Breastfeeding and multiple antibiotics

[fibeee]

My baby was born 6 weeks ago via EMCS. Since then I have had 2 wound infections and was prescribed flucloxicillin and now metronidazole.

I’m really concerned about how these antibiotics could be affecting my baby’s gut through breastmilk. I’m reading that metronidazole gives bm a bitter taste which surely suggests that quite a bit is getting through.

As I combine feed anyway I am thinking of pumping and dumping until the course is over and just exclusively giving my baby formula until then.

Has anyone noticed any gut or other health issues in their babies after taking multiple courses of antibiotics while bf?

I’m finding it hard to get advice on this right now. Everything i read is very pro-bfing at all costs

This website is really useful, and trustworthy, for looking up transmission of various medications etc through breast milk.

Here is the page specifically relating to the antibiotics you're taking. Flucloxicillin is there and says fine. It also says the the following about Metronidazole :

"Metronidazole (Flagyl®) has been said to impart an unpleasant taste to the milk and cause the baby to reject it. It has not been possible to trace the original research which suggested this or who tasted the milk and made this conclusion.

Babies do not appear to be concerned by the frequent variation in the taste of breastmilk which occurs naturally. Occasionally it can alter the colour of the milk.

In the UK doses of 200-400milligrammes three times a day are used and breastfeeding can continue."

I have had to take antibiotics in the past whilst breastfeeding and noticed no difference at all with one DC (exclusively breastfed) , and slightly looser stools with other DC, but worth noting I had already started weaning so may have been the introduction of solids that caused this.

From what I was told at the time, and my own research, the probiotic (or prebiotic, I always get the two muddled up) nature of breast milk counteracts any low level of antibiotic that may get passed through the milk and is the best thing for gut health/healing, so outweighs substituting formula for the duration of the course of ABs.