I had to stop breastfeeding, & now i need advice!

Question

i have to stop breastfeeding for 7 days because my episiotomy stitches got infected & the medicine that i'm taking [flagyl & feldene] are not safe for breastfeeding. my pediatrician told me that the AAP does not recommend taking them with breastfeeding & that i would have to stop breastfeeding him while i'm taking the medication & then wait 24 hours after the last dose to ensure that my milk is safe. my question is, after all this is completed, is there a change that he'll start to turn down the breast? he's only a month old & has only had formula a few times. i really don't want to give him formula, i even told them that i wanted a safer medication so i could breastfeed, but that's all they could give me. i enjoy breastfeeding my son & i don't want to give it up.

Answer 1

"i wanted a safer medication so i could breastfeed, but that's all they could give me"

It sounds like you need a second opinion.

This

http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/ht...

is a useful resource; it even lists alternate drugs to consider.

Answer 2

With so many medications  available,(the vast majority of which ARE safe to use while breastfeeding) is there any pressig reason the doctor has to prescribe one of the few that are unsafe?  

And in any case, a websearch finds that Flagyl IS cautiously approved  for use -- it's commonly given directly to young babies in doses far higher than the milk-transfer rates.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/ObGyn-Pregnan...

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20010701/119.htm...

Feldene is just an NSAID -- similar to advil. It's rated L2, which is perfectly safe.

So it looks like, if there IS a safer antibiotic available, that would preferable, but if necessary, you can take Flagyl.  And Feldene is no problem at all.

Answer 3

don't give your baby formula from a bottle, instead give him formula through a medicine dropper.  this will avoid nipple confusion.  it will take some time to feed him, but it's worth it.  make sure you pump and dump as often as you can, more than your baby would feed because pumping puts out less milk, so it needs to be done more often.  by the time your finished with your meds your son will be almost 6 weeks old when they require more milk as they have a growth spurt.

Answer 4

i would call a lactation consultant for a safe answer to your question.  

Answer 5

I think that the problem you are most likely to encounter is with nipple confusion.  It is easier for the baby to get milk from a plastic nipple and sometimes they don't want to go back to the breast because it is more work.  That would not stop you from being able to pump breast milk and give it to your son in a bottle.  Your son is not likely to prefer formula over breast milk.  Breast milk tastes better than formula and most babies prefer it.  Just stick with the breastfeeding.  If it seems a little hard at first, don't give in and go back to the bottle.  Your son will get the hang of it again and most likely will prefer it too.

Answer 6

i suggest contacting one of those breast feeding groups like la leche (i think that's what it's called.) I hope you don't have any problems returning to the breast.  

Answer 7

Check w/ your hospital for a milk bank in your area.

You can also keep pumping to keep your supply up; but I wouldn't feed it to him because of the antibiotics.  Unless you are able to get the banked milk, you won't have much choice but to put him temp on formula.  If he doesn't take back to the breast immediately, work with him on it, but pump in the meantime and provide him that thru the bottle (after the antibiotics of course).