Breastfeeding and drugs medications – Almost all drugs taken by lactating mothers are excreted through breast milk, usually in very small amounts. But, if a drug is required to be given in a large dose or over an extended period, breastfeeding may prove damaging to the infant.
Breastfeeding and drugs medications explained !
Antithyroid drugs given to the mother with thyrotoxicosis (a disease of the thyroid gland lying in the neck), for instance, may cause hypothyroidism in the infant.
Influence of the contraceptive pill on the breast-fed baby
The accumulated evidence suggests that certain types of pills (nearly all, remember it, contain hormones including oestrogen) do have an adverse effect on lactation.
But, again a point that should not be overlooked is, that this is the case only when lactation is not yet established. The contraceptive pill does not, however, interfere with the fully-established lactation.
A question generally asked is whether the consequences of the pill just a coincidence or indeed its pharmacological adverse effect?
There is, in fact, as yet no right answer to it. It is very much possible that mothers who are in a hurry to start the pill are also the ones who unintentionally fail to encourage adequate sucking at the breast.
All said and done, it is advisable to wait for about six weeks before starting an oral contraceptive.
In fact, it is advisable not to rush into intercourse until at least six weeks have elapsed since the arrival of the child. By this time, lactation is fully established and will not be affected by the use of the pill.
Yet, if you must use the pill earlier, make sure that you go in for a preparation that contains low dose of hormones.
In this case, remember to give up the pill as soon as you feel your lactation has begun to be affected.
Correct positioning for breastfeeding and compulsory burping is the recipe for successful breastfeeding. Remember the most reliable criterion of adequate supply of breast milk is the progressive weight gain.
General principles of breastfeeding
Firstly, the mother and the baby should be comfortable and relaxed at the nursing time. The mother, herself in a semi-recumbent position, should support the baby’s buttocks on the palm of a hand and the hand on her elbow.
This is done in such a way that the face of the child is close to the breast which the mother supports with the other hand. This is important. Else, the baby may get choked.
This position helps in successful breastfeeding. Soreness of the nipple may occur as a result of poor attention to mother’s and baby’s positions during breastfeeding.
You should be well conversant with the technique of putting the baby to the breast and removing him from it. Learn it from a knowledgeable friend or a senior woman in the family.
You should see to it that the baby empties at least one breast at each sitting. Of course, a little milk is likely to be left behind. Don’t worry about it.
If he is still hungry, offer him the other breast during the same sitting. At each sitting, the infant should start from a different side.
So, mind you, the impression that only one breast must be given at each feed and that the second breast should be reserved for special situations is not well founded. Remember not to push the nipple into his mouth.
There is no need to wash the nipple after each and every feed but it should, of course, be kept clean. Do not let your clothes rub and hurt the nipples.
If you make it a point to support the breasts in between the feeds by a well-fitting brassiere, you will feel more comfortable and relaxed. Besides, this will also be helping to preserve your figure.
As was pointed out earlier, nursing time on each breast need not exceed 20 minutes. Do not keep the baby on the breast so long right from the very early days.
Start with five minutes and then slowly increase the duration. Keeping the baby for too long will only make him fussy and take in wind rather than milk.
Let it be clearly understood that the duration of a feed should be decided by the infant’s hunger, by no means by the clock.
These are the general principles of breastfeeding of babies that make breastfeeding successful.
What is burping?
It consists in holding the baby erect over the mother’s shoulder or making him sit on the mother’s lap and then patting or rubbing his back so that he eructates the swallowed air, the so-called wind.
If you do not do so, you may well be allowing him to have regurgitation, vomiting and even abdominal colic. At times it may become advisable to bring the wind out halfway through feeding. There is nothing wrong with it.
A contented baby is a good guide as regards the adequacy of milk supply. The most reliable criterion of adequate supply of breast milk is the progressive weight gain.
A baby who gains less than 500 gms in any four weeks in the first three months of life or 250 gms in the second three months is likely to be malnourished.
Doctor’s consultation needs to be sought. He will be able to evaluate as to what is wrong with the baby’s intake. If there is any disease process, contributing to the problem, he will look into it and guide you as to what to do.
And, do not neglect your diet, personal hygiene and health. Take sufficient rest. Do not indulge in using any drug unless prescribed by the doctor.
Breastfeeding problems and breast abscess
Nearly ten per cent of breast feeding mothers suffer from a breast abscess in the weeks following childbirth.
These abscesses are almost entirely preventable in the first place and arise only because the ‘modern’ mothers feed their babies in such a strange way.
Because they breast feed by the clock (if indeed they breast feed at all), the breasts become engorged (swollen) and the pressure within the breasts can block a milk duct. The blocked duct shows as a red, hot, tender lump in the breast and this often makes the woman feel shivery or ‘flu-like’.
First-aid measures include
feeding the baby much more frequently (to empty the breast); not limiting the length of feeds;
massaging the lump gently but firmly towards the nipple;
ensuring that your bra does not press on any particular area of the breast;
varying the position in which the baby feeds at each feed and even during a feed;
and using hot or cold compresses (whichever gives best relief).
Antibiotics will only be necessary if all these methods have not dispersed the lump within 24 hours.
If a blocked duct is caught early, it will not go to become infected and form a proper abscess (a walled-off, pus-filled structure within the breast).
Once an abscess does form through it will probably (like abscesses elsewhere) need to be incised by a doctor to allow the pus to escape. If you have a breast abscess you should not feed the baby from that breast, but continue to feed again from both breasts.
In the meantime, express milk from the affected breast frequently and discard it. It may be possible to avoid incision by catching the abscess early and treating it with antibiotics.
Your doctor will prescribe a suitable drug should it be indicated. Remember, that these abscesses are almost entirely preventable.
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