Breastfeeding and Warfarin / Fragmin

[nigglewiggle]

I have been diagnosed with a DVT following the birth of my second DD. Not good! An even bigger nightmare is deciding what medication is best and whether it is safe to breastfeed. Getting conflicting advice about Fragmin and Warfarin and I was just wondering what experiences anyone else might have had.

fragmin/heparin/clexane is fine (I take use it until 6 weeks postnatal & BF happily) I'm not sure about warfarin.

It would seem there is an absence of research so manufacturers advise caution. Hospital registrar advises that it is safe but says she prefers Warfarin!?

My understanding is that Fragmin hasn't been tested enough to know whether it has any effect on a bf baby. They therefore aim to get you off it as soon as your count has come down to within certain parameters on warfarin. With warfarin only a tiny tiny percentage of it gets through your milk to the baby and the benefits of bfing far outweigh the slight risk. Warfarin is also more effective than fragmin so you're better off too in terms of being less likely to have a repeat incidence.
Ds1 was fine on this regimen. (I bfed him for 6 months.)

i breastfed whilst on warfarin

Ooh, this is my area - I'm an anticoagulation specialist nurse when not changing nappies at home. We look after lots of ladies who breastfeed and take Warfarin. Very little gets through in milk, but the hormonal fluctuations do make it difficult to get the correct dose for the mum. My patients who BF seems to need closer monitoring than those who don't - and its v important to tell your clinic when you stop BF as your warfarin needs will change. HTH

That's a great help. The preference for Warfarin tends to agree with the majority of what I have been told. Very confused / hormonal / sleep-deprived, so all help is much appreciated!