Expert: Sally Wendkos Olds - 8/6/2008

Question
I had a positive Lyme test about one week ago.  The antibiotic I am taking does NOT allow me to breastfeed my 26 month old son....so I stopped abruplty last week as I needed to begin treatment.  My son really only nursed from my left breast which is now very full ans slightly painful.  Can you recommend any natural remedies to relieve fullness..milk production and pain and tell me how long this fullness will last?  I have one breast at an A cup and the other at a D cup.  It looks ridiculous!

Thanks!
Jennifer

Answer
Dear Jennifer,

First, congratulations for giving your son the best start in life by breastfeeding him!

I'm sorry to hear about the problems you're having now and hope that the antibiotic treatment will clear up your Lyme disease. If you want to continue nursing, you might look up the particular antibiotic you're taking on one of the following databases, since most antibiotics are okay for nursing moms to take:

The Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed)  is a peer-reviewed and fully referenced database of drugs to which breastfeeding mothers may be exposed. Among the data included are maternal and infant levels of drugs, possible effects on breastfed infants and on lactation, and alternate drugs to consider. It is maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Medicine (NIH):  http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?LACT

These links will take you to Breastfeeding Pharmacology, a site maintained by Thomas W. Hale, R.Ph., Ph.D., about medications and lactation. He takes questions only from professionals, but anyone can search the database of answers. http://neonatal.ama.ttuhsc.edu/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi?pg=topics&access=guest; http://neonatal.ttuhsc.edu/lact/index.html; http://66.230.33.248/lact/

If you have completely weaned your son, one of the suggestions in the following excerpt from my book (see below), which may help. It's hard to know how long your pain and fullness will last -- every woman is different so I can't give you an exact time. Meanwhile, you have my sympathy!

Good luck!

Sally
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Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters. Now in revision for a fourth edition, with Laura M. Marks, M.D.
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Sudden Weaning
Sometimes a circumstance comes up that requires abrupt weaning—a mother’s need to be hospitalized or to take a medication incompatible with breastfeeding, a family crisis that involves travel without a child, or some other emergency.
  In some cases, however, a situation that seemed to call for sudden weaning can be modified. You may, for example, be able to postpone a surgical procedure for a few weeks, which will give you a little time to cut down nursing sessions more gradually. Or you may be able to take a different medication, take your baby with you on a trip, or make some other change. It’s worth exploring other options, since sudden weaning is hard on both mother and child.
  If you have to wean suddenly, you are likely to be quite uncomfortable for several days unless you’re producing very little milk. You can hasten the drying-up process and minimize discomfort in a few ways. You’ll need to wear a firm, but not too tight, bra, perhaps in a size larger than the one you usually wear. You can also relieve discomfort by expressing just enough milk to ease the pressure on your breasts. And you may also get relief from ice packs applied to the breasts several times a day. Ask your doctor to prescribe a pain reliever, which can be relatively strong, since now that nursing has ended, you don’t have to worry about the medication reaching your child.