Trying to decide if I should breast feed or not.. It's something I always thought I would do but now that I'm pregnant & can't take my ADHD medicine or anxiety & depression medication I'm thinking different because I'm going crazy without it. Any thoughts? I just need some opinions to think on.
I just saw my psychiatrist and she was fine with me taking my anxiety meds while breastfeeding. And she even said if I need to go back on my ADHD meds that I can do that while BF'ing too. It's all about risks vs benefits. There are tons of message boards on the internet where Mom's talk about their experiences taking meds while bf'ing and they are really reassuring to read!
Btw I'm on cymbalta for anxiety/depression and I am breastfeeding :) and I love it! And he is the happiest, healthiest little boy. Every doc I've talked to from therapists to his pediatrician to the docs at the hospital, everyone said that is was perfectly safe :)
There are some antidepressants that are safe to take while breastfeeding. Talk to your doctor about which ones those are and if the benefits of your breastmilk outweigh the risks of some of the medicine going through to your child. In most cases though, not enough goes through to do any harm what-so-ever and is perfectly safe for your baby
Thank you @mommabearto2. You are 100% right. If mommy isn't healthy & happy then baby isn't. Gotta do what's best for baby & sometimes that may mean not breastfeeding. It's definitely something I will be debating for awhile. thanks to all the mommy's out there.
I will always recommend breast feeding but honestly a lot of moms do deal with postpartum depression and with already having to deal with mental demons you may have to think a healthy happy mom is best for baby/babies. Highly recommend talking to your doctor about this.
Thank you @abelsmama. That's what I'm thinking. I really want to try. I didn't know that breast feeding releases oxytocin. Hopefully I'll be able too. It's so nice to hear about these kinds of things from other mama's.
Try to breastfeed, but if your medical conditions are affecting you to the point you can't take care of your baby then formula feed. My Mom and I both went through the same thing. She had to end up formula feeding my brother; luckily, I was able to go without my anti-depressants. You won't find out until you try! Breastfeeding releases oxytocin which could really help with anxiety and depression!