talked to a few people, and apparently the anasthesia medication wears off really quickly. Basically if it's not working your body has metabolized it. I don't know exactly about the medications you discussed, but there is a breastfeeding and medication reference book. I don't have a copy, but you might find it at the library. It has listings by medication and says whether it is safe or not.

Also, I met a woman through La Leche League who took a whole week away from breastfeeding and then started again. It took a while, but she was able to build up a supply again. I don't remember her name, but you might call someone in La Leche League - or look at their website. Always a good resource for information and support.

Hope this is helpful.

Discuss this in detail with your surgeon and, if possible, a lactation consultant. I was told that steroids are not ok in breastmilk. Make sure you have a good amount pumped for your son to have during that time. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

I can understand your concern about weaning your son. But with him being basically 1 year old when you have your surgery, that's technically not too early to wean - it might actually be a perfect time to do it. Just a thought... The research that I've done on breast milk basically states that the child does not benefit past a year anymore than he would on cow's milk (at that 1 year mark). Best of luck to you on your surgery.

S.~
Actually, NO Rx meds have been proven safe for babies through breast milk, or pregnant women for that matter. They ALL pass through, just some more than others.
I had knee surgery when my son was 5 months. I pumped & dumped for 24 hours. I was not on any meds after that though. I chose not to take the Rx antibiotic & went the natural route by taking garlic, which is antibacterial AND antiviral - and does not effect the baby negatively, except maybe the taste!
I had to stop breast feeding earlier than we would have liked to later on b/c I had to take prednisone (a steroid) for my newly developed RA.
Start pumping now & build your supply. I would do enough milk for as long as you'll be on meds, plus an extra 2 days for it to get out of your system.
Take care,
J.
www.jessicagrimm.com

PLEASE talk to your Pediatrician or a lactation consultant. Our babies' systems are sooooo delicate and you're talking about some extremely strong meds. This is a serious topic and needs expert answers more than opinions.

I cannot imagine that those powerful painkillers wouldn't pass through your milk to your baby. I think you will need to pump ahead of time and freeze a supply and then continue to "pump and dump" while you are on the meds. I work in a pharmacy and I think your best resource for information may be your pharmacist. They know a lot about how long it will take for the meds to get out of your system...etc. Also check to see if there is a local La Leche League that could help answer your questions. I am sure you are not the first person to have to deal this...you just need to head the right direction for answers. Good luck with the surgery....God Bless
R. Ann

DO NOT BREASTFEED WHILE YOU ARE ON THESE MEDICATIONS!!! At 12 months you should already be thinking about weaning (they say to breastfeed up to 12 months if possible) but going longer than 12 months is not a bad thing by any means. Besides, you should be introducing him to whole milk at this age if you have not already. I personally would just stop breastfeeding, it was such a hassle for me, but if you dont want to stop just yet, I would pump and dump. Dont continue breastfeeding while on any type of painkiller and definitely not steroids, they can have terrible side effects, especially in a child!!! DO NOT DO IT! Hope this helps!

*I agree with the nurse who said that the other moms saying that its ok to take medication while breastfeeding are WRONG. Thats the first rule you learn when you get pregnant. Breastfeeding is the same way. If in doubt, ask a professional! If you risk it consequences could be fatal.

I would call a breastfeeding consultant at the hospital you delievered. They have a list of safe medications to use and breastfeeding. I think the vicodin is ok but not sure about morphine and the steroids. I am not sure how long it takes to pass through your body.

Good luck and hope it is a fast recovery.
K.

I would talk to the ped. and doctors. They will be able to tell you more.

S.,
Although they tell you that the pain killers are safe to breastfeed on, do not do it!! I was told that and after my cesarian was on pain killers and was breastfeeding. My son was very lethargic and had a hard time waking up to feed. When he was 5 days old, we took him to Children's Mercy emergency and they ended up admitting him into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a week because he was toxic and drugged up from the vicodin that I was taking. They told us that had we not brought him in that night, he would have died. Please pump and dump!! This is the life of your son!!

I would CHECK WITH YOUR DR to be the SAFEST! It's nice to get other's opnions, but your Dr. or lactaid consultant would have the best info! You could always pump and freeze until your surgery, that way you have some good milk stored. Otherwise, talk to your Dr or local lactaid consultant to be the safest for you both!! Good Luck on both counts!!

Best talk to your surgeon about the breast feeding, positions and medication. Then talk to pharmacist about what meds transfer thru breast milk. Start pumping and storing ahead to build up supply for the freezer. Take breast pump with you for hospital stay and remind dr that you are still breast feeding. Breast engorgement post op can cause a fever that may be miss interpreted. If you get a post op fever and you haven't pumped-pump first then have them retake temp later.

I did not read all the responses so I don't know if someone said this but, in the mean time I would stock up on frozen milk in a big way. Pump as much as you can. It will cause your milk supply to increase now but just freeze it. Your child will probably be eating more solids than he is now so that will help but if you can't nurse him for a week at least you will not have to resort to an alternative. Good luck!

NO, IT'S NOT SAFE FOR YOU TO BREASTFEED WHILE BEING ON THESE MEDS!!! Anything you take will be passed to your baby! I suggest you pump lots of bottles of milk in advance and freeze it. It can be warmed up in the microwave and given to him by a bottle.

Most babies are off a bottle by 12 mos. Why is it that you want to prolong feeding your baby past 12 mos.? Just curious!

THESE MOMS ON HERE WHO ARE TELLING YOU IT'S SAFE TO TAKE THESE MEDS WHILE BREASTFEEDING ARE NOT EDUCATED IN THIS WHATSOEVER!!! I AM A NURSE...AND NO, IT'S NOT SAFE!!!!

Even though your son seems no where near weaning right now, you still have a few months before your surgery. A lot can change in a few months at that age. My son was an avid nurser and I thought he would probably be breastfeeding until kindergarten (LOL)! Out of the blue when he was about 12-13 months old I guess he just decided he was done. He suddenly wasn't interested in breastfeeding and never wanted to nurse again. No bottles, just straight to a cup. My daughter also weaned herself, at about 11 months. Same thing, she just decided she was finished with breastfeeding. In both cases I still had plenty of milk, but I guess they were ready to move on to the next stage.

Ask your surgeon and your son's pediatrian if the medications will pass through to the breastmilk. They can tell you what would or wouldn't be safe for your son and possibly work with you to find more 'mom friendly' medications. You can pump and freeze milk now, then pump and dump until your system is clear after the surgery if you need to. Even if your son weans himself by then, he can still get the benefits from the breastmilk by drinking it in a cup.

Best wishes that your surgery goes well.

I recommend you contact a La Leche Leader. You can call the city phone at ###-###-#### and get a leader in your area. Or, you can go online to www.LLLofGreaterKC.org La Leche Leaders help for free in ALL nursing and weaning situations.