If planning to donate breastmilk after being administered anesthesia, please consult with a healthcare provider for clearance and disclose this information to the recipient.
Older research on anesthetic agents indicates that a single use of anesthesia medication is nearly undetectable in breastmilk. Once someone is awake enough after the procedure to nurse a baby, there is very little anesthesia medication left to have any effect.1
More specific studies on breastfeeding outcomes for breastfeeding parents after surgical anesthesia is needed. Prolonged fasting times, frequent expression, or breastfeeding in the immediate perioperative period need to be more rigorously explored in controlled settings. Breastfeeding-friendly policies in hospitals and outpatient surgery centers should be prioritized. Much of the literature on systemic opioid use during labor, especially fentanyl and remifentanil, does not include breastfeeding outcomes. A more comprehensive evaluation of common postpartum opioids postdelivery and their occurrence in breastmilk is also needed.2 3 4 5
Please also see General Information on Medication.
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- O. Spigset. 1994. Anaesthetic agents and excretion in breastmilk
↩︎ - Erin Martin, et al, Breastfeeding Medicine. 2018. ABM’s Protocol #15 Peripartum Analgesia and Anesthesia for the Breastfeeding Mother ↩︎
- Medindia – Drugs used for general anesthesia ↩︎
- Medindia – Drugs used for spinals and epidurals ↩︎
- Deborah Anderson. Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health. 2011. A review of systemic opioids commonly used for labor pain relief
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