I would probably want to wait as long as tolerable after the birth to
undergo surgery, just to ensure that breastfeeding and supply were off to a
good start.

As Gonneke advised, mom should be able to nurse (or pump, if baby not
"available") as soon as she feels up to it post-op.  Meds used during
anesthesia (except a few given at the end) are out of the bloodstream upon
emergence -- partly how they work. :)  The amount of narcotics given at the
end and immediately post-op is generally not enough to be of concern.

Some surgeons allow patients to go home the same day after a lap chole, and
this might be a situation where that would be best, as long as mom had help
at home for herself and the baby for the first few days.   That way she
could forgo dealing with pumping at night or having someone stay with her
and her baby overnight in the hospital (if even allowed -- I know some
institutions wouldn't allow that, especially if baby was a tiny newborn).

The amount of pain experienced afterwards seems to be highly variable, and
most people I see in the PACU complain that referred pain to the right
shoulder and upper back is the worst -- it's usually from diaphragmatic
irritation from the CO2 insufflation used to inflate the belly.  Depending
on how bad that is, it could make positioning more difficult.  Might be a
good idea for mom to experiment with different positions and angles, etc
prior to the surgery so that she and baby feel comfortable if they need to
change things up from their usual.

Good luck to this mom!

-Sarah  (anesthesiologist in training; yesterday finished up a lap chole
case where the surgeons used a neat technique and only made a single 1.5
inch incision right at the belly button!)

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