Essential Reads: Breastfeeding and ADHD Medications
Many women taking stimulants question whether it is safe to take these medications while breastfeeding.
Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex: Recognizing a Poorly Understood Breastfeeding Challenge
Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex causes brief, intense waves of dysphoria at milk letdown, often misinterpreted as postpartum depression, and can undermine breastfeeding and maternal well-being.
Are Women More Vulnerable to Depression After Weaning?
Weaning can be an emotionally charged transition, and for some women it may trigger depression. However, research on post-weaning depression is relatively sparse.
Breastfeeding and Maternal Mood: Exploring a Complex, Bidirectional Relationship
The relationship between breastfeeding and postpartum depression is complex and bidirectional, with each influencing the other through biological, psychological, and social factors.
Zuranolone and Breastfeeding: Emerging Data and Clinical Implications
Treatment with zuranolone, a novel oral antidepressant for postpartum depression, raises important questions for breastfeeding individuals. While recent studies show minimal transfer into breast milk, we do not yet have enough information to recommend breastfeeding while taking zuranolone.
Balancing Risks and Benefits: Making Well-Informed Decisions About Medications and Breastfeeding
An individualized, collaborative approach to decision-making helps mothers navigate complex choices with confidence, ensuring the well-being of their child, while attending to their own mental health.
Breastfeeding Difficulties: How Can We Help New Moms?
For new moms, breastfeeding is often more difficult than anticipated. In fact, feeding challenges are actually the norm, not the exception.
New Episode of So Glad You Asked: Breastfeeding Choices and Challenges
There are so many opinions about infant feeding - and it may seem like there is a single “right” way to feed your baby.
Essential Reads: Lithium and Breastfeeding (2024)
Because women with bipolar disorder are at high risk for relapse during the postpartum period, we typically recommend that women continue treatment with lithium throughout the postpartum period. While this intervention clearly decreases risk for postpartum psychiatric illness, the use of lithium while breastfeeding presents certain challenges.
You Asked: Is St John’s Wort Safe for Breastfeeding Women?
There is little published data on the use of St. John's wort during breastfeeding and because we lack data, we would typically recommend using a conventional antidepressