One boob bigger than the other! Help!

[Nadene]

I have to stop breastfeeding immediately due to drugs I have been prescribed, so am expressing to relieve the pressure, but my other problem is that one boobs is much bigger than the other. Should I try and express from the smaller one in order to encourage more from it, to even things up?

Mine is also like that but i guess you cant do anything if you are not breast feeding. I breast fed ds for only a month, 9 months ago.

Do you actually want to stop breastfeeding? What drugs have you been prescribed?

Aloha - I don't want to stop but have been prescribed anti-inflammatories called Diclofenac. Pomi - did your boobs even up when you stopped?

Nadene! Diclofenac is given in hospital as an antiinflammatory post-bf. (It's also called voltrol.) I keep some in my drugs cabinet in case of any soft tissue injuries - it's safer than iboprofen when bf.

You absolutely do not need to stop bf if you don't want to!

How old is your little one?

Post-cs, I meant. And I'll try to find a cite.

She's 4 months. Why don't I have to stop? I thought the drugs weren't safe?

Nadene, contrary to popular belief, there are very few drugs that are absolutely contraindicated in bfeeding. You would know if you were taking one of them -- it's mainly the very powerful anti-cancer drugs, which act by interfering with cell division, hence will damage rapidly growing tissue, and may even interfere with DNA.

For almost all other drugs, there is a presumption that the benefits of bfeeding outweigh any theoretical risk from the small quantity of active ingredient that may pass into bmilk.

I do know what I am talking about here I bfed all three of mine (not all at the same time!) while taking a strong prescription immunosuppressant. That is considerably closer to the anticancer chemotherapy agents than a painkiller, and yet I was still told by my consultants that I should carry on with feeding. That was the top bod lesser mortals (junior doctors, HVs, chemists) may tell you other things, but they are not well-informed in this regard. The leaflets in medication packets are principally concerned with covering themselves against litigation, so are being maximally cautious.

I was also taking prescription-strength painkillers at various points during bfeeding. They may make the baby a bit more sleepy than usual, but the effect passes pretty quickly. My three are now 10, 6, and 2 and they are all incredibly healthy!

hth

Thanks for that info. I will think about it. I think 4 months is too young to stop breastfeeding and I know I still have milk in me.

This is the website of one of the few people who really does know about drugs and bfeeding. I couldn't find your drug on a quick look, but that's probably because most drugs seem to have different names in the US.

But on a quick skim, problems only seem to centre around people taking vast doses, taking it for a prolonged period or taking it in combination with other drugs.

4 months is quite young to stop bfeeding. The benefits are so great, that unless you get reliable medical information from someone in whose opinion you have confidence, I should just keep going. And I speak as one who was told by several junior medics that of course I wouldn't be able to bfeed, that my child would have a damaged immune system etc. etc. Luckily this only kicked off with my 2nd and 3rd, so I was able to point out that I already had one/two at home with an immune systems like armoured tanks. I then gave them the phone no. of my immunology consultant in case they wanted to discuss it further. And that was the end of that.

thanks very much for that info!

I can't seem to find any online references. But I do know that when I went to my GP, when DS1 was 6 months, with a bad shoulder injury, wanting prescription anti-inflammatories (and expecting diclofenac ... but not asking for it by name), I got: diclofenac.

It might go into the breastmilk in tiny quantities, but I wouldn't worry about it.

Unfortunately, my web searches are turning up some sort of american anti-cancer drug by the same name.

This is from the book "Medications and Mothers' Milk" by Thomas Hale - a dr who is THE world expert on medication and breastfeeding.
I was also offered Voltarol post c-section and it was pretty obvious I was breastfeeding.
Talk to your dr again.

Cataflam

... In one study of six postpartum mothers receiving three 50mg doses on day one, followed by two 50mg doses on day 2, the levels of diclofenac in breastmilk were approximately 5ng/ml of milk although the limit of detection was reported as

Now that I think of it, I took them after my c-section as well! So now my problem is that if I want to start again, I have started eating peanuts again. How long should I wait before they are out of the system?

You don't have to wait. It's fine! Feed away!

Er, have to say that was addicted to peanut butter during preg. and didn't stop when bfeeding. Dd2 loves pnut butter and has done since about 8 months.

Time to get your norks out, girl!

I am on diclofenac at the mo and 2 different antibiotics because of a second breast abscess and I am still feeding ds!I had first breast abscess when he was 3 weeks old and was on only one antibiotic then but diclofenac aswell and it didnt do him any harm then at three weeks so Im sure your dd will be fine!I also had diclofenac after c section.
Oh and peanuts I love peanuts!Try keeping me away from peanut butter Good luck with the feeding and enjoy those peanuts!

Nadene, to the answer to your question my boobs are still uneven. dh says next time i brest feed i should feed more from the shorter one.

presure on the big one, although it is completly natural,they always have a favourite ione, it should go in a few days