How long to wait to breastfeed after local anesthesia

“I am having surgery in a few weeks and am breastfeeding my 7-month-old. She still nurses quite frequently and I am worried because my doctor says I can’t breastfeed her for 24 hours after surgery because of the anesthesia medications. What can I do to make this easier?”

You actually CAN breastfeed within 2 to 4 hours after surgery. The reason most doctors say to wait 24 hours is that they were trained before anyone ever studied anesthetics in breast milk. Well, this has now been researched and shown that the levels of anesthetic medication used in general anesthesia do not significantly persist in the breast milk beyond a couple hours. The little that does remain for the rest of the day is so minute, that it will have no noticeable effect on the baby.

My wife went through gallbladder surgery when our second son was a year old and still an avid nurser. Here is what she did. She pumped her breasts 4 hours after surgery and we threw this away. She then breastfed him on demand after that. Why “pump and dump” at four hours? There is really no good reason. We just did it to be extra safe. In reality, any medicine that gets into the milk during this time will move back out of the milk by four hours. But to make your doctor and the nurses happy, I suggest doing the 4-hour pump and dump.

How long to wait to breastfeed after local anesthesia

Most pain medications you receive after surgery are also safe during breastfeeding, as a negligible amount of most of these medications makes it into the milk.  Specific recommendations varies for different medications.  As mentioned with anesthetics, your doctor may not be trained to handle this question well, so they may recommend you wait a certain amount of time before breastfeeding.  If available, a lactation consultant will likely be a better source of advice.

For younger infants who will need to feed during or right after surgery, pump some milk beforehand to be fed through a bottle.

How long to wait to breastfeed after local anesthesia

July 30, 2013 March 25, 2017 Dr. Bill Sears

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Developed by: Committee on Obstetric Anesthesia
Approved: October 23, 2019
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The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) offers this statement to provide anesthesiologists with evidence based information so they may appropriately counsel nursing mothers undergoing surgery who are concerned about adverse neonatal effects from medication exposure via breastmilk. The committee reviewed existing guidelines and reviews on the concentration of anesthetic drugs in breast milk to produce the overview and recommendations included in this statement.1-6  

Background:

In the past it was recommended that women discard breastmilk (“pump and dump”) immediately after surgery before resuming breastfeeding. This outdated recommendation was made before data was available on the accumulation of drugs in breastmilk yet is still widely circulated on the internet, creating considerable confusion among patients and providers.  Although many lactating patients presenting for surgical procedures are prepared to pump and dump, patients routinely ask their anesthesiologist for information and recommendations on when they may safely resume breastfeeding.

Anesthesia Drugs and Breastmilk:


A commonly accepted method used to express neonatal drug exposure is the relative infant dose (RID).7 The RID provides an indication of relative neonatal exposure by taking into account maternal and infant weight as well as the concentration of drug in breastmilk and indicates the percentage of drug in the baby relative to mother.  RID levels less than 10% are generally considered safe.  While certain opioids (i.e., codeine and tramadol) and drug classes (i.e., amphetamines, chemotherapy agents, ergotamines and statins) are not recommended in breastfeeding mothers, nearly all anesthetic drugs have RID values significantly less than 10% (see Table).  An exception is morphine, which has an RID of approximately 9%. Even so, countless women who are breastfeeding have received morphine following surgical procedures without incident.  Despite an excellent safety record it makes sense to attempt to reduce narcotic requirements in lactating women by using a multimodal approach to treat postoperative pain.8 Further, because pain interferes with successful breastfeeding, women should not avoid pain medicines after surgery when needed. The FDA advises that breastfeeding mothers not receive codeine or tramadol, both of which are metabolized by CP3D6. Due to pharmacogenetic variability, there is a risk of neonatal opioid overdose if an “ultra-metabolizer” mother breastfeeds a “slow metabolizer” neonate 9. 

Recommendations:

The following recommendations are suggested for lactating women requiring surgery:

1. All anesthetic and analgesic drugs transfer to breastmilk; however, only small amounts are present and in very low concentrations considered clinically insignificant.


