Please can someone help...need to go cold turkey with Bf and ds is crying.

[Flightputsonahat]

Sorry, just hoping someone can reassure me or advise...
story is I had to take antibiotics for recurrnt mastitis and they have given me a nasty infection (c diff causes it apparently) which means I'm in a fair bit of pain and had to get a different antibiotic to kill off this...so...

can't feed while on this one apparently.

Ds2 is 14 months and has never taken a bottle - he's not bad with a sports cap with water in, but anything with milk or a normal bottle he just refuses and cries.

I don't know what to do, am feelin pretty desperate, have bought some SMA progress to try and tempt him but he won't.

Just want to get out my boob and sort him out but I'm not allowed.

Just crying here, sorry. It seems so unfair on him.

Wow! That was one I missed...off to arm myself

That's very reassuring. I'm on a 400mg dose 3 times a day so that's what it says really isn't it?

Plus he's a hefty one year old, and I am guessing much of the 'no drugs when feeding' advice is targetted at smaller babies which are after all the greatest component of the bfing population!

All the drug info available is related to young babies. There is still little research on drug use in BFing (it's not exactly ethical to test) and even less research on lactation in the second year. Mostly you'll find drug companies will say not to use X when BFing as it's not been tested not because it is actually unsafe.

Well, it is possible to test ethically - they just need lactating women who aren't bfing, iyswim. Then they can see what amount of the drug comes through in the milk, and work out how much a baby would get in a day.

But yeah, they do say 'not for BFing' for some pretty spurious reasons, my favourite was a cough medicine whose active ingredient was ... molasses!

Flight, found this on another site:

"
Additionally, according to the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), "Metronidazole is excreted into breast milk in relatively large amounts, with some reports of up to 20% of the mother?s dose. However, this dose is well below the therapeutic dose given to treat young infants who were able to tolerate this drug with no side effects. In addition, a study of 12 women who were taking metronidazole three times per day did not find adverse effects on the breastfed babies."

Seems to me to suggest it's fine to bf.

Thankyou again, everyone...well, I slept last night so something is working...baby also seemingly unaffected (well he seems Ok!)

Thank goodness for MN

Mind you he would not leave my norks alone all night but that doesn't count as sleeplessness

It's really quite alarming how many times people come on here saying 'I have to stop bf because of meds' and, no, wait, it turns out they were just misinformed.

It's very sad isn't it NQC.

Ds seems to be a bit upset this morning, trying to feed but apparently not liking the milk, he keeps coming off and crying

Maybe right that the taste changes...oh well. He'll have to put up with it for a few days...

Another thing.. I just realised the reason you are taking the ABs. Mastitis! Good grief. GP really is a numpty. Yeah lets fix the mastitis by abrupt weaning - doh!

Can I just stick my oar in briefly, and say that Metronidazole is one of the much nastier antibiotics and is more likely to cause side effects than the usual ones. Both me and my husband have had to use it in the past, I had terrible nausea and diarrhea (and this bitter taste in my mouth that didn't go away for a week) and DH came out in an itchy rash.

If you are going to keep BFing then just keep an eye out for your DS, because he could suffer.

hi FPOAH

Just wanted to add (have only brielfly skimmed thread) that quite often recommendations about not bf'ing on certain drugs are mainly for smaller babies.l
there are a lot of instances where it really isn't a problem in an older nursling.

so added to what you've already been told then I would def just feed him

Thanks for that - well I am feeding still as I just can't get him to take enough of anything else and he was really upset.

So far he seems fine...even started walking properly

But I will watch out.

Naetha, thankyou and sorry you had those problems. I've had metronidazole in the past and been pretty much Ok I think - it's the only one really that they use for sorting out C diff related stuff, (apart from vancomycin which is I think worse!! and given if you are much iller)

so have got to try it really.

The bleeding seems to have stopped, and I am not rushing to the loo every few minutes so am feeling a bit happier

Of course I might get other side effects later, but no choice atm about taking it.

Am going to try and feed him less today though just in case.