From the information in the request we have "a baby born at about 5 lbs.
Mother developed postpartum cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure and
was hospitalized. During the hospitalization, baby was partially breast fed,
then mom pump and dumped as they tried to identify the medications that
would stabilize her condition and be compatible with breastfeeding. After
discharge mom
resumed exclusive breastfeeding and baby died during the night in her
parents' bed."
According to the post, this happened before baby was 4 weeks old.  The list
of maternal medications was included, but without even looking at that,
there are several things here besides breastfeeding which should be
investigated for their possible role in the unfortunate outcome in this
case.
Baby's gestational age and route of delivery are not mentioned, so we don't
know whether it was premature or dysmature or both, and whether the birth
was spontaneous, whether labor was spontaneous in onset with intervention
before birth, or anything.
Mother's health was atypical, to put it mildly.  PP cardiomyopathy, with or
without heart failure, isn't something you see daily, or even monthly, or
where I live, even yearly.  There could be pathology from before baby's
birth which also affected baby's ability to survive.
Baby received something other than the mother's milk for some unspecified
period while mother was ill; we don't know what that was or what role it
could have played.
We don't know whether any adults using the bed were smokers, or what kind of
bed or bedding was being used.
I am not looking for a place to lay blame either.  There were lots of things
affecting this baby, including medications through the milk.  Keep the broad
picture in view and BF may suffer less.  On balance it may be that the
breastfeeding was the best thing that happened in the short life of this
baby.
I hope the family are getting the emotional support they need to cope.
Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

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