How long after taking local anesthetic can I breastfeed?

For breastfeeding women, if they need to treat a certain disease and need local anesthesia, they will worry that the anesthetic will affect the quality of breast milk. In fact, under normal circumstances, the metabolism of anesthetics is very fast. You can breastfeed six hours after the anesthesia. During this period, you can squeeze out the milk. In addition, drinking more water and resting more will not cause any side effects.

Is it true that there will be anesthetic residue in the breast milk of mothers who have undergone caesarean section?

Nowadays, epidural anesthesia is usually used for women who undergo cesarean section, and the anesthesia used is a combination of local anesthesia and enhanced anesthesia. Therefore, the drug properties will not affect the chest, and the dosage of the anesthetic does not reach the level that will affect breast milk. By the time the mother wakes up and can move her limbs, the anesthetic has been almost metabolized. Therefore, there is no problem in letting the baby suck the nipple half an hour after delivery. Therefore, there will be no residue of anesthetic used for caesarean section in breast milk.

Half an hour after the baby is born, the sucking ability is the strongest, and it is also the best time for the baby to suck milk. Moreover, colostrum contains the richest immunoglobulin. Letting the baby suck breast milk at this time can stimulate milk secretion very well.

What is the correct position for breastfeeding after cesarean section?

The initial correct breastfeeding posture is more significant in that it allows the baby to suck the nipple effectively, thereby promoting the milk ejection reflex and the secretion of prolactin, and allowing the baby to adapt to and get used to the mother's nipple; the correct and comfortable body position and the baby's correct breastfeeding posture can also enhance the mother's confidence in breastfeeding, thereby achieving a virtuous circle and making the milk more abundant.

However, due to the special reasons of caesarean section, it is generally not recommended to adopt the "horizontal holding" breastfeeding position. The following two breastfeeding positions are recommended, which are beneficial for both the baby and the mother.

Mothers who had caesarean section should not blindly induce lactation

Although cesarean section does not affect breastfeeding, obstetricians remind mothers who have undergone cesarean section not to blindly induce lactation. Many people believe that mothers who have undergone caesarean section should be given nutritional supplements and drink large amounts of milk-inducing soup, but this practice is absolutely not advisable. This is because almost all first-time mothers face the problem of blocked milk ducts at the beginning. If they blindly induce lactation at this time, the milk production will increase, but the baby cannot suck it in time, so it will only make the breasts more swollen and painful. At the same time, mothers should not overeat after giving birth, as this can easily lead to the onset of acute gastroenteritis or cholecystitis.