Taking Medications While Breastfeeding

Hey friend!! For the past the past two weeks, I have been struggling with a horrendous cough and sometimes just fighting for air to breathe. The fevers and chills have been an unwelcomed symptom as well. I put off going to the doctor because I didn’t want to risk medications causing a dip in my supply, but honestly, I waited too long. I should have been proactive in treatment rather than waiting until the point that I’m at now...pneumonia...

Most over-the-counter medications are perfectly safe to take while breastfeeding. Notice I said MOST. Always check with your doctor before taking medications. Let’s also talk about what “safe” means. Medications safe for breastfeeding mean that minimal amounts of the medication transfers to the breastmilk and these small amounts do not have any known adverse effects on baby. One of my favorite resources for checking medications before I take them is lactmed.com It’s a great data base full of up-to-date information and research on both over-the-counter medications and prescription drugs.

When treating my pneumonia, the steroid my doctor prescribed was technically safe for breastfeeding, but only when waiting 4 hours after the dose was taken to express milk. This did make things a little tricky for a few days, and I was nervous that I would decrease my supply in this time, but there’s always a solution! We found a system that worked best for us, Ellie stayed safe only drinking milk from my freezer stash or milk that was in the “safe” time frame between doses, AND I was able to start healing.

Please know that if you are sick, there are medications out there that are safe for you to take while breastfeeding. If that medication is known for causing a dip in milk supply, there are things that can be ton to help maintain your supply while on the medication such as power pumping once per day or even increasing frequency of nursing and/or pumping.

The last thing I want you to do is to neglect your own health out of fear for what may happen with your milk supply. I encourage you to always consult with your doctor before taking medications and to rely on evidence-based research for all medicinal needs.

You can take care of yourself while still feeding your baby.

-XOXO, Your Boobie Bestie