in October 2024 Babies 🇬🇧

Not ready to give up breastfeeding

During pregnancy, my urine continually flagged up for having protine. Given that this was a possible symptom of pre eclampsia, I was in every couple of days to have blood pressure tested etc ( always normal). Since having LO, they have discovered I still have protein in urine which suggested I had an underlying condition which was just flagged up during pregnancy. I have had scans etc and just yesterday a dr advised that I may have a condition under the term ‘ glomerulonephritis’; basically kidneys could possibly be damaged. I have to attend a clinic every four months to monitor kidney health and he has advised me that from July he would like to start a medication that isn’t compatible with breastfeeding. Apparently not massively concerned by prognosis, he said some people have this and it doesn’t affect them til later on in life because they don’t have any symptoms ( like me), he also said it might never affect someone. LO will be 8 months when medication starts and I was planning on breastfeeding for year at least. The thought of stopping early is making me quite emotional. Also not sure how to practically move to formula. Do I start just now?

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I'm sorry to hear this. I don't think you have to totally switch yet but it'd be a good idea to give her a bottle a day of BM/formula to make sure she will take a bottle. I give 1 bottle of formula a day and bf the rest of the time and it works great for us. Then over time you could gradually increase bottles so you are fully swapped over by July.

Is it desperately necessary you start the medication at the 8 month mark, could you hold off and start taking once your baby has turned 12 months and you’ve weaned them off the breast? Obviously understand if that’s not an option, my logic just goes well if you’ve made it this far and they’re not going to start it for another 3 months from now, what harm will an extra couple on top do?? Sorry if that’s completely not appropriate that’s just where my brain would go if it was me! X

Double check the medication on the breastfeeding network. Quite often doctors will say that something isn't suitable for breastfeeding when it actually is as they just done have the specific knowledge. It could still be the case that's it's not compatible unfortunately but definitely worth a check https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/drugs-factsheets/

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