Pain Meds and Breastfeeding

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

I am just a student nurse doing my childbearing rotation but I am just wondering if anybody knows the percentage of pain meds (Motrin and Percocet in particular) that are excreted in breastmilk?

Is there any harm to the baby if the mother is taking these medications and breastfeeding? I think it is really important to be liberal with pain medications for postpartum pain management but I was just wondering if there are any possible side effects for the baby.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Can you tell me what health-e-learning is? Just curious.

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.
Can you tell me what health-e-learning is? Just curious.

http://www.health-e-learning.com/

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

thank you! feeling stupid now. :chair:

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Specializes in OB, lactation.
I assume you're doing alternate pathway G? What are you doing to get the other 30 LCERPs (since the BreastEd only gives 120 max)? I was looking into that, I would have to do it if I wanted to test next year. If I wait until 2007, I'll have all 4000 hours on my own.

Dr. Riordan's class confers 45 LCERPS plus I went to the ILCA convention in 2002, and to the FL LLL convention this year, etc... so I had some already from those events. BTW, I got my nursing program to accept Dr.Riodan's class as my nursing elective (it is a class in the Wichita State University's school of nursing- you can take it as a graduate course or undergraduate, 2 credits or 3), so it killed two birds with one stone.

Health-E-Learning gives CE's for nurses too!!! http://www.health-e-learning.com/ It has just been really convenient for me, I probably wouldn't have been able to get all those LCERPS if I had to travel all around the usual way to get them- at least it would have been much harder anyway. :)

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I noticed that, thank you, mitchsmom!!!

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I love the 2 following books for BF and drugs:

Drugs in pregnancy and lactation, by Briggs

and the marvellous late Mary Krueger CNM last book before she crossed to the other side of the world: The impact of birthing practice on Breastfeeding..

I cannot live w/o these 2 books

Ginny DOULA RN SNM

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The key is "relative" safety. Nothing, as you know, is 100%. Mostly the METABOLITES of these medications are found in breast milk, not the meds in their original compounds/chemical states. Good luck in your studies!!!!

And the info changes a lot, so keep your eyes out. For instance, I've heard that some practitioners will allow moms who take lithium to breastfeed, provided there's VERY close monitoring of the baby and mom, and blood levels are drawn regularly to ensure there's no toxicity.

Lithium used to be an automatic no-no. I'm sure many docs will say no quickly, but it seems to be changing.

Alison

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NB.

I am liking Health-e-Learning alot - nice format, good info, much easier than ordering and sending via snail mail. You do it and they email your certificate for the LCERPS right away :) I am having to do a ton b/c I'm using one of the alternate pathways from the IBLCE to cut hours off my time so I can sit the board this year instead of next - I have done 4 modules and I am about to do 3 more, so I'll have done almost all of them by the time I'm done. They also have a review thing that is a complete practice test for the exam, I will probably do that if I have the money.

How are you getting all the practical mother-baby hours in? That's what I have found to be the most challenging, even as someone who's simply certifying as a lactation educator.

Alison

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I love the 2 following books for BF and drugs:

Drugs in pregnancy and lactation, by Briggs

and the marvellous late Mary Krueger CNM last book before she crossed to the other side of the world: The impact of birthing practice on Breastfeeding..

I cannot live w/o these 2 books

Ginny DOULA RN SNM

Ginny, I know it's off topic, but when did Mary die?

Thanks,

Alison

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.
How are you getting all the practical mother-baby hours in? That's what I have found to be the most challenging, even as someone who's simply certifying as a lactation educator.

Alison

I believe that volunteering as a peer counselor for WIC or as a La Leche League Leader both offer you 500 consultancy hours/year.

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Specializes in OB, lactation.
How are you getting all the practical mother-baby hours in? That's what I have found to be the most challenging, even as someone who's simply certifying as a lactation educator.

Alison

As Klone said, we can get hours for being a breastfeeding group counselor, that's what I've done. I have a BA degree so that means I need 2500 hours total. I've gotten 2000 of those hours in the last four years as an accredited counselor, and I'm using pathway G to reduce the hours by 500 by getting all the extra LCERPS, so I'll be able to sit in July if all goes smoothly. :balloons:

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Ginny, I know it's off topic, but when did Mary die?

Thanks,

Alison

a few weeks ago at home with her family.. nobody knew she was sick, Ii had seen her at the last ACNM convention in june 2004 apparently in good health..

This is a great loss ad we will all miss her very much!

Ginny RN DOULA SNM

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