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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 4/19/2011 12:41 PM (GMT 0)
Does anyone have any experience breastfeeding while on mesalamine or prednisone? Specifically, did these medications lower your milk supply?

I feel like my medications may be affecting my milk supply. Or maybe it is not sleeping or being generally run down, or maybe just prednisone induced anxiety and a growth spurt?

Thanks for your help.
Posted 4/19/2011 2:20 PM (GMT 0)
I don't know if the meds would affect your milk supply, but being de-hydrated definitely does. I was on Asacol through my breastfeeding and had to have few short courses of steroids as well, but they didn't seem to affect the milk supply. The constant diarreagh though made my whole body so tired and dehydrated that I was feeling quite bad and milk supply was definitely lower before the pred kicked in.   Hope the meds are working for you and you get enough rest. I know how tiring it is to look after a small baby while flaring !            
Posted 4/19/2011 4:52 PM (GMT 0)
I was on Asacol and before that sulfasalazine while breastfeeding, and didn't have any issues.
CheesePuff raises an interesting point - do you think you're getting enough liquids, given the UC?
Posted 4/19/2011 4:53 PM (GMT 0)
I breastfed while on both and also Remicade and had no supply issues
Posted 4/19/2011 6:30 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for your replies. I am glad to hear that you all were able to breastfeed without issues while on your meds. That makes me feel so much better. Maybe just relieving my anxiety about this will help some! I am trying to drink more, as I think this may be an issue. I also have some serious prednisone induced insomnia right now, so maybe I am just not getting enough sleep. I guess I should be resting now as both my little ones are napping! :)
Posted 4/19/2011 7:16 PM (GMT 0)
I've been on both of those meds while breastfeeding my 2 sons and never had reduced milk supply.

Some things you can try to keep your supply up:

Make sure you're nursing or pumping often. The more you nurse, the more you'll make.
Drink plenty of water.
Avoid caffeine, carbonation, citrus, large amounts of parsley, sage and artificial sweeteners.
Eat oatmeal or other cooked whole grains.
You can also try fenugreek or one of the teas you can find in a natural food store called "mother's milk" or something along those lines.

I'm a LLL leader and all of those recommendations can be found in a book called "Mother Food".

Also, if you're on hormonal birth control it can definitely lower your supply. Stress can also lower supply.

And of course, like you said, get as much rest as you can.
Posted 4/19/2011 8:44 PM (GMT 0)
I had problems with milk supply with both my pregnancies and my doctors thought that it might have been due to the disease itself. I flared right after my daughter was born and was in a mild flare during pregnancy and right after my son was born. I did not take any medications while I breastfed my daughter. Once I started meds I stopped breastfeeding my daughter.
With my son I was on Apriso while breastfeeding. I was not able to exclusively breastfeed past a few weeks with either child though. I tried everything to increase my milk supply and it just did not happen for me. When I stopped breast feeding I never even became engorged because my supply was just too low and my milk quality was poor. My doctors thought that my body may have been too busy dealing with UC to allow me to produce a healthy milk supply.
Posted 4/20/2011 1:22 AM (GMT 0)
I am currently breastfeeding and on Asacol HD and Prednisone(was 40 mg but down to 25 now).  The first time I was put on prednisone I thought maybe my milk supply went down but I wasn't sure because other things were going on as well.  My little guy is 19 months old and eats regular food with BM as a supplement in the AM and PM and whenever he asks for it(not often anymore).  I agree with one of the previous posts and the suggestions she gave.  I was worried as well when I started the meds but I couldn't be so sick and care for my child as well.  I feel great now and I am on a very slow taper of the pred.  I am hoping symptoms do not come back like they did the last time we tapered.

Great job nursing your baby!  It is one of the best things I have ever done...I love it!  I get a lot of looks these days now that I am still nursing a toddler but I don't care.  We will stop when he is ready.  My decision to continue nursing while on meds was due to the benefits of breast milk over the possible negative side effects of the meds....so far my little guy has not had any bad side effects.  My boy is also allergic to cows milk in any form so it just makes sense to give him my real milk.

Good luck!!!

Posted 4/20/2011 12:42 PM (GMT 0)
I wish I was still nursing my son (he just turned 2). I am STILL sad about having to stop at 9 months because I was in the hospital for so long (months). If I have another child, I will continue for much longer
Posted 4/20/2011 3:37 PM (GMT 0)
I did drink some Mother's Milk Tea. Afterward I read online that fenugreek shouldn't be used with prednisone! I did have an increase in my symptoms after this. (Who knows if that was the cause, but I won't be drinking anymore.)

I nursed my daughter until she was almost two and hope to have that option with my son who is now 5 months. I never thought I would nurse a toddler, but I am so glad I did. Breastfeeding is great in so many ways. I, too, hate being on the meds, particulary the pred, but I agree, it is impossible to be so sick and care for your children. And I do think the benefits outweigh the risks even being on the meds.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences.
Posted 9/24/2011 4:12 AM (GMT 0)
My daughter is three months and my uc has been real bad for the last two. I have been on pred for the two mts starting at 40 and never getting down past 20 then back up to 40: I am starting apriso 4x daily and doing canasa and rowasa alt night with one off in between.

I am getting so stressed about breastfeeding. I blame myself for any and every alment my daughter has. Any gas or diareah signs I think it is my meds. She does seem to be somewhat affected after the rowasa or canasa and has a bad diaper rash from her bm.

Or is it just normal baby stuff? I think I am going to supplement a bottle this weekend and see how she handles formula. Just in case.... my son could only take soy milk but my other two took reg formula just fine.

Words of encouragement needed. I want to keep. Bfing but is it really worth all this stress?

I also work full time and pump for her daily needs.
Posted 9/24/2011 1:18 PM (GMT 0)
BFing is great but if it is causing you too much stress then it may not be the best thing for you and your family at this point. Don't let the mother's guilt get to you if you need to stop. Do what is right for your health and the health of your baby! Good luck with your decision!!
Posted 9/25/2011 2:09 AM (GMT 0)
UC_Momma, the rowasa and canasa are meds that are only effective locally in the rectum. It seems highly unlikely that any significant amount of mesalamine is absorbed from there that would affect your baby's bowels. Bowel movements from a breastfed baby should be soft and yellowish. Diarrhea would be watery stool. If you think she's having diarrhea you should call your ped.

It sounds like you have a lot on your plate. Four kids and a full time job and postpartum and prednisone is a lot to manage. I worried too about taking my Asacol when I was nursing, and in fact weaned my daughter when I had to go from 2g/day to 4g/day. But she was 31 months old then and it was time to wean for many reasons. I really don't think you need to worry about the meds - but if you are interested you can google "Dr. Hale" and "mesalamine" or "5-ASA." There's a website where all of Dr. Hale's research on medications in breastmilk is available for you to read.

{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}
Posted 9/26/2011 3:17 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the reponses. I did not supplement this weekend. She still has a rash but has been very good no signs of other issues. I think the pred also has me a bit over analysing everything.

I am going to just try and take it day by day. I so want to nurse for a year, at least one of my kids, but if I can't I will need to let go for the betterment of the whole family. My one friend joked I could add all the months up with the kids and say I did go at least a year:)

I really feel my uc might be starting to get better, so maybe it all will be good:) day by day
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