Breastfeeding and Medications

On Thursday, Betsy and I attended an Arizona Latch Seminar.  The speaker this meeting was Amy Spangler, MN, RN, IBCLC who has authored several breastfeeding books including Breastfeeding, A Parent's Guide.  The two topics she discussed were on breastfeeding and medication and Vitamin D deficiency.  This blog entry I will discuss breastfeeding and medication.

The take home message for mothers to know is that there are many medications that are safe to take while breastfeeding.  As a side note, medications that are safe for a breastfeeding mother are not necessarily safe during pregnancy.  During pregnancy, the placenta and medication transfer is different than medication transfer into breast milk.  When a breastfeeding mother takes a drug (depending on the form) the drug must be absorbed through the GI tract, into the milk supply, then pass through the infants GI tract to then end up in the babies bloodstream.  There are many obstacles and processes that must occur that result in the infant only receiving a minuscule amount of medication in the bloodstream.

Talk with your doctor before taking any medication.  Also, be an informed patient and refer to a great online resource for a list of approved medications (prescribed and over-the-counter):

http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov

A great set of questions Spangler believes you should ask yourself and your doctor are:

• Is the drug really necessary?
• Is there a topical alternative?
• Can the drug be safely given directly to baby?
• What do reliable sources of information say about the drug?

Remember, breastfeeding is the best choice for you and your baby.  Be an informed patient and advocate before taking medication while breastfeeding or before weaning your baby in order to take a medication.

Sending Doula Love,

CC