VQ/VT scan whilst breast feeding

[CoolCat2014]

Hi all, looking for some advice, my baby was born two days ago, and breast feeding is going really well. Yesterday I was having real tightness in my chest, so got sent to the hospital by my GP. They've given me blood thinning injections, and want me to have a VQ scan tomorrow. They haven't given me any advice on breast feeding, but looking it up it seems the advice is to not feed for 24hours.

What can I do? I really don't want to upset the flow of breast feeding by expressing and using a bottle so early, I don't know if I'd be able to express enough for 24 hours anyway, and I really don't want my baby to get anything radioactive.

Would I be unreasonable to refuse the scan, given I only have minor symptoms and am feeling a lot better today anyway? Or should I suck it up and try to express as much as I can?

This is my first baby, so really don't know what to expect with BF.

Can you get in touch with the BFN network drugs and breastfeeding helpline, they'll probably have the most up to date info on the safety of the scan and how long you'll need to not BF for (if at all).
www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/detailed-information/drugs-in-breastmilk/

Also do check if the scan is absolutely necessary or a "just in case", having to stop BF for 24 hours when baby is so young would be an enormous hassle and I think some health professionals don't realize just how much of an imposition it is to "just stop for a bit".

I had this when DS was 5 days old. I had chest pain and my blood tests showed a clot was likely.

The advice I was given was that I shouldn't BF for 14 hours. This was far better than the 24 hours I'd originally been told. However, I was also advised not to cuddle him due to the radiation that would be in my system for the same amount of time. This resulted in a lot of tears!

For us it was hard because we had struggled to get BF going (turns out he had an undiagnosed tongue tie). He was already on a bottle and I was already expressing to stimulate my supply. We were in hospital anyway.

I think it's worth discussing the option of refusing the scan. The consultant will be able to explain what the results will mean in terms of your treatment. I had the complication of not being able to take anticoagulants as I'm allergic so they had to do the scan, whereas the Dr did say that there was the option of just starting treatment and not having the scan, but as I couldn't have the treatment they needed to know what they were dealing with. You may be feeling better because of the treatment, or there may not be a clot. It's impossible to say without the scan.

There are options.. If you express and dump you will keep your supply up. You can express now so you have milk to feed tomorrow. A cup is better than a bottle. 14 hours seems a lifetime but it's just a drop in the ocean.

For us it was the right choice. 5 weeks down the line and it's a distant memory. Have a chat with the consultant and weigh up your options. Hope you feel better soon

Having had clots in my lungs twice, I know a little bit about the process of testing and the treatment, although I have only had the tests (x rays, VQ scans and CT scans) in pregnancy, not whilst breastfeeding, although I have been on blood thinners whilst breastfeeding.

They will already be treating you as though you have a clot/clots, so if the tests confirm clots they will just carry on treating you. If they show no clots then they will stop the treatment. So you could at least delay testing whilst you get some proper advice (Breastfeeding Network Drugs In Breastmilk helpline is a good place) on whether you can breastfeed after the scan. Or you could ask if it is possible to breastfeed after a CT scan and if so whether you can have that instead or if there is any other testing they can do.

I think it would be at the very least a massive inconvenience to not be able to breastfeed such a young baby for any length of time.