General Anaesthetic and Breastfeeding Fact Sheet by Dr Wendy Jones
“On a daily basis mothers are being told that they have to stop breastfeeding if they have a general anaesthetic. No consideration seems to be given to the risks of not breastfeeding it feels, nor that women breastfeed as normal after a caesarian section (although I admit this is less common than under a spinal block). There is no evidence in any of the papers I have found that says anything other than that a lactating woman can resume feeding as soon as she is awake and alert following the operation. If she is drowsy she needs to consider the risks of co sleeping. I have drawn up a table from the recommendations in the 2 expert sources Lactmed and Hale in the safety of the commonly used drugs for anaesthesia and post operative pain relief. I hope this helps mothers and professionals to work together to protect, promote and support breastfeeding as long as mother and baby wish.”
Link here
