Anyone BF after being sedated (for dental work)?

[TheOldestCat]

Help! I had two teeth out earlier today under conscious sedation (I had 3 mg of midazolam). The information I'd got on this very useful thread suggested that once I was alert enough to BF, the drugs should be out of my milk. And I'd read elsewhere (kellymom etc) that a few hours should be enough to wait before BF. But the dentist said I must leave it 24 hours or my baby's breathing could be affected. Yikes!

Said baby (DS, aged 4 months) has had a bit of expressed milk in a bottle but we've run out now as he rejected all the previous offerings.

Just wondered if anyone has fed after having midazolam.

thanks

See here

It's fine I think! Says on there that once you're ready to bfeed you should be fine.

Thanks ShowOfHands. I took that leaflet with me, but the dentist said he would only do the procedure (which I've needed since I was pregnant and was now urgent) if I promised to wait 24 hours. He said 'active agents' would pass into my milk and could 'affect DS's breathing core'. Hmmmmm.

I'm thinking maybe the dentist doesn't know much about it, to be honest.

I've pumped and dumped a couple of feeds now while DS has had some expressed milk and a little formula. So I should be ok for the next feed.

Cheers again.

Unless your dentist is also a lactation consultant with experience in medicines safe for breastfeeding, or a pharmacist, I'd be inclined to ignore him.

Perhaps I'm bitter though, because my dentist told me I needed to pump n dump for 24 hours after a filling, so I went and bought a breast pump THEN got home and did the research, only to find that he was talking out of his arse.

I think what he is missing, is that if you still had sedatives in your bloodstream, you'd still be sedated. Therefore, as soon as you are alert enough to bf safely (ie not drop your baby), they will have left your bloodstream and milk.

Don't know why this thread title made me laugh. Had images of sedated mum squinting and queasily trying to get baby onto breast. Like a challenge from 'It's a knockout'

Ha ha reikizen - I think the night feeds I do are a bit like that anyway...

Cheers jemjabella and CMOT, I think you're right about the dentist. DS has nodded off now after a bottle. I'll BF him from the next feed on.

Hi oldest cat, and anyone else out there...

I've just asked my GP about using midazolam in an IV sedation procedure booked for next week and mentioned the link above etc and she was very dismissive.

She said the guidelines were 24 hours and couldn't tell me anything other than the guidelines.

DS2 is much older than your (OldestCat's) DS at 9 months - but I'm worried because he stopped breathing after he was born and no-one knew why - although in all this reading I've been doing about this, I've found plenty to say I shouldn't have been given tamazepam (sp?) but I'm sure I was. He only needs his night time feeds, I can dodge the day time ones as he can eat instead, but don't think he's going to accept a rice cake instead of BM at 11.00pm when he's expecting a boob!!!

Anyway, what do I do? Is it normal to ignore dentist / GP? I desperately need this work doing.

I had midazolam (5mg and still kept waking up) for an ERCP (camera down throat) and I fed DD3 (9m/o) after 5 hours.

Obviously my statistical data of 1 baby means diddly squat but she was fine.

I was also told 24 hours but I queried it with the Drs . A very sheepish Dr came back later to admit it was actually 4 hors not 24.

I looked up the drug at LactMed and here's the data and it agrees.

TruthSweet, thank you so much for that. It will probably be somewhere around 9 hours by the time I need to feed DS2.

What is 'Medications and Mothers Milk', is it a resource that should be recognised by GP's?

My GP said that because the manufacturer said 24 hours, that was all that could be advised by her as being safe.

M&MM is the textbook for HCP for deciding which drugs to prescribe/what to avoid/abstaining from nursing times. The hospital pharmacist had a copy luckily as the two junior Drs that were 'advising' me on the midazolam were clueless and only wanted to go by the BNF (24hrs). If your GP hasn't heard of it or got a copy I'd suggest he/she gets educated and buys a copy for the practice. I am very annoying to Drs though when it comes to bfing - I'm my baby's advocate and I will push until I get the most researched answer not the lazy one.

Also see here for the BFN's specialist pharmacist phoneline.

It's £27 including p&p for M&MM if you've got the spare cash.