Breastfeeding and CF

[kross10911]

I am 8 weeks pregnant and I really want to be able to breastfeed afterwards, I was just wondering what everyones experiences are with it and if you had to go off some of your meds or if it was difficult to keep up with damand ect....

 

[marisalynn]

I was able to breastfeed my now 5 month old daughter for about 2 months. The only medications that I had to stop were the same one's I stopped because of the pregnancy. I was surprised to learn that there are actually very few medications that aren't recommended while breastfeeding.
I strongly encourage you to breastfeed if it's what you want to do. It was a wonderful experience and supposedly is best for the baby. Don't get me wrong, at first, it was very difficult: The milk "coming in" was painful, and it took a while for Annalynn to really figure it out, so I had really sore nipples for a little while. (I recommend using Lanolin cream from the beginning, after every feeding.) However, all in all, once she got the hang of it and I healed up, it was a great bonding experience, and knowing that I was providing nutrition for her was a great feeling as well as a confidence builder as a mother. I wanted to continue breastfeeding until she was at least 6 months, but it was very difficult to take time at work to pump, so between me not producing as much milk as I had, and Annalynn growing and wanting to eat constantly, we had to switch to formula. I am still so glad that I breastfed for as long as I did.
Good luck with you pregnancy!

Marisa RN, 24 w/CF Mommy to 5-month old baby girl

 

[megaleg709]

I had a great experience. I had wanted to BF for 9 months. I only ended up making it 6 because I was starting to feel the effects of no TOBI for so long since I couldn't take it during pregnancy either. But my docs were very supportive of me breast feeding for as long as I felt comfortable. My advice would be to set a soft goal - a length of time you'd like to BF, but then keep in mind that it's better to stop early and stay healthy for your little one than it is to get that extra time in nursing. But if you can manage it even for a few weeks it really is an amazing gift. Good luck with your pregnancy!

Meagan. 26 w/CF. mommy to Kailyn (Carrier, but no CF ) born Feb 2011

 

[mamaScarlett]

Hello,
I BF my daughter till she was 11 months old. I would have gone longer but I was doing alot of in and out of the hospital at the time (had some sudden non cf related surgeries).
I loved nursing her, but by the time she was 11 months I could see she wasn't that interested anymore. That goes with her independant spirit!
I am currently BF my son who is almost 10 months and I doubt I'll be stopping anytime soon. He loves his boobie time! That goes with his sensitive spirit! Very funny
I am feeling like I'm getting to be done with BF, but if he wants it I'll keep up with it a while more.
My weight is fine, I'm 5' 3" and 122 lbs. My doc is totally supportive of BF. She was apphrensive about me nursing my first, but we didn't know at the time if I'd do ok with the preg, ect. Now that she sees I do fine with it, she's ok with me nursing. In fact, she sees it as slightly more protection from viruses in my kids-which means slightly more protection for me.
My daily meds are albuterol, saline, advair, occasional pulmicort, zithromax, protonix, cayston month on and month off. I just did a round of IVs during which I was on Tobramycin and Ceftin, plus 30 mgs of Prednisone. I'd do my Tobra dose, and refrain from BF for 3 hrs, till its half life had passed (the time in which half of the medication passes out of your bloodstream).
All my doctors agreed that this may have been overkill, but I wanted to be extra cautious. So all in all, during this time I did basically half BF, half formula. By the end of my IVs, my milk supply had lowered alot but it came back just fine within 2 weeks. I'm now back to full time nursing.
For questions about nursing and meds I've relied heavily on kellymom.com. And my docs are supportive of that guidance. You can't trust advice from OBGYNs regarding nursing and meds-med safety for BF and pregnancy are completely different. The best place to get info is lactation consultants or lactation nurses. Another great resource is any info written by Dr. Tom Hale-the worlds authority on meds and BF. My doctor uses him alot.
As far as Cf goes, the only obstacle that comes up is your weight and health. I try to drink and eat just like I would while pregnant, so my body doesn't get depleted. Some docs say not to BF, so that baby will sleep through the night but the reality is that facts show that baby will wake up the same amount whether he gets formula or breastmilk. Your better bet would be to give baby to daddy a few nights here and there and sleep in another room for a 'mommy sleep vacation'.
These are the main things I can think of. Please feel free to ask anything you can think of...specific meds, info on lactation categories, etc.

