Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 10/11/2011

Question
Dear Dr. Levy,

I am currently nursing an infant and will possibly be having surgery on my ear requiring general anesthesia at the time the baby is around 9 months old.  I have heard some conflicting information about whether it is safe or not.  Some say it is not safe.  Other resources say that once you are awake, it is fine to resume breastfeeding or that the anesthesia does not even enter the breast milk at all. Could you please give me your thoughts on this?  Thank you.

Sincerely,

Melodie P.

Answer
Anesthesia agents generally do not go into breast milk so it is safe to breast feed, although most physicians will still tell you not to (for medicolegal reasons). Drug companies also tend to err on the side of caution. One option would be to pump milk to last for a few days post-op. I would also recommend notifying your anesthesiologist that you plan to resume berast feeding so they will choose medications that will allow you to do that.

Ronald Levy, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston