Surgery / Breastfeeding Advice

[jaynemouse]

I mostly lurked on the old board and I feel weird coming here just to ask for advice. But I don't know who else to go to and I'd rather get opinions from people I "know."

Back in 2011 a stone was found in my right kidney. Since I was pregnant with DS2, it was left alone. When I went for a follow-up when he was about a year old, I was told everything was fine, nothing to worry about. I took that to mean the stone had passed.

When I was about 3-4 months pregnant with DS3, I started having kidney pain again. Turns out the stone was still there. We were planning on leaving it alone until later this year but I started having problems again about a week ago. Since the stone is over 2cm and in a strange area it will have to be removed through my back. The surgery is scheduled for early April, provided I don't get worse before then.

DS3 will be just shy of 6 months old. Even though the surgery is months away, I'm freaking out because:

1. He is breastfed and I'm worried about losing my supply during surgery and recovery
2. I cannot easily leave milk for him because I have excess lipase so any milk has to be scalded/frozen to leave it.
3. I've never been away from any of my kids overnight

I'm hoping to push to be discharged the same day rather than having to stay overnight but I know it's out of my control.

What would you do?

[theresat858]

If you need the surgery, you should have the surgery. Scalding milk is a bit of a PITA, but it is not impossible. This page has a good overview of how one mom did it while she was working:

sdbfc.com/blog/2012/9/4/battling-and-resolving-excess-lipase-in-breastmilk.html#.VM_N8SyHj6g

As for the surgery itself, I will share my experience with a different surgery when DD1 was 6 months old.

Your doctors may tell you that you need to pump and dump for 24 hours after surgery. Generally, this is not actually necessary. by the time you are awake enough after surgery to pump, the anesthesia is out of your system enough to safely breastfeed and/or pump and keep the milk. You can call the infant risk hotline at (806)-352-2519 for specifics on any particular medications if you can get the names from the doctor. Ask for pain medications that are BF-friendly (there are options).

Make sure everyone at the hospital knows that you are a breastfeeding mother. Bring your pump with you, and ask for a space to pump immediately prior to the surgery (my surgery was scheduled for 3 and I was able to pump at 2:30 in a borrowed office in the surgery center). After that, it may be some time before you are coherent enough to pump again -- and your boobs will get engorged if your experience is anything like mine. For me, it was a span of about 7 hours. I had DH come to help me hook up the pump after the surgery, but a nurse could also help. I let myself sleep more than usual that night but pumped again after 5 hours and again in the morning, and throughout the day as usual. I went home the next day and nursed DD1 after she got home from daycare.

I had an overnight stay and it wasn't bad. DH took care of the baby. If you have others around to help out, that could be helpful too if you have more than 1 child.

Your supply should be fine/recover quickly if you are able to pump and/or nurse as usual post-surgery.

[crawford411]

I work as an NP in a surgery center and I wanted to reassure you that you probably won't be out for 7 hours. Usually, you can pump just before surgery. The lithotomy intself takes about 2 hours (plus about 30 min for setup and anesthesia) at most, then 1 hour in recovery. You will probably be away from baby for 4 hours total. We do not allow kids in our preop area, but in special circumstances, they may allow you to have a private room where the baby can stay with you before or at least after surgery. I would talk to the surgery center in advance about this if possible. If you'd prefer keep baby at home, you can request a hospital grade breast pump ib advance to use if you'd like. Again, call the surgery center in advance.

[jaynemouse]

Thank you for the advice/information.

I do currently scald breastmilk and freeze it. He gets 2 bottles a day while I'm working. Each bottle is 1/2 "old" milk and 1/2 fresh pumped. I worry how he'll do drinking all "old" milk for a day or more while I'm at the hospital.

I guess I'm worrying too much about something that is almost two months away. A lot can change by then. Hopefully everything will be in my favor and LO will take the milk without issue and the surgery will go so well they'll discharge me the same day instead of keeping me overnight!

[Deleted]

When I had a post partum infection and had a d&c I had baby with me as much as possible and then pumped and sent milk home to baby. A good friend stopped by the hospital and picked up milk and delivered it home to baby while dh stayed with me at the hospital so check that out as an option. If you tell them how to scald the milk they could take the milk home And if it's not used in time they could scald it for you if you show them how ahead of time.

If you do have an overnight stay ask if you can do your recovery on the post partum floor so you'll have more ready access to nurses wit experience with pumping and of your meds are bfing compatible to help you out. Sometimes that helps. And definitely tell them you need to use the hospital pump while you are there.

It will be ok. Moms go thru surgeries all the time and it usually doesn't mess up breastfeeding as long as you go in yelling everyone that you are a breastfeeding mother and plan to stay that way lol

[crawford411]

Feb 6, 2015 11:48:51 GMT -5 @amyg said:

When I had a post partum infection and had a d&c I had baby with me as much as possible and then pumped and sent milk home to baby. A good friend stopped by the hospital and picked up milk and delivered it home to baby while dh stayed with me at the hospital so check that out as an option. If you tell them how to scald the milk they could take the milk home And if it's not used in time they could scald it for you if you show them how ahead of time.

If you do have an overnight stay ask if you can do your recovery on the post partum floor so you'll have more ready access to nurses wit experience with pumping and of your meds are bfing compatible to help you out. Sometimes that helps. And definitely tell them you need to use the hospital pump while you are there.

It will be ok. Moms go thru surgeries all the time and it usually doesn't mess up breastfeeding as long as you go in yelling everyone that you are a breastfeeding mother and plan to stay that way lol

Glad you're back @amyg! You have the best advice!