2. Narcotics and/or their metabolites may transfer in slightly higher levels into breastmilk; therefore, steps should be taken to lower narcotic requirements by adding other analgesics when appropriate and avoiding drugs that are more likely to transfer (i.e., have a higher RID).
3. Because pain interferes with successful breastfeeding, women should not avoid pain medicines after surgery. Despite an excellent safety record, breastfeeding women who require narcotic pain medicines should always watch the baby closely for signs of sedation: difficult to wake and/or slowed breathing.
4. When possible, spinal or epidural anesthesia consisting of local anesthetic and a long-acting narcotic, should be used for cesarean delivery to reduce overall post-operative pain medication requirements. 
5. Patients should resume breastfeeding as soon as possible after surgery because anesthetic drugs appear in such low levels in breastmilk. It is not recommended that patients “pump and dump.” References:

1. World Health Organization. Guideline: Protecting, promoting and supporting Breastfeeding in Facilities providing maternity and newborn services. ISBN: 978-92-4-155000-6. Accessed at: http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/guidelines/breastfeeding-facilities-maternity-newborn/en/. 


2. Eidelman AI, Schanler RJ. Breastfeeding and the use of human milk. Section on Breastfeeding. American Academy of Pediatrics. Pediatrics 2012; 129: e827-41.
3. Chantry CJ, Eglash A, Labbok M. ABM position on breastfeeding. Breastfeeding Medicine 2015; 10: 407-11. 
4. Dalal PG, Bosak J, Berlin C. Safety of the breast-feeding infant after maternal anesthesia. Pediatric Anesthesia 2014; 24: 359-71.
5. LactMed. TOXNET Toxicology Data Network. US National Library of Medicine. NIH. HMS. Bethesda, MD. Accessed at: https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search2.
6. de Swiet’s Medical Disorders in Obstetric Practice, 5th Ed. Edited by Powrie RO, Greene MF, Camann W. 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 806 pgs. ISBN: 978-1-405-14847-4.
7. Ilett KF, Kristensen JH. Drug use and breastfeeding. Expert Opin Drug Saf 2005; 4: 745-68. 
8. Sutton CD, Carvalho B. Optimal pain management after cesarean delivery. Anesthesiol Clin 2017; 35: 107-24.
9. FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA restricts use of prescription codeine pain and cough medicines and tramadol pain medicines in children; recommends against use in breastfeeding women. 2018. Accessed at: https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm549679.htm. 

Table. Relative Infant Dose (RID) of Anesthesia Medications and Recommendations

Medication Class (Drug) Mean RID (%)
Anticholinergics (atropine, glycopyrrolate) Unknown: generally considered safe with single systemic or ophthalmic dosing
Anticholinesterases (neostigmine, pyridostigmine) 0.1
Antiemetics (metoclopramide, ondansetron) Unknown: considered safe due to lack of sedating side effects
Benzodiazepines (diazepam, lorazepam, midazolam) 0.3
Intravenous Anesthetics   
      Etomidate 0.1
      Ketamine Unknown: recommended only if medically necessary
      Propofol 0.1
Local Anesthetics (bupivacaine, lidocaine, ropivacaine) 0.1
Narcotics  
      Fentanyl 1
      Hydrocodone 3
      Hydromorphone 3
      Morphine 9
      Oxycodone  3 (maximum daily dose 30mg§)
      Remifentanil Unknown: considered safe secondary to short half-life
      Codeine/Tramadol Avoid: FDA warning against use in women with a CYP2D6 mutation
Non-narcotic Analgesics  
      Acetaminophen 4 (maximum daily dose < 3gm¥)
      Ibuprofen 0.5
      Ketorolac 0.3
Miscellaneous  
      Gabapentin 3
      Dexamethasone Unknown: considered safe (may cause temporary loss of milk secondary to ↓ prolactin levels)
      Diphenhydramine Unknown: generally considered safe
 Volatile Gases Unknown: considered safe secondary to rapid excretion, poor bioavailability and OR scavenging of gases

* Mean RID is an estimated average from multiple sources reviewed. § LactMed. Toxicology Data Network. US National Library of Medicine. NIH. HMS. Bethesda,     MD. Accessed at: https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search2.  ¥ FDA Announcement 468, 2012. Accessed at:  

   https://www.medicaid.nv.gov/Downloads/provider/web_announcement_468_20120425.pdf.