Breastfeeding, surgery and pain meds

[alerixon]

Hi all,

Unfortunately I haven't had time to do a real search, so my apologies if this is duplicated. I just found out I have to have surgery on Monday and am worried about my 5 month old and our nursing relationship. I do have a freezer supply built up from having returned to work part time, so I can pump and dump as needed. I have a couple questions and don't have time to do the research I would like, any advice is appreciated!

1. Are there any pain meds I can request that are less harmful, or transfer less in breast milk? I looked on kellymom, but it seems all are rated L2 or worse.

2. Since I have a large supply of frozen milk, would it be safer to just use that? If I do, what are some tips to avoid mastitis while pumping and dumping?

3. DD is a comfort sucker, would it be safe to let her fill up on a bottle of pumped, and then comfort suck, if I have pain meds in my system?

I asked my surgeon these questions, but he didn't really seem to know and suggested contacting a lactation consultant, but I can't get a hold of them :-( Any idea on someone else knowledgeable I can contact, or an easy to find source online?

Thanks so much!

[alerixon]

One more I thought of, what's the best way to try to prevent my supply from decreasing through all this madness?

[katelove]

Paracetamol and ibuprofen are both approved for use in infants of your LOs age. It has also been shown that people who take regular paracetamol and an NSAID following surgery (provided there are no contraindications) require fewer narcotics. Narcotics can be used by BFing women but there will be some transfer and the babe may experience side effects (usually drowsiness, possibly constipation).

Without knowing what surgery you're having I can't guess at what you're likely to need or be offered. It is important to manage your pain though. You need to be able to move reasonably normally, take deep breaths and cough to reduce your risks of post-op DVT or pneumonia.

I think I would be inclined to breastfeed more or less as normal. Make sure you stay well hydrated and start eating again as soon as possible to help maintain your supply. Rest as much as you can. All those things will help maintain your supply and reduce mastitis.

If you feel like sharing any more details then I'm happy to be more specific and look at Hales for you to discuss other options.

[alerixon]

Thank you so much! I'm having badly deviated septum reset. I called the Dr's office and he said they normally prescribe lortab or percocet. I do have a really huge freezer stash (she stopped eating much while I'm at work in the afternoons, so most of it has been getting frozen for months) so my thought is to just use that to be safest, and maybe nurse for comfort as she needs it. If I do that, are there any steps other than trying to be really good about pumping I should take to avoid an infection? Or should I just nurse and not worry about it? I'm torn

Thanks again!

Alicia

[katelove]

*Personally* I would feed and not worry about it. If she showed signs of being affected by the drugs then I'd use the freezer supply.

If you go with the pumping option then I'd suggest pumping as often as she feeds (to maintain your supply and prevent engorgment), emptying your breasts as completely as possible and examining them for lumps and massaging them out at each feed.

All the best.

[PatioGardener]

I'd nurse and not worry about it too - just watch baby as the PP stated. My baby was on morphine post surgery at that age, so I'd take morphine without worrying, knowing that my babe was ok. I'd want to look up any other meds in Hales to compare, and I'd ask my doc for the "best" for nursing.

[PatioGardener]

ps. Good luck with your surgery!