I have to give up b/f and I need help please.

[MarkStretch]

Bit of a long story but basically I have been diagnosed with eptopic heartbeats, not really much in themselves but I am having them very frequently and landed me in A&E on Sunday.

Been to the Dr's today and they have spoken to the cardiology department at the hospital who have advised that I start on a course of beta blockers whilst I wait for my Cardio appointment.

(Please don't think I have taken this decision lightly, I have been avoiding taking any meds for months)

Anyway, Dr has advised that I stop b/f my 7.5months baby as the beta blockers will pass through to him in my milk.

I fed my dd for 14 months, stopped when she self weaned so I have NO idea how to do this. I am also completely clueless about bottles/formula/amounts etc.

I have sobbed my heart out this morning and the thought of stopping is so painful but it has to be done.

I would love some practical advice on how to do this please...

Hi all, thanks for your replies.

I think I have come to the decision to stop, but I won't take the meds just yet, I will try and do it slowly. Like you say Pink I have fed him for this long which is a lot more than some babies ever get.

I am confident that he is a happy, healthy baby and I want to concentrate on sorting myself out so I can parent to the best of my abilities, rather than really stress myself out about this.

Giving up is truely heartbreaking as I adore breastfeeding but I feel like I need to sort my head and my health out a bit and this might help. DH can certainly share more of the load with me this way.

Good Luck, whatever the decision you make.

MarkStretch it might be worth talking to the cardiologists. They tend to prescribe their 'favourites'.

Rambling was right about contacting meds information. They can also liaise with the consultant for you.

Beta blockers generally work in the same way but some are more active on the heart (rather than blood pressure), some hang around the body for longer, some are water soluble some more fat soluble. All these different characteristics mean that there will be an alternative.

Many consultants can be a bit blinkered to their speciality and don't always see the bigger picture. You might just need to point it out to them.

I wouldn't suggest for one minute that you continue to BF to the detriment of your own health. Your posts suggest that this is something that you enjoy.

Good luck with whatever you decide and hope you're feeling better soon.

markstretch, if giving up breastfeeding is heartbreaking for you then why do it?
you've had a lot of great information and advice on thi thread and it's all correct.

there are other medications you can take, which do the exact same thing, but that will not interfere with breastfeeding. and as tiktok says you can also time doses and stuff.

i believe that advice re breastfeeding and meds is also usually based on breastfeeding a much smaller baby, more frequently. the fact that your child is older and only feeding a few times a day also goes in your favour.

of course if you want to stop bf then that's totally your decision, bt please don't feel you have to because of this medication. you can have both!

sounds like you have come to a decision, which has not been taken lightly so won't post more stuff about why dont you try .......

so just know you have given the best start in life you can, 7.5 months is amazing now you can concentrate on your health without guilt hopefully xxx

Well done on feeding your dd for 7.5 months, you should be proud of the start you've given her. Make sure you do it very gradually then it will be less painful both physically and emotionally! Good luck

have you considered giving the bottles a miss and giving him a cup straight away rather than getting him used to the bottles and then having to change him to a cup in a couple of months anyway?

In my experience (as a nursery nurse so bf babies where the mother is returning to work) babies of that age tend to take better to a cup than a bottle but obviously its down to the individual baby and what they prefer

MS, have only just seen this and sending hugs from across the ocean & dessert
As others have said, you've done brilliantly feeding DS for this long and you must concentrate on yourself. However, if you really don't want to stop then perhaps it is worth getting a 2nd opinion ref the medication in case there is an alternative one you can take whilst still B/F.

Right, off to research making up formula as from the posts above it looks like I've been doing it wrong for 16 years and I'm on DC4

Lots of good advice from TikTok and MrsBadger. Definitely recommend you check out the beta blockers first, before you stop breastfeeding. Lots of pregnant and BF Mums need to take meds for high blood pressure - and these are often beta blockers. Labetalol is a very common one given to Mums immediately post-natally, including BF Mums.

Ask to speak to the Consultant to discuss your options first. My Consultant referred me back to my GP for my Meds (different problem, but still BF). I found out the information regarding my Meds was a half-life of 2-3 hours in Breastmilk, so took my tablet immediately after the bedtime feed (around 8ish) and was ok to BF middle of the night. In the morning, I took the tablet after the breakfast feed and before I went to work.

bump

You're on the beta blockers until you get your cardio appointment? So they're sort of a stop-gap?

I must admit, my first thought was that you had done a wonderful job with bf and perhaps now is the time to put yourself first. Your baby needs a healthy mum after all.

But on reflection I don't think it would hurt to ask a couple of searching questions, and see if there are bf-friendly beta blockers you could use. If you say to your consultant that you understand it may be inevitable but you just want to double check there's no way of getting the best of both worlds, hopefully s/he'd discuss other beta blocker options for you.