breastfeeding while on pain meds?

[ABliske]

Have any of you breastfed while taking pain medication? I'm afraid to ask my OB because I think she'll just say no without taking everything into consideration. Of course, I will ask a Dr. at the hospital if not my OB.
I've had to take a low dose of pain meds throughout my whole pregnancy and I don't see how nursing could be worse. I'd be willing to try something new if that was the only way I could nurse. It'd be hard to give up that bonding experience I think.

[Charisse]

Less medication passes through your breastmilk then through the placenta. Women take narcotics after c-section all the time and it is safe. I don't know about longterm use while breastfeeding but my guess is it would be okay so don't be afraid to ask your dr about it. They might have recommendations on how to time your doses (like taking your dose right after a feed?) . . . How was your birth? Did you post a birth story somewhere that I missed?

[ABliske]

Thank you! OH, I still have 7 weeks to go. I'm just thinking ahead. I went in today for an ultrasound. They said he's 4 lbs. 11 ounces, which is the 71st percentile for how far along I am. In the next 2 months he could grow a lot. I hope it all goes well.

[Charisse]

Oh okay I thought you were the one who just announced she was going in for a planned c-section earlier this month. I must have been confusing you with someone else. I hope you won't need any pain meds after delivery but I'm planning on discussing the same thing with my dr. I do not want to be in horrible pain trying to bond with my baby for the first few months. Have you made any other special plans with your dr concerning your delivery method and concerns over IC pain during labor?

[ABliske]

Not really, my Dr. is usually really brief with me. She did say I could take a tour of the NICU and talk to some Drs. or nurses in case they need to keep my baby there. She said he may have to detox from the MS Contin.
My sister's friend had to take morphine while pregnant also. In her case, it was for a back problem. I think they gave her baby some low doses of morphine to keep him from having any withdrawal symptoms. I should try to get my sister to ask her about nursing.
I was thinking that during the labor I might get an epidural, so I won't feel the bladder pain anyway. As far as the catheter though, I'll make sure they know. I feel like there's not much point in even talking about it yet since my Dr. may not even be the one to deliver. It seems like with my friends, they all ended up with else once the delivery time came.

[Charisse]

It's true that generally our drs don't end up delivering us but they can put notes in your file regarding your bladder and preferred catheter options so it's worth mentioning.