Breastfeeding post surgery- any tips?

[KatnissMellark]

My little one is nearly nine months old, weighs about 9kg. Eats pretty well and takes water, but still feeding 5-6 times a day and once overnight (usually). I've got a surgery coming up (abdominal) and in terms of prep we've ensured DH can settle to sleep effectively, got a 'boppy' style pillow to support while feeding and bought a bed guard to prevent rolling out if bed in case we end up feeding lying down.

I e also downloaded the drugs in breast milk fact sheets around anaesthesia, pain relief and the specific procedure I'm having in case I meet any resistance from HCPs.

I feel like it's just a case of grit my teeth and get through it, but has anyone got any tips to make it easier? My preference is not to wean, and LO won't take a bottle anyway so do t have much choice!

My advice was going to be to download the analgesia and anaesthesia info so you are ahead of the game there! Just remember that women have cesarean sections and breastfeed with plenty of analgesia. Make sure that they prescribe you dihydrocodeine , regular spaces out doses of paracetamol, ibuprofen and the dihydrocodrine should keep things manageable. When you are in hospital if you need more then paracetamol IV is the bees knees. Keep taking things regularly, don't wait until you think you need it.

Thanks!. Yes I've had issues getting pain medication from my GP for the condition I'm having surgery for, so I'm hoping the surgeon is more pragmatic

It may not be something you struggle with but for me it was a good idea to practice making assertive statements about breastfeeding before I went in - you may feel more vulnerable than usual as a patient and meeting resistance (hopefully you wont!) can be more difficult. So having phrases ready to say like “its very important for me to continue to breastfeed; we need to find a way to make that happen” was good. Also remember you will need more sleep than usual for a while after surgery, so if you are waking in the night can you make sure you get more sleep other times ( depending on your expected recovery, perhaps you will be in bed for a while anyway). Also if you have the contact details for anyone who will be looking after you, contact them in advance to say you are breastfeeding so they are aware. Best of luck hope everything goes well!