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Labor Medications: Oh yes, it affects breastfeeding.

by Laurie Chamberlin CD, ICCE, CLE

‘Will the pain medication I have in labor affect my baby?” asks my client Olivia with curious eyes. I think I know the answer she is hoping for and I don’t think I can give it to her. “Yes” I reply, to which I see a momentary flutter of disappointment cross her face. “Most medication reaches the baby in ten minutes.” At a lactation conference put on by the Breastfeeding Coalition of Placer County, Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC says Fentanyl, a common pain medication used in labor, lasts about 2 hours in the mother and can last up to 13 hours in a baby. Babies should not be breastfed for 4 hours after administration. Often times mothers will receive more than one shot, that stacks up and may take a day or more for it to wear off in the baby.

Sleep Remedies - Natural Herbal Solutions for Sleep, Relaxation, Anxiety & Insomnia

Learn about natural solutions and herbal sleep remedies for relaxation, stress-relief, anxiety-relief, depression and insomnia.

Testimonial

I just wanted to share that we have found the Goodnight Tincture highly effective for episodes of OCD (intrusive thoughts and anxiety), providing relief within 15-20 minutes.  And of course, it works really well for falling and staying asleep!   We do use it during the day when there are symptoms of intrusive thoughts and anxiety and it doesn’t cause sleepiness then.  Maybe the brain is just SO overactive during those episodes that the calming effect is only one of normalizing, not sleep-inducing.  The symptoms of OCD are very painful, so I am amazed and grateful that this works so incredibly well.  We can never be without it!  Thank you for providing this product!  MK