Medications for patients who are lactating and breastfeeding: a decision tree
Joy Noel-Weiss, Susan Lepine
Open Med. 2014; 8(3): e102–e104.
Breastfeeding rates have increased dramatically in Canada, from lows in 1963 (38%) and 1973 (36%) to current national initiation rates averaging 89%. About 22% of breastfed children continue nursing after 9 months of age. Canada's Infant Feeding Joint Working Group has stated that "Breastfeeding— exclusively for the first six months, and continued for up to two years or longer with appropriate complementary feeding—is important for the nutrition, immunologic protection, growth, and development of infants and toddlers." Breastfeeding also has benefits for patients, and the benefits for both patient and child are dose related (i.e., the benefits increase with increased breastfeeding). With higher rates of breastfeeding initiation and duration and with the recommendation to continue breastfeeding for 2 years or longer, lactating and breastfeeding patients are increasingly seen in many areas of health care, including emergency departments, radiology suites, surgical departments, and other nonobstetric settings.