Booby Traps Series: Need to be hospitalized while breastfeeding? Watch out for these Booby Traps.

by Tanya Lieberman, IBCLC | September 5, 2012 6:46 am

This post is the 54th in a series on Booby Traps, made possible by the generous support of Motherlove Herbal Company.

Some of us will find ourselves back in the hospital for tests or procedures during the course of breastfeeding.  Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to run headlong into a host of Booby Traps during a hospital stay.

Here are some common Booby Traps to be on the lookout for in the hospital:

 

Pumping in the hospital.  In many hospitals, a nursing mother out of the childbirth unit is an alien life form.  Getting a pump is often necessary if you need to be separated from your baby, but it can be an arduous process.  A suggestion:  If your providers don’t seem to speak breastfeeding, ask them to call over to the childbirth unit and see if the lactation consultant or other childbirth staff can translate and provide what you need.  Extra points for making clear your needs to your providers in advance of your hospital stay.

Visiting hours for baby.  Even if your baby’s food needs are being taken care of while you’re in the hospital (through pumped milk, formula, solids, or some combination), we all know that breastfeeding is about more than calories.  Babies expect the frequent, physical connection they get every few hours from breastfeeding, and not having it that can make life miserable for both of you.  Make sure you know what your hospital’s visiting hours are in advance, and if they don’t work for you be a squeaky wheel and explain that because you’re breastfeeding you’ll be requesting some flexibility.  It’s worth a try.

General anesthesia.  The American Academy of Family Physicians states that in the case of general anesthesia, “mothers of healthy term neonates can resume breastfeeding once they are awake and able to hold the infant.”  But you wouldn’t know this based on the many reports I’ve heard about mothers being told to pump and dump for hours afterwards.

IV contrast imaging.  Told to pump and dump because you needed an iodinated or gadolinium IV contrast medium for your CT scan or MRI?  You’ll be interested to read what the American Academy of Family Physicians has to say about this:  “It is rarely necessary to interrupt breastfeeding for radiologic procedures. The radioiodides used as intravenous contrast agents for some radiography and computed tomography scanning have an extremely short half-life and virtually no oral bioavailability.  Therefore, they pose an insignificant risk to a breastfed infant.” I’d also point to this statement from The American College of Radiology which says the same thing and might hold more sway with your radiologist.

One almost humorous piece of evidence showing that this is a problem (and perhaps revealing the culprit in the background), they also state: “the knowledgeable family physician can reassure patients going for such procedures that there is no need to interrupt breastfeeding, and may need to intervene on their behalf if the radiologist recommends temporary cessation based on misleading manufacturer’s literature.“  For what it’s worth, I’ve seen radiologists take the “misleading manufacturer’s literature” and double the amount of time they recommend a mother interrupt breastfeeding.

The American Academy of Family Physicians also states, “most diagnostic procedures using radioisotopes do not require interruption of breastfeeding. However, there are some which may require temporary interruption and, rarely, cessation of breastfeeding. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has a list of radionuclides and the duration of any required interruption of breastfeeding.”  They recommend that providers choose materials which require the least interruption of breastfeeding.

Medications.  Chances are you’re aware that nursing mothers are frequently given poor advice about medications from their providers, leading mothers to pump and dump, or even wean, unnecessarily.  This is true in hospitals too, but some advance planning can help.  Discuss which medications you’ll need to take before, during, and after your test or procedure, and run them by the Infant Risk Center, founded by world-renowned expert Dr. Thomas Hale.  You’ll get accurate, up-to-date information which you can share with your providers.

Some resources for avoiding the Booby Traps when you’re hospitalized:

Did you have to be hospitalized during breastfeeding?  What kind of support or advice did you get while there?



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Source URL: http://www.bestforbabes.org/booby-traps-series-need-to-be-hospitalized-while-breastfeeding-watch-out-for-these-booby-traps