Wait. You wanted to nurse twins? Yes, I wanted to nurse my twins.
I feel blessed I was able to nurse my first daughter until she was 23 months, I did not have RA then. I knew being a mom with RA that it might not be possible to nurse the twins, or I might only be able to nurse for a short time. I set about doing my research early in the pregnancy. Where there's a will there's a way, sometimes. I found mom's online who had chosen to nurse on Enbrel and Humira or by waiting to go back on any medications. I spoke with several lactation consultants and read what Dr. Hale had to say about Enbrel, Remicade and Humira. I talked to my rheumatologist and the babies' pediatrician. The ultimate answer after talking to all those experts was I had to decide for myself with very little scientific research to base my decision on.
While most people think it's probably safe to nurse while on Humira, nobody is willing to say it is definitely safe. It is not safe to nurse while taking methotrexate. One can nurse on low doses of prednisone and motrin. I took all the information I had gathered from every source and much to my rheumatologist's dismay, decided I would try to make it 6 months nursing the twins.
I stayed off the Humira as long as I could, which was about 6 weeks. I was able to stay off the methotrexate for 8 months. Eventually there were just too many bad days but I am glad I made the decision to nurse them for what ended up being 7.5 months. I am thankful having RA did not take away the opportunity for me to do something I consider so important.
Posted by
Jennie
on
January 31, 2008 at 11:55 AM
Categories:
Breastfeeding,
Health Decisions
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2 comments:
So, you were on the Humira while nursing? Were you worried that it would pass to the twins?
Hi Christine - I did a lot of research and talked to other women who have breastfed while on one of the biologics, lactation consultants, consulted Dr. Thomas Hale's book on Medication and Mothers Milk and talked to my pediatrician and my rheumatologist.
The short answer is that because of the molecular size and type of medication it's unlikely that it gets into breastmilk. My rheumatologist wasn't thrilled but had other moms who had breastfed on Humira and he was understanding.
The benefits of breastmilk to the infants immune system was a big motivator for me to breastfeed, even if it meant delaying going back on methotrexate (can't breastfeed on mtx). There are risks of infant formula too though they aren't widely publicized they are well established through research, and compared to the risks of breastfeeding on Humira I felt it was the best option I had. My twins started on formula at 7.5 months which I felt was a good compromise between my health and theirs.
Though yes, I did worry as we all worry about how our choices affect our children. It wasn't a decision I took lightly or made quickly, and it wasn't easy.
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