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Antibiotics and BF'ing HELP

deeregirl31deeregirl31
in Breastfeeding
 I have recently been having major issues with my gallbladder. This latest stint I ended up in the hospital for 24hrs. I just got home and I was reading the medicine that they gave me LEVAQUIN(antibiotic) and it says that you shouldn't take it while BF. I am suppose to be on it until Wednesday when I have my gallbladder taken out and for 4days after that.

That makes me think that I am going to have to wean. I can't pump and dump for 9 days and go back to BF, I don't know if my LO would come back. I am upset because for 14months things have been going great. I knew that I was going to try to start weaning soon, but I didn't want it to be this way. How am I going to do it in that short amount of time anyway? My husband has been on me all day that I should just wean because he is worried about all of the medicine getting into her system and it is making me worry too, I just don't really know what to do here. I am also on Vicodin.

My main concern is right now my daughter WON'T drink more that 9oz of cows milk every day and 6 of those ounces are out of a bottle which we have been trying to get rid of too.

Please any input would be great.
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Re: Antibiotics and BF'ing HELP

  • FriendlyFannyFriendlyFanny
    Did your doctor know you are still BFing when the medication was prescribed? I would call your doctor and see if there is an antibiotic that will do the job and still allow you to BF. That sounds like a really traumatic way to wean for both of you!
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  • deeregirl31deeregirl31

    Yes, I asked him and the nurses every time they gave me anything at the hospital if it was going to be safe while I was BF'ing, they said yes.

    I am going to call the hospital tomorrow and make SURE weather or not it is safe. It would really hurt me and her if we had to go out this way.

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  • FriendlyFannyFriendlyFanny
    I would actually start by asking your pharmacist as they are a lot more knowledgable about drugs than the doctors.
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  • mominatrixmominatrix member

    Levaquin is L3... "Moderately Safe"

    "There are no controlled studies in breastfeeding women, however, the risk of untoward effects to a breastfed infant is possible; or, controlled studies show only minimal non-threatening adverse effects."

    New drugs that have absolutely no published data are automatically categorized L3.

     

    The Girl is 5. The Boy is 2. The Dog is 1.

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  • DestinationWeddingKeyWestDestinationWeddingKeyWest
    I think all meds automatically say that.  I had an infected c-section and was first given a category 3 med like you...I called and asked them to find a category 2 if possible to substitute and they did. 
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  • Luckystar2Luckystar2 member

    Call the hospital LC.  Drs and even pharmacists are not all that informed about what's safe for BFing moms.  A LC should be able to tell you if its safe and if its not she could give you some alternatives. 

    How often are you nursing?  Your DD is older and probably not nursing that often.  You may be able to take the antibiotics after you nurse and it may be mostly out of your system by the time you nurse again.  Definitely something a LC could give you answers on.

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  • MrsAmersMrsAmers

    Good suggestions from everyone else about the antibiotics.  I'm going to add two things:

    1 - If at all possible, eat some yogurt everyday.  The probiotics will limit your chances of getting thrush from being on antibiotics.  I got it when DD was 11 months and it sucked big time.

    2 - 9 ounces of cows milk a day is fine.  My DD averages 8-12 ounces a day and she's fine.  Certainly it is great for your LO to get breast milk in addition to the cow's milk, but if the medications and surgery force you to wean she can be just fine on 9 ounces of cow's milk plus water, cheese, yogurt and a healthy diet.  Also, there is no absolute date that she has to be off the bottle.  Her health is more important than whether she drops the bottle at 12 months or 18 months or 2 years.  You've got enough going on that I would sweat a few extra weeks or months with bottles until she takes more milk from a cup.  

    Hugs and good luck!   

    Heather Margaret --- Feb '07 and Todd Eldon --- April '09
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