MRI Contrast and Breastfeeding?

Question

I have a herniated disc and this will be my second lower lumbar surgery. I am scheduled to have a MRI on Friday with a contrast injection. I am currently nursing my 10 month old baby, he is exclusively breastfed and an avid night nurser. He has never taken a bottle. I cannot nurse for 24 hours following the MRI. I am very upset about this,and have even considered putting all of this off but I can barely walk and cannot lift him. Any suggestions?

Thanks so much

Answer 1

give him a bottle and apply honey on the nipple. he want refuse surely

Answer 2

"Told to pump and dump for your MRI or CT scan?

Hold your horses flanges, and read this:

Being a new mom is stressful enough without having to go through MRIs and CT scans.  Being told that you need to 'pump and dump' for 24 or even 48 hours, and not nurse your baby for that period of time, makes it much worse.

A few weeks ago I got a question about this from Tara, a mom who had been given conflicting advice about how long she needed to abstain from breastfeeding after an MRI.  The doctors said 24-48 hours, but the manufacturer of the dye suggested stopping for a much shorter period.

For some time the 24-48 hour 'pump and dump' policy has been the standard advice for mothers who undergo an MRI or CT scan using IV contrast agents.  But a recent study has some hospitals rethinking their policies.

In 2005, a study of radiocontrast agents in pregnancy and lactation concluded that:

Only tiny amounts of iodinated or gadolinium-based contrast medium given to a lactating mother reach the milk, and only a minute proportion entering the baby's gut is absorbed. The very small potential risk associated with absorption of contrast medium may be considered insufficient to warrant stopping breast-feeding for 24 h following either iodinated or gadolinium.

In other words, there is no reason to 'pump and dump' at all in these cases.  This 2001 statement from the American College of Radiology Committee on Drugs and Contrast Media reaches the same conclusion.  For more information on this topic, and also on radioisotopes, barium, bone scans, thyroid scans, gall bladder scans, and x-rays, see this excellent page on kellymom.com.

I know that Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and Stanford Hospital in California have changed their policies on this topic, and I'm sure that there are many others.

If you're being told to pump and dump and want to take this up with your providers, be aware that this issue falls in between the radiology department and your OB/GYN care providers.  It may also involve your pediatrician.  These providers, even at the same hospital, may not have had a chance to talk with each other about this issue.  So expect to need to talk with several people about it before getting the go ahead.  Be sure to print out the policy statement and study I've linked to in this post, and start discussing it early."

http://breastfeeding.blog.motherwear.com...

You -- AND your doctors -- can also contact Motherisk, http://motherisk.ca/ (phone numbers are listed on the site). They are happy to give advice to patients as well as doctors, and they and have up-to-date information on this sort of thing. They're also pretty pleasant on the phone.

Answer 3

pray for a fast night!!!! maybe he will take a bottle from daddy?? I hope it goes ok for you my baby is the same way she loves to nurse at night and does not takea bottle from m.e

Answer 4

Ask if they can do the MRI without the injection.

If they must do it that way, then try pumping breastmilk in a sippy cup, or even tip the liquid into his month with a regular cup. At 10 months he does not need to try a bottle now.

Is he eating other solid food? It is not ideal, but I am sure he could get through 24 hours without nursing. Make sure someone other than you can soothe him during the night. I am sure that will not be a fun night for anyone.