Anesthesia and Breastfeeding

I had surgery w/anesthesia while breastfeeding, and I was told 24 hours. So I pumped as much as possible before hand so my little one would still get breast milk, but then had to pump and dump after and started breastfeeding again after 24 hours.

I wouldn't take any chances -- go with the 24 hour rule.

I had surgery a week after giving birth to my first baby. I pumped and dumped for 24 hours as that is what my drs recommended. Trust me, I didn't want to have to do that either, but it's what the drs recommended as being safest for my baby. We gave him what I had already pumped that was in the freezer and some formula during this 24 hours. Good luck!

I would suggest having enough milk for 24 hours but be sure to talk with the anestisialogist the day of the procedure and let him/her know you are breastfeeding. he or she can give you the best advice.

I broke my foot and needed surgery when I was breastfeeding my son. Usually, the anesthesiologist calls the day before the surgery and goes over your history and questions. I let that dr. know that I was breastfeeding and he said the anesthesia was safe. If you are having any type of pain medication for your recovery, I'd check that also.

Good luck!

i am about to go through a similar thing... i am having knee surgery on 7/29 and i have a four month old little girl that is exclusively breastfed as well. i am planning to have a 24-48 hour stash minimum ready. i am guessing approximately 24 hours, but it will depend on the exact mix of anesth i get, fortunately for me, my husband is a pharmacist and will ask the anesth dr what he used and what doses, and he can figure out based on my dosage and bmi how quickly it will leave my system. i also have a 3yo and a 6yo, so i know what you mean about pumping. i have been pumping every night right before i go to bed lately. it only takes me about 10 minutes. i'm hoping to get off the pain meds quickly so i can get back to nursing her asap. i don't mind nursing her on a small amount of pain medication, but i want to be 100% positive that the anesthesia is out of my system.

My advice, pump like crazy today in between feedings because you don't have much time. Call your doctor tomorrow and ask them. Follow their directions and play it safe. It is not worth the risk!

definitely not for 24 hours. you will be feeling it upto 48 hours after but wait at least 24 b/c that's when it's still pretty strong in your system. You don't want to pass the sleeping med to your dd. I don't know how potent it will be on her.

I am an ER nurse and we usually tell our pt's not to breastfeed for 24 hours. It does depend on they type of anesthesia they give you. Check with the MD and they should know. You will want to pump for those 24 hours, just dump it. Hopefully you can get enough milk built up but just in case you can always mix formula with your breast milk so the baby gets a little breast milk with each feeding.
Good luck!
A.

what type of anesthesia are they going to use? I would think they may be able to use one that is safe for breastfeeding...I had 3 c-sections which all used anesthesia and was always able to breastfeed. Ask. You might also talk to the pedi to see if some are better for breastfeeding than others and confirm whatever the anesthesiologist (sp?) says with your pedi to double check.

Good resource to start with:

http://www.kellymom.com/health/illness/mom-surgery.html

"General anesthesia should not affect breastfeeding. You can safely nurse once you are awake and alert enough to hold your baby. By that time, the amount of medication in your bloodstream is low enough that the amounts in your milk would not be significant. The point at which you wake up after general anesthesia is the point where enough of the drug has left your system that it no longer has an effect. In addition, pediatric surgeries require anesthesia - and that is a more serious exposure than through mom's milk. Mom might want to nurse just before the procedure in case she's out for a while or too groggy to function normally for a bit."

I had sinus surgery when my breast-fed baby was six weeks old. I remember feeding her before they wheeled me off, but don't remember how long I waited afterward. I know it was not 24 hours though. I would feed right before the surgery and at five months she should be able to go a few hours before needing to be fed again. I would call her doctor for their opinion. Good Luck!

I had surgery 6 weeks after my baby was born and BF her immediately after I got home (6hrs from time I left). She refused a bottle and I wasn't gonna let my baby scream because she was starving. I asked for minimum amount of anesthesia they could do (also a 1hr proceedure) and she was perfectly fine, no side effects. I had some pumped on hand but what could I do, leave her screaming and hungery or let her nurse and be happy. Kellymom.com is a pretty good BF resource, they also say its ok as long as you are awake and able. GL.