Have to Wean:(

[mommytoavery]

I am so sad. I just found out that I have Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (and have probably had it since I gave birth 21 months ago) and I may also have Endometriosis. What is really horrible, is the antibiotics I have to take for the PID are definite no-nos for nursing. So I have to wean. We stopped tonight and I cried from the time dh took her to bed until now. I didn't think I would be this sad when it came time to wean but I am. DD is taking it much better than me.

I believe the 2 drugs are an injection of rocephin (ceftriaxone) and 2 weeks of doxycycline. I am getting really conflicting info from the internet and am beyond frustrated. She only nurses in the morning but it is twice (once at 5:30 and again at 7:30 for 10-15 mins each time) - rarely does she nurse during the day or at night.

This is cross posted on Breastfeeding Beyond Infancy but need all the help I can get.

[mommytoavery]

Well just told dh that i have info that these drugs may be safe and he said "why would you take that chance that something gets into her that is bad." He said it is better to just wean so we don't take that chance. Really made me feel guilty. He is usually very supportive of the extended breastfeeding but was adament on this and I really didn't have a strong argument. Off to cry myself to sleep

[velcromom]

You need to check Dr Hale's Medications and Mother's Milk, he is the authority on what drugs are safe for bf mamas. Most major bookstores either have a copy or can get it. I would not be satisfied myself with info from any other source for a decision like this. It's worth the expense to be sure.

Dads are scared when it comes to their wives and little girls, so they will always choose on the side of their fear. I hope that you can get some good info from Hale that will help you settle the matter in both your minds.

Can you explain to him what the risk levels are (L1, L2, etc) and show him this chart from kellymom with its reference pages?

http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/...oved-meds.html

[beru]

This information is from Lactmed which is a database from the National Institutes of Health. It is very good...and possibly could me more acceptable to doctors when confronted with the information.
http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?LACT


I suspect your doctor(s) do not respect your nursing relationship if they told you these were "absolutely contraindicated". There is room for consideration.

Questions frequently arise regarding the safety of breastfeeding when a mother is taking prescription medications or is considering an over-the-counter preparation. Fortunately, a wide variety of substances are compatible with breastfeeding. If there is any doubt regarding safety, resources should be used to provide an evidence-based answer. Advising a cessation or interruption of breastfeeding should be limited to those situations where it is necessary and should not be used as a "safe" way to manage a lack of information. -Dr. Susan Morton

[annettemarie]

Moving to breastfeeding challenges.

[katheek77]

"Doxycycline is excreted into breast milk. Short-term use by lactating women is not necessarily contraindicated, however, the effects of prolonged exposure to doxycycline in breast milk are unknown"

http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopag...y/doxypreg.htm

Which surprised the heck out of me, because that's what they gave my husband in Iraq in case of biological warfare.
The info was taken from Hale's book, if you go down and look at the footnotes. More on doxycycline here, which states that doxy is very similar to tetracycline, which the APA considers safe with breastfeeding.

As to ceftriaxone:
Ceftriaxone is excreted into breast milk in low concentrations... Three potential problems exist for the nursing infant: modification of bowel flora, direct effects on the infant, and interference with the interpretation of culture results if a fever workup is required. The American Academy of Pediatrics considers the drug to be compatible with breast feeding

[RachelGS]

Two weeks?! Mama, it isn't worth scrapping your entire nursing relationship for a breastfeeding-compatible medication that you only take for a very short time. Really. You do NOT have to wean for this.

[littlecityfarmer]

Your DD is 21 months old and only nursing a couple of time a day, right? If Hale's and Lactmed list those antibiotics as safe, you're fine! She's not a tiny newborn-- her system should be able to handle the small doses of medication that are excreted in your milk. Look into probiotic supplements for the both of you, though, as those meds will clear out your gut flora...

Healing wishes!

[Kristina77]

aaaw mama, just wanted to give a

this must be so hard for you....this is what i think - i would not nurse my 21 month old if i had to take drugs. no matter how "mild" they could be, drugs are drugs.
but these ladies must know what they are talking about. this is only my personal opinion.
you can always go back to bf....just have a proper whole body cleanse
before you would start nursing your little one again.

good luck!!!

[alegna]

Originally Posted by Kristina77

aaaw mama, just wanted to give a

this must be so hard for you....this is what i think - i would not nurse my 21 month old if i had to take drugs. no matter how "mild" they could be, drugs are drugs.
but these ladies must know what they are talking about. this is only my personal opinion.
you can always go back to bf....just have a proper whole body cleanse
before you would start nursing your little one again.

good luck!!!

Sorry- this is misinformed advice. Many toddlers would wean over this. The drugs she needs have been researched and shown to be safe.

I would not give a second thought to nursing on these medications.

-Angela

[hipmummy]

I would nurse my 21 old on both of those meds. My mom is an IBCLc and I am a CLC and we both agree it is fine for an older baby. I have a very active nurser and would just make sure I avoided nursing at the doses peak time (you can find this info out it the leaflet or the pharmacists) If you are really afraid then pump and dump for two weeks. It is not worth the stress and upset just for two weeks.

[Kristina77]

angela .....

yes, i know what you mean, i do not want her to listen to me, i made it clear that it was my personal opinion only.
also, i do not trust any drugs, they could be proven to be "safe" i would not care.
isn't that what they say about vaccines? :

it is very hard when you have to take medications....i can only imagine.
i nursed my dd for 3 and a half years and i feel her pain, that is all.