Having surgery, BF'ing, and unsure...

[schoolmom07]

I am BF'ing and have to have gall bladder surgery. So far, I have not been able to get a stash of milk put away as DD seems to want to eat what I have pumped. She eats so much that many are telling me to switch to Formula (which I don't want to do) or my MIL is pushing me to feed her food (she is only 10 weeks old). I have to have my gall bladder taken out (is this normal after pregnancy?) and am worried about the anesthesia, pain meds and such...I am needing reassurance, tips on getting more milk stored and general advice concerning any issues here. Help Mamas! It is one thing after another.

[mkksmom]

I would find out ahead of time what type of anesthesia they will use if possible and then look it up.

I know 2 moms who had gall bladder removed after having a baby.

I'd pump in the morning and just don't give her the milk that you pump. Let her keep nursing even if you feel empty because it will tell your body that you need to make more milk. I had to have my wisdom teeth out with my dd and pump and dump for 24 hours after that, and the next day when I went back to nursing my dd wanted to nurse constantly and it was like a growth spurt to get my supply back up after all of the pumping. So don't be surprised if that happens if you have to pump and dump. Turns out they just used lidocaine so I probably didn't need to pump and dump, but I didn't know about Thomas Hale back then.

Also you could bump up your water intake and see if that helps your milk supply catch up... Oh and pump every day around that same time. That is supposed to help too.

[MiamiMami]

I had my gallbladder removed a 2 weeks postpartum with ds. They allowed me to keep him in the hospital since I was nursing. That was their policy I did have to have another adult with me to help out.

I was on loads of meds because I also had pancreatitis but I was able to nurse through most of it. I would suggest contacting the LC at the hospital ahead of time and have your docs do the same. Insist on it. I had a doc tell me all he would give me for the pain was Tylenol if I wouldn't stop breastfeeding.

Good luck and a speedy recovery to you Mama.

[2boyzmama]

There are very safe anesthesia meds that you can have and continue nursing. Think about it...women have c-sections and nurse, and babies themselves have surgery and are on the meds directly. You just need to tell your dr and anesthesiologist that you are breastfeeding and do not plan to stop. Ask for the hospital's lactation consultant if they try to tell you something ridiculous like you have to wait 12-24 hours. You should be able to nurse your baby as soon as you are physically able to hold her (and even then, someone with you can help hold her at your breast).

There will be a few hours when she can't nurse (when you're in pre-op, in surgery, and in recover) so having at least one bottle of pumped milk will be helpful. When is your surgery? If you can, start pumping once a day, even if just for a few minutes. If you get half an ounce each time, you'll have a full bottle in less than a week. She'll probably only need one bottle, it doesn't take that long to remove a gall bladder.

Please don't let people tell you that you need to pur her on formula because she eats so much! They mean well, but they probably don't understand the biology of breastfeeding. She eats frequently because she is stimulating your supply. Or perhaps she's just a snacker (prefers small frequent meals), or perhaps she has a touch of reflux and it's soothing to eat frequently (and if she does have some reflux, formula will almost certainly make it worse!).

Post over in the breastfeeding forum if you have questions about specific medications. Someone with the book Medications in Mothers Milk will look it up for you to assure you how safe it is.