Breastfeeding & Mild Asthma Treatment

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant's life. That sounds good in theory, but if you're a mother with asthma and have to take regular asthma medication, you may wonder how that affects your ability to breastfeed. You don't want something that's supposed to be good for your baby to become something harmful, by passing your medication through your milk to your baby. You can relax, however--in most cases, you have nothing to fear.

Misconceptions

The medical community has been careful to make sure nursing mothers understand the potential dangers of taking certain medications while breastfeeding. This has led to a general misunderstanding that any medication a mother takes will be passed through her breast milk to her baby and cause harm. In reality, many medications aren't easily absorbed orally and pose little threat to a breastfeeding infant. Most asthma medications fall into this category. Of course, you should make sure your doctor knows you're breastfeeding before you agree to any medication he recommends.

Types

Most asthma medications fall into one of two categories--inhaled steroids or oral steroids. Inhaled steroid use by a mother poses no risk to a breastfed infant. Of the inhaled steroids, fluticasone may be the safest for use during breastfeeding. Oral steroids, such as prednisone or prednisolone, are fairly safe for short-term use during breastfeeding. If you need to use an oral steroid at doses over 20 milligrams, prednisolone is the safer choice.

Time Frame

If you're worried about the possible effects of your medication on your baby, you can decrease your risk of passing medication on by timing your doses around your baby's feeding schedule. If you need to take an oral steroid, take it four hours before your baby's next feeding. You could try dosing yourself immediately after a feeding to maximize the time between the medication entering your bloodstream and your baby's feeding.

Benefits

The benefits of breastfeeding during the critical first six months of life outweigh the minimal dangers associated with asthma medication. Babies who are exclusively breastfed for the first six months experience fewer ear infections, fewer allergies, stronger immune systems, increased cognitive ability and healthier weight gain than formula-fed babies.

Theories/Speculation

A 2007 study published by the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine shows a possible link between long-term breastfeeding by mothers with asthma and increased risk of asthma for the breastfed infant later in life. The risk is still considered theoretical, and it only appeared in children who were breastfed longer than four months. If you have asthma, you may want to consider introducing formula after the first four months of breastfeeding.