Breastfeeding and leaving baby for 3 hours

[Dottypotz]

Would anyone have any advice please.

I am currently pregnant and planning on exclusively breastfeeding, however, I must start back on my medication for an autoimmune condition as soon as possible postnatally (approved medication for breastfeeding). It is an IV infusion and takes approximately 3 hours to administer - how should I feed the baby when I am unavailable during that time. I plan also on expressing but not in the early days until breastfeeding is established. Any advice, tips or tricks I’d most welcome, thank you!

Can you definitely not breastfeed baby whilst having the infusion?

If it's just a one off then you can try to express before hand for it. A couple of pumping sessions spaced out over a few days shouldn't upset your milk supply.
How old will your baby be when this happens?

If you are worried about baby preferring a bottle you could leave expressed milk for them to drink with a small cup/syringe.

I could take my newborn in with me when I had an infusion.

I would say though it's not easy with the wires and not a good environment to take them in when they are a bit older.

I'd suggest expressing and someone look after baby and bottle feed.

Take a book and enjoy the time to chill out during the 3hrs.

A newborn is meant to be BF every 3 hours so you'll be fine 🙂 If you were worried you could always pump so you have extra supply if you need it

I really recommend having your baby be happy to take a bottle when needed. My husband had to go to in to hospital when my first was six weeks old and the baby was not allowed in. This meant I had to drop baby with a friend, rush to hospital for a one hour visit snd then rush back. Though I was ok with the baby having formula for one feed, he wasn't used to the bottle and refused it.

Drop of formula ?

I started expressing when baby was 2 weeks old on both dcs, it will help to establish supply if anything. Best of wishes OP.

@difficultlemons unfortunately not, it will be in the hospital and I won’t take a newborn into the room with other patients.

@Scramble1805 ideally I think I would like to be back on the infusion within 2 weeks, I’ve MS.

@Threesmycrowd i think this is the only option, cup feeding, I really don’t want to introduce bottles early on and cause nipple confusion.

@trampoline123 i love the 3hrs downtime with a good book, knowing there’s a nervous first time Daddy waiting though will be nerve wracking, but I absolutely will embrace and enjoy the rest.

@MrsMikeDrop thanks, I think this is my only option really.

bit different having my first baby aged 19 with not a care on the world, to now, aged 41 worrying about every tiny detail 🤣

thanks so much for all your replies, much appreciated. Now, any tips for pregnancy insomnia 🤣

Another thing to consider (without me knowing what your meds are) is if baby will be able to have live vaccines. I made the decision to breast feed and them not have live vaccines for the 1st year of their life.

Just something to check if it hasn't been mentioned already.

Depending on your reasons for not taking the newborn in (not sure if it's don't want to or infection control reasons) but I'd ask for a side room or screen and get help to position to feed the baby while I had the infusion, 3-hourly is minimum interval between feeds rather than what happens in reality sometimes.

No tips for pregnancy insomnia, think it's supposed to prepare you for the sleepless nights to come but it would be better if nature would let us rest well at that stage!

Hope your pregnancy symptoms are manageable while you're unable to take your usual meds💐

I wouldn't worry about nipple confusion, it's not evidenced.