Has anyone had botox while breastfeeding?

[BananaHammock23]

First of all, I'm not looking for judgement! Just curious to know if anyone has had botox while breastfeeding.

My son is 10 months and has been EBF (he's obvs now weaning). I feel tired, old and generally hideous and I always feel 10x better when I've had botox. Just wondering what the actual risk is? Would it go into the milk? Surely it's the same as - for instance - drinking alcohol?

Anyone done it?

Forever chemicals in Breastmilk

so reading above Botox is the last of our worries!

@LostCountAnotherName thank you, that article is interesting reading. I found an article from the NHS about use of botox for treating squint in breastfeeding women and no ill effects were found. The NHS recommends pumping and dumping for 48hours post botox then feeding again. I will never have this treatment again after the guilt I'm feeling now. Still undecided about feeding but for now I continue to pump and dump and see how I'm feeling about it after 48hours. Just so mad with myself for my pure selfishness and vanity. Did not expect to feel this way! Lesson learnt that's for sure!

Thank you to everyone who has replied to me at this time in the morning, whole I sit here unable to sleep it has kept me slightly sane

A reputable practitioner wouldn’t inject Botox into a breastfeeding woman. However as others have mentioned, it would most probably be fine. There hasn’t been any studies to prove it’s safer safety.

That’s not quite true; Botox is an approved medicinal treatment for migraines in pregnant and breastfeeding women. In these instances then a professional medical practitioner would administer Botox on the basis that it’s been approved by a doctor. They cannot do it for cosmetic reasons.

to the lady who has had Botox and doesn’t know whether to feed, I understand your guilt and remember feeling the same the first time I did it. Deep breaths, try to be kind to yourself, being a mum is really hard and it’s ok to try to get back to feeling good about yourself here and there. Your baby will be just fine x

Also just to say, I suffered incredibly severe hyperemesis every day of my last pregnancy and was on 9 different drugs just to try to avoid a feeding tube in my heart; 6 of them were totally unapproved for use in pregnancy, 4 of them were industrial grade cancer drugs! I lived in perpetual fear of what they were doing to my baby but I couldn’t even hold down a glass of water without them so I had little choice. My baby appears just fine but as the lady earlier said, who really knows what anything does to our breast milk / babies - there are chemicals in so many things these days that we’re yet to know the effects of! X

This is the information on Botox, botulism and breastfeeding. The papers and the scientists are listed at the bottom. It will be fine, stop stressing.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501400/

Just wanted to contribute to this thread as I did a LOT of research before deciding to go for it, so hopefully someone else find this helpful.

I got 3 areas of Botox yesterday and continued to feed my 8m old as usual and he is absolutely fine.

Practitioner did warn me that the effect might not last as long as previously but we will see.

@Janch13 hello, just wanted to follow up on this to check if everything has been ok? I’m booked for Botox today and was feeling totally fine about it but had massive freakout yesterday and not sure what to do now.

It's so so sad how many women get Botox. It's ok to age, and look like you have aged. You are beautiful just as you are!

Hi @SS2024 Happy to report everything is absolutely fine 3 months on. Not a single issue. Enjoy your treat mama! I’ll be going back for more in a couple of months x

@Perfect28 of course it is but for some of us it helps with our confidence, I’m 36 so still relatively young and want to appear as youthful as I feel. Let’s not make women feel bad for not loving having wrinkles. I also colour my hair as I’m not ready for greys, is that very sad too?

Not so much sad as a pure waste of money. How much of your salary goes towards aesthetic upkeep? I guess we all have our priorities but the reason so many prioritize beauty is down to the patriarchy. You can keep telling yourself it's for you though, if it eases the sting (literally).

@Janch13 thank you so much for your fast reply, I really appreciate it! So pleased to hear all is well :) the pressure and guilt put on Mums is just crazy!! Xx

Oh the irony.

@Perfect28 I think my Botox was around £280 for 3 areas, and usually lasts me a good 6 months. I waited until I was back to earning my full salary as yes this is a splurge I couldn’t really justify when I was on maternity pay. So £280 over 6 months works out at £46 a month, probably not far off what we spend on yoghurts in this household, for a significant increase in my self confidence. Seems worth it to me! Plus, it’s my money that I work for so yes, after shelling out on mortgage and bills, nursery fees and food shops, kids clubs and even the dog’s maintenance, I’d say I’m entitled to enjoy it how I wish.

@SS2024 How did you get on? X

@Janch13 it was all ok thank you, thanks for checking and for your v help response yesterday :) x

@SS2024 @Janch13 hi ladies - bit late to the party here but I’ve just been googling about getting Botox whilst breastfeeding and would love to know if everything went well? I’m 3.5 months post partum and desperately in need. I found an article on the NHS about Botox for an eye squint and it says to express and bottle feed for 48 hours post treatment which is what I will do if I go ahead. How did it go? Was everything fine?? Thanks so much x

Hi @CS91 I got Botox at 8m pp, I didn’t pump or skip feeds, just carried on as usual and had absolutely no issues whatsoever. This was around 4 months ago and Botox is still doing its thing, the practitioners did warn that it might not last as long due to my body’s metabolism post pregnancy, but I think it’s lasted similarly to before my pregnancy, so pleased with that.

Think @SS2024 and other pp’s were also was fine but will let them confirm.

Enjoy and don’t feel guilty!! X

@Janch13 thank you so much 🙏🏼

@CS91 @Janch13
Hello! I got it at 3 months pp and also didn’t have any issues whatsoever. I was going to pump and skip feeds for a day or two but my husband (who is far more logical than me!) told me that really wasn’t necessary. I did a lot of research and spoke to a nurse friend who assured me that there wouldn’t be an issue. I still felt a little apprehensive on the way there but I’m really glad that I went ahead. It gave me a confidence boost I needed at a time when I was finding it hard to feel good about myself. I’m sure people will have an opinion on that but it was the right decision for me.
lt’s been over a month now and I feel like it’s worked the same as pre-pregnancy which I’m pleased about 😊

As @Janch13 said, enjoy and don’t feel guilty! X

@SS2024 thank you so much this is really helpful and reassuring. Did you tell the doctor you were breastfeeding? Xx

@CS91 No I didn’t. My nurse friend spoke to (who also administers Botox herself) said many doctors wouldn’t do it so I didn’t want to risk it. She said this was down to the lack of research rather than there actually being any issue with it xx

@SS2024 good to know. Thank you! x