There are medications that are safe for breastfeeding moms. I co-authored an
article in 2000 with Dr. Naomi Levy in "Psychiatric Times" addressing this
very issue. There is a ton of new research since then so I encourage this lady to
find a supportive HCP to see her through this difficult time. (Do a medline
search or contact the Center for Breastfeeding Information at La Leche League.
Tom Hale is another excellent resource for drug information.)
My colleague in Illinois and I worked with a patient about two years ago that
was admitted to outpatient pyschiatric unit with severe PPD and she did not
want to quit breastfeeding. Through our many contacts with her from birth to
the hospitalization, she repeatedly stated that "this is the only thing I feel
like I can do for my baby when I feel this way." This was her third child and
her others were nursed for more than a year so she felt very strongly about
this. We were able to get her an electric pump for her room and she was able to
nurse the baby when family visits were allowed. She resumed breastfeeding only
after she went home and went on to nurse more than one year with this little
one.
Mary Kay Smith, RN, IBCLC
Canton MI

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