Mira

I agree completely with what you say about talking to mothers whose MDs have
advised that they stop breastfeeding because of taking medication.
I am in a similar  position to you in the UK. As a breastfeeding counsellor
and a pharmacist I updated a leaflet and made my name and phone number
available to mothers and professionals wanting to check out safety.  I get
literally hundreds of calls a year to my home as well as at my phrmacy. I read
out the information from texts particularly Dr Hale's invaluable one. I'm
often put in the difficult position of  wanting to say- there is no reason for
you to stop, I try hard to read the info and let them make their own decision.
One woman I spoke to recently told me she was just going to lie to her doctor
( her decision!) which I think is a terrible indictement of the relationship
they have.
I am currently carrying out research to find out what mothers want to know
about safety of medication passing through their milk and how these needs are
met by their family doctor and pharmacist. Some of the stories are quite heart
rending.
But I think little by little we will educate more people to the inestimable
value of breastmilk which far exceeds the usually small risks of medication,
if it's needed.
My other bug bear is how few medics remember to treat mother and baby with
thrush - and often I hear the baby shows no symptoms so it cant be present but
they only look at the tongue not the roof of the mouth or cheek pouches or
listen to other symtoms like pulling of all the time.

I'll get off my soap box for today and go back to decorating the tree. But
thought it might help to know it appears to be a universal problem and others
are in there with you .

Happy Chritmas to all

Wendy Jones
Breastfeeding Network, Portsmouth, England
Pharmacist