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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Stupid woman

24 replies

ggglimhoho · 15/01/2008 08:22

Me.

Monday evenings are always v busy - homework, swimming lessons etc and last night I had to take back a dvd that, when I got to the shop, found out that ds had left sitting on the dining table - hence forty minute round trip in the middle of everything to come home with hungry baby, dig out dvd and bomb back with it before end of swimming lesson....

I had a thumping headache so when I finally got home I took a paracetamol. I had this funny feeling the moment I took it that there was something different, and lo and behold, when I looked at the box - I had taken high dosage codeine and paracetamol (left over from when I was so ill last January; I didn't realise we had not binned it all).

Irang the maternity clinic and a v dopey and blase midwife said that it was fine for me to continue breastfeeding.

I looked it up on the itnet and it stated baldly that it caused respiratory depression and floppiness in babies via breastmilk. The leaflet in the box stated that it was noxious for babies in 'too high dosage" (wtf = too high dosage?).

I rang hospital maternity who said should withold bf for fifteen hours! Dh said they were being overly cautious and that first mw was right. Rang pharmacy who said same thing. Ditto dh saying that was only one tablet not the stated 'too high dosage'. Dh rang on call GP who said he sounded as though he was panicking (ha! ) and if we were that anxious we should go to a and e....!

But that bf was contraindicated for fifteen hours.

I rushed out and bought bottles and bloody ff and a steriliser and came home and made up five bottles. Ds - the little toad - took them like a dream (traitor) and slept in his own little bed - with normally loathed dummy (neurotic fsids measure on my part). I look like Jordan pre op. Dh slept like a log. Ds is currently dozing in his bouncy chair (also a first) and there are two bottles made up waiting for him in the fridge.

Am off to collect tire-lait - am knackered and cannot remember word in english - this morning.

Roll on lunchtime.

OP posts:
Miaou · 15/01/2008 08:25

aww ggg poor you! Totally sympathise on the Jordan look - bet you got hardly any sleep either!

At least you were sensible enough to check if it was contra-indicated - I wonder how many people would not have checked

Karen999 · 15/01/2008 08:27

I was prescriced codeine last week for a trapped nerve in my neck but before the doctor wrote the prescription she asked me if I was still bf so presumanbly you are not meant to take it if you are!!

NotQuiteCockney · 15/01/2008 08:30

I was given codeine and paracetamol while recovering from a caesarian, and it didn't cause a problem. You'd probably be ok with one dose. How old is DS?

WaynettaSlob · 15/01/2008 08:35

Poor you - thankfully you are clued up enough to have double checked.
Am 'feeling' your boobs (does that make me sound like a perv??? - you know what I mean!!! )
Are you going to be able to take advatage of the bottles and get your head down later?

ggglimhoho · 15/01/2008 08:41

NCQ - this was high dosage - otc is 8 mg codeine - this was 20mg.

I also had a cs, around the same time as you I think (he is five weeks now). How are you doinjg?

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ggglimhoho · 15/01/2008 08:45

Pharmacy have just rung (have ordered tirelait - what is the english for that - on px) and said that I should ring antipoisons unit to make sure, but they think I can bf.

Have said that with our past, cannot take the slightest risk and am going to hang fire on the bf till lunchtime.

Bosoms like that Lola woman now. How anyone actually walks round like this all the time without tripping over them is beyond me....

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Tinasan · 15/01/2008 08:45

I was given codeine and paracetamol by the midwife and GP when my baby was days old because of excrutiating back pain - I literally couldn't walk, the pregnancy and epidural had pulled all my ligaments to bits. They were very sure that I could take the pills, and the baby always seemed absolutely fine. (I was taking two tablets every four hours for a week or so). Anyway it sounds as though your little one is coping fine on the FF - I hope the expressing manages to relieve you somewhat!

merryberry · 15/01/2008 08:52

ah, there's nothing like robust, clear unambiguous advice, is htere? and that's nothing like it is it?

hope you feel better and you can relieve the swelling soon!

Wisteria · 15/01/2008 08:57

I took codeine (high dose) under medical advice while BF as well for really bad back pain - I guess they live and learn!

BumperliciousIsOneHotMother · 15/01/2008 09:00

can you hand express ggg to relieve the pressure?

VictorianSqualor · 15/01/2008 09:01

Ouch, I remmeber that feeling of HUMUNGOUS bazookas after missing feeds, why don't you express? Will make you feel much better, even just hand express a bit of it to ease it.

ggglimhoho · 15/01/2008 09:10

Have tried hand expressing (mooooooo) but still very um, large. Had two showers during the night and another first thing and expressed in shower (wet moo). Still have ready to explode bosoms.

Waiting for pharmacy to ring to say have tire lait (what is the english, please!) in stock for me.

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lulumama · 15/01/2008 09:11

do you mean a breast pump?

getting in the shower again can help, a gentle stream of water on the breasts will help release the milk, or even sitting with your baby, holding him, and smelling him, will help the oxytocin flow and get some milk coming, which will give you relief

ggglimhoho · 15/01/2008 09:15

Breast pump; thats it! thakjn you LLM.

Cannot have ds too near me bosoms at the mo. I do leak like crazy and he goes beserk and tries to get at them.

Am in oxytocin overload!

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SorenLorensen · 15/01/2008 09:18

Aww, I hope lunchtime comes quickly (I bet ds does too!) - what a nightmare. I was wondering what a milk-tyre was...

(marthamoo, btw)

ggglimhoho · 15/01/2008 09:21

We need a bosom emoticon.

Lke this

or this

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VictorianSqualor · 15/01/2008 09:26

(.)(.)

lulumama · 15/01/2008 09:32

oh dear !! roll on lunchtime , indeed

tiktok · 15/01/2008 10:10

This is utterly ridiculuous, sorry - suspending bf for 15 hours!!! For the totally minimal risk of 20 mg codeine! I am not a doctor or a pharamcist, but reading the info about codeine leads me to this easy conclulsion

This academic site should reassure you.

You took a single small dose, and for that, they say your baby has to use formula for the next 15 hours....

Hale, by the way, (intl authority on meds and mothers milk), has it as causing very, very rare sedative effects in a newborn and points out it is approved as a drug in bf mothers by the American Association of Pediatrics.

There is also a factsheet here www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/drugline-information-and-factsheets.html

tiktok · 15/01/2008 10:11

ggg - not criticising you, as you did the right thing in asking, but criticising hospital maternity.....they need to know how daft they were and how wrong, too.

Sanguine · 15/01/2008 11:28

I've been on 60mg codeine for most of my pregnancy and afterwards during BF for evil SPD and other joint issues. While it's not ideal to take any drugs during pregnancy and BF, sometimes needs must. My docs (GP and consultant rheumatologist and obstetrician) all said codeine was fine, and midwives continued to give it to me while I was in hospital, and DS is absolutely fine. Grr at them for misleading you!!!

ggglimhoho · 16/01/2008 14:16

Rung the ant-poisons unit here out of interest. Spoke to a doctor there whoo specialises in drugs/breastfeeding. The reason for all the conflicting advice is that unlike the UK or USA, codeine is specifically contraindicated here in France during bf.

Ho hum. Have gained a breastpump and five bottles. Will express and store, for no other reason than now I can!

Thank you all for your advice and support.

You would not think, really, that I am an ex hv and he is my sixth baby. I seem to have lost all confidence in my own judgement and have no perspective.

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FioFio · 16/01/2008 14:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

chipmonkey · 16/01/2008 15:11

ggg, so if you were in the UK you could bf, but because you are in France you can't? I'd listen to tiktok, she makes sense in most countries!!

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