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Breastfeeding with Chronic Illnesses
Nursing Despite My Illness
By Shel Franco
Even so, there are some conditions that warrant medications which are not compatible with breastfeeding. Sometimes women with diseases such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis take such high doses of medications that they can be detrimental to the breastfeeding child.
How, then, can a woman know if weaning is the only way to keep her child safe? Dr. Hale offers a three-step process to uncover the truth.
- Meet with a lactation consultant.
- Find a copy of Medications and Mother's Milk.
- Take the book to the doctor or specialist who is prescribing your medications.
If the medication is found to be harmful but will only be used temporarily, the breastfeeding mother does have a choice. Yvette DeLuca of Arizona, suffers from severe asthma. When her condition required a potentially harmful medication, DeLuca chose not to wean. Instead, she used a breast pump to keep her supply intact, throwing out the drug-laced milk. "As soon as I was finished [with the drug], I resumed breastfeeding," she says.
Moms with forms of arthritis and other diseases that cause joint or muscular pain may find it best to breastfeed supported by several pillows or even while lying down. The key is to enlist the help of a friend or spouse, someone who can help the nursing mom adjust and readjust until the most comfortable position is found.
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