 

[mamaScarlett]

Wanted to add, a wonderful resource is infantrisk.org. They have a hotline which is sort of like poison control of sorts...for Breastfeeding and meds. I called them during my last round of IVs regarding my prednisone. (prednisone happens to be a L3 level med for BF, anything 30 mgs or under for 2 wks is fine. anything 40 mgs or higher long term would be contraindication for BF)
They have lactation nurses and docs on call to answer BF med questions anytime. They are definitely a trusted source.

 

[Keepercjr]

I breastfed my son for a long long time and my daughter is still nursing at 3. You can do it! Get as much support as possible and learn as much as possible before baby gets here. Read read read. Find supportive friends and family and maybe go to a few la leche league meetings before you have the baby. Most failures with breastfeeding are from not enough support and too easy / too quick access to formula. I would also have the name and number of a lactation counselor so that when you do have the baby and if you have a problem you can call someone asap and get it fixed. For what it is worth, most doctors have absolutely no training in breastfeeding and almost always err on the side of caution and tell mothers to switch to formula whenever there is a med in question or a problemDon't listen to them - listen to someone who is an expert in breastfeeding. Like mamascarlett said, just about all meds are safe for breastfeeding (including TOBRA- it is not absorbed by the gut so no matter how much you excrete in the milk the baby will not absorb any of it). Keep us posted - how exciting

 

[kschultz7]

I had a healthy baby boy 9 weeks ago today! I am breastfeeding him but cannot seem to make enough milk so am having to supplement with formula. I was just wondering if you did physical chest therapy while you were breastfeeding? I just want to make sure that getting vibrated every day isn't impacting my milk production at other times. Any tips you have would be so appreciated!

 

[semperfiohana]

mamascarlett i have my first ob appt on friday and plan on asking them if i can breast feed because my cf doc didn't say much when i mentioned to him that i wanted to breast feed this time around. do you know what medicines you can't be on? my last cf doctor's advised me not to breast feed because of my weight. but i'm starting this pregnancy out 20lbs heavy than last time.

 

[triples15]

Hi Kross,

I am currently breastfeeding my 6 month old and everything has gone really well. Just as Marisa said though, it was a little tough in the very beginning. Don't be afraid to ask the nurses/lactation consultants for help in the hospital. Be prepared to check your modesty at the door! Remember, they do this day in and day out. I am taking all the meds I was on prior to pregnancy except Zithromax. The only problem I am having is with weight loss. Luckily I had a few extra pounds prior to becoming pregnant and maintaining a healthy weight had never been a problem for me. I have been eating like a champ (even when I'm not hungry) and have been able to stop losing but have not gained any back. My CF doc at this point is satisfied that I am not losing any more.

Kschultz, congrats! Yes I do the vest twice daily and it has not impacted my milk production. I actually have a problem with oversupply! I would maybe look into lactation specialists in your area regarding your milk supply. I saw a breastfeeding medicine specialist regarding my oversupply and some other issues (baby's belly issues) and she was very helpful. I got WAY more support and useful ideas from her than from my OB or my pediatrician. Also, the appointment was covered by insurance which was great. La Leche League might also be something to look into in your area.

MamaScarlett and Caroline, wow you are a wealth of knowledge! I really appreciate all of your posts! If a questionable situation ever arises re: needing IVs, I know who to turn to!

Candice, congrats on number 2! I hope you are able to breastfeed now that you are a healthier weight, that is awesome! I have a question for you..... I saw in another thread that you are on Kalydeco, did they have you stop it when you found out you were pregnant? Did they happen to mention anything about breastfeeding on it? My doctor is considering Kalydeco for me (I don't have G551D, but another mutation that showed improvement in in vitro studies) and they have said a condition of prescribing it for me is that I would have to stop breastfeeding. I'll be interested to see what your docs say.

Take care everyone!

Autumn

 

[semperfiohana]

Autumn I am still on Kalydeco. Per the insert that comes with Kalydeco it is classified as a class B drug. But it does state in the insert it is unknown if it passes into the breast milk. So at my next OB appt I'm going to question if they know. I did have someone message me and tell me that she had called the hotline for infants and according to them it shouldn't be an issue because it seems to be a medication that is protein bound. I would believe they could test my milk when the time comes to see if anything were to come up. I'm on a few other medicines that says it is unknown if it passes into the breast milk. So I will review all of it with my doctor to see what they say.

 

[kitomd21]

Love to read these stories! From a non-CF standpoint - you're doing a great job! From a CF standpoint - it's so great to know that when DD has a child (God-willing!) that she'll be able to BF as well....