This is a bit of a rant mixed with a query, so bear with me. I had a brief
conversation with a doc this eve who just about refuses to prescribe
ibuprofen for postpartum moms. He stated that it has the potential to cause
GI bleeds in breastfeeding babes, and that "any woman in her right mind"
should thankfully take the percocets for *any* kind of postpartum pain. I
*respectfully* told him that the motrin was good for cramping; in my
practice I have found it superior, especially for multips and the multitude
of "sore backs" I see from the 90% epidural rate we have here. He of course
told me that since I wasn't an "expert" at pharmacology that I should butt
out and "stick to my nursing"... but I got my order and got the heck out of
there.
I very adamantly promote the motrin over the narcotics in my practice. I
think it benefits most moms (minus the c/s moms, that is..) and babes for
bonding (since they're not so sleepy), and it is my suspicion (not being an
expert at pharmacology, of course;-) that the slight risk of a GI bleed
outweighs the effects of the narcotic that the babe gets in the milk (we see
a lot of "sleepy" babes who get the good old ABM supplement if they don't
rouse to nurse). Any thoughts? I hate to go head to head with docs when I
don't have all the facts...
Thanks:
Cyndi Koehler, RN in WI