BF and general anesthetic - help!

[babypringle]

I've got to have a general anesthetic at the weekend for a wisdom tooth removal. I'm BF DS2, who is 4 months old.

Can anyone tell me what implications of the general are for BF? I asked my ever-so-helpful HV, but she said that I should pump and discard for maybe two feeds or maybe 24hrs but she wasn't sure which.

So, do I need to express and discard milk and if so for how long? How important is it that I express - I think my supply is pretty settled?

And finally is the only painkiller compatible with BF paracetamol?

Thanks for your help

[LittleMysMum]

If it's any help, I had to have a GA for a short repair operation after DS born, when he was 12 weeks - he was exclusively BF and I mean BREASTfed - wouldn't take a bottle, cup or anything else, so the hospital had to give me a side room and let him come with me for the day (baby friendly hospital so I threatened to kick up a stink!), my mum had him while I was in theatre/asleep. Anaesthetist reassured me that he'd be fine and he was - I probably fed him about 2 hrs after coming round and he didn't seem affected at all.

You can have other painkillers while BF, even ibuprofen, and can combine this with paracetamol for a couple of doses if pain really terrible, though I would recommend sticking to paracetamol if you can.

[tiktok]

babypringle - your HV is wrong and I think it is shocking she cannot inform you properly of this, and instead confuses you even more.

Bf is normally considered safe after GA - women bf as soon as coming round after a section with GA, and no one worries, and their babies are newborn!

When the GA is out of your system, and you are conscious, it is out of your milk.

You can check this information for yourself by looking at the factsheets on drugs and medication at www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk.

Do tell your HV to get her act together

[babypringle]

thanks Littlemysmum and Tiktok - it will make life much easier if I do not have to worry about expressing.

why do HVs know so little about breastfeeding??

[weegiemum]

I had 3 GAs in the 6 months after dd2 was born (complications of pregnancy getting fixed) and always fed as soon as I got back to the ward. GA drugs are very short acting and are reversed by the anesthetist who brings you round, so once you are awake they are gone.

Hope it all goes well for you.

(I ended up not seeing the HV - you know you don't have to after the first visit if you don't want to, you just have to say "thanks, I'll call you if I need you" - after about 5 visits with my dc1. She was totally useless)