Breatsfeeding and Medication

[mooglycrunch]

I am 33/34 weeks with G.D, SPD and cervical stitch and history of post delivery pre eclampsia.

I have hyper mobility and some bulging discs in my lower spine, this combined with the SPD means I have been on 30 / 40mg of Amitriptyline and 30/500 co-codamol 2/3x a day throughout the pregnancy.

I have recently moved and had a booking in appointment with the new midwife who said that they wouldn't let me breast feed because of the medication I was taking.

I asked if I started tapering it now before the birth (I am booked in for a c-section at the start of September due to pre-eclampsia last time) if they would let me and she said it was very doubtful.
I mixed fed my son 2 years ago although I wasn't on the same medication then I am really upset that I won't be able to do the same.

Obviously safety comes first but I already feel like I've let my baby down - I feel like a terrible person who has put myself first. I also have had a history of anxiety and depression - I'm not on medication for that although I have been in the past. I'm now worried about bonding and if this will make PND more likely. I've had so much on my plate (I've just moved 300 miles across the country last week) that I'm starting too feel quite wobbly.

I was never told that I would be stopped from breastfeeding - I thought that I would taper down up to the c-section and all would be fine. The midwife said she wasn't sure but was fairly certain it wouldn't be an option for me.

Has anyone had similar experience on these drugs with feeding?

Without being rude, I’m trying to help, please don’t trust random strangers on the internet on something so important. I’d phone your local hospital and ask to speak to the medicines information service. It will be a department within the pharmacy department. Give them your details and get some professional advice.
Good luck.

www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk This is a fantastic service, they have drug factsheets & if anything isn’t listed you can email them and their pharmacist will get back to you. I’ve had to use them before & they really are amazing. Good luck

Monkeymonstermum
Thanks - I understand and would never substitute advice from medical professionals.

I am going to follow up with my new consultant but I don't have an appointment until the end of next week.

In the mean time I have looked on line at websites and they suggest that at the anything less that 150mg is not transferred through breastfeeding. The co-codamol advice has changed in the last 5 years to not recommended anymore however if you tapering off the in the weeks leading up to birth (which is what the majority of HCP seems to have suggested to others who have been taking it) then it doesn't pose a problem.

That combined with the fact that my previous consultant knew the levels I was on, knew my intentions to breast feed as did my previous mid wife and had never mentioned it would be a problem makes me think that maybe she was just being cautious.

I'm sure the new consultant will be able to tell me for definitively next week however in the meantime I'm getting myself in a bit of a pickle thinking about it. I just wandered what everyone else's experience had been.

Just to reiterate I would only take advice from my consultant.

@mooglycrunch

I have recently been told I should not breastfeed due to medications I will be taking. I am also at risk of having a post partum flare of my condition so it's important that I continue to take all medications.
At first I was upset about not being able to BF but have come to realise that I also need to be healthy for my baby.
Always take advice from your midwife and consultants but remember that even though the saying is "breast is best" if you and your boobs aren't around at all because your condition has declined and you are unwell then baby would be missing out on all that Mummy bonding time and those special first moments. You will be a perfect mum just by caring and loving for your baby- in whatever way you feed them. Please don't be disheartened whatever the outcome xxxx

Seek advice from the breastfeeding network helpline, they have the UKs only experts in this field working with them so you'll get the right up to date answers from them. They will even pass information on to your doctors if needs be.

Don't stress about it to much there will be a way it can be worked out and your right to seek some more professional advice. But it's very rare a mum can't feed due to medication. Unfortunately many are mistakenly told they can't though. If it's important to you then I'm sure it can be worked out. Good luck.

Contact the breastfeeding network ASAP (as linked by a PP above). They are fantastic and have so much knowledge of the safety of drugs during breastfeeding, more than most doctors who really don't specialise in the subject. You can message them through Facebook about your particular circumstances and they will reply pretty quickly. If the current drugs aren't suitable then they may be able to suggest and alternative.