Dear friends,

I have searched the archives and found some answers, but still have some
questions.
I got a question on behalf of a pregnant woman with a low hb of 7, treated up
to 11 towards the end of pregnancy. Doctor has told mom she will need a
bloodtransfusion pp to further lift her hb and she will not be allowed to
breastfeed.
Question asked me was why mom should not breastfeed.

I have searched Lawrence, Auerbach and Riordan, and Breastfeeding Answerbook,
but not even one reference to bloodtransfusion in neither of them. (Which
made me presume it is not an item). Further searches in Medline and Medscape
only brought up that a hb of 11 would be a very nice level for a labouring
woman, but nothing on possible contraindications for bf and bloodtransfusion.
Lactnet archives learned me that infection will be the greatest risk for
bloodtransfusion in a lactating woman.
What I cannot find is: why on earth would anyone risk infecting a new mother
(with the future risk of leaving a motherless child) and at the same time
forbid the mom to breastfeed because the blood used may be contaminated.
Do I overlook anything, are there any hidden risks I do not see?
Are there any other possibilities why doctors would contraindicate bf in a
persevered anemic mother who needs bloodtransfusion (other than medical
ignorance)

Seeing forward to your thoughts and perhaps references (I know the woman's
doctor should be the one providing evidence for his recommendation, but ...)

Gonneke van Veldhuizen
IBCLC, LLLL, MOM
Hillensberg, Germany

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