Breastfeeding and antidepressants

[FionaSH]

Any thoughts on this? My doctor is recommending I go on a low dose of antidepressant for several reasons, but I'm struggling to get my head round it. It seems daft having struggled to give my 21 week old the healthiest start by breastfeeding, to then "pollute" it for want of a better word, with these chemicals. Has anyone else had this dilemma?

No 'pollution'....some antidepressants are safe with bf, because their presence in the milk is either undetectable, or at such a low level it's insignificant.

There are many people on mumsnet who have bf with anti-depressants. try a search and you will see lots of good posts

You need to balance out a low risk of taking them with the potential risk of damage to your child of NOT taking them (ie depressed mum, poor bonding/attachment).

[I took sertraline in my pregnancy and while BFing DS2; the damage I was doing to DS1 by being so depressed made me realise that it was the correct thing to do]

you need to strike a balance between your health and bf baby.many mums bf whilst taking ad.the ad will hopefully stabilise and maintain your mood, allowing you to enjoy being mum

i struggled with the idea of bf and taking ADs - and refused them for dd's first year despite PND. Looking back - i wish i had taken them sooner and might well have had a much happier time to enjoy her and relax about things. I bf her until she was 2 so she had a year of feeds with traces of sertraline but if i hadnt started to take them - she woudl have had a much more unhappy mum struggling on.

it's not an easy decision to make for some women but you have to think what is best for you, your dd and your whole family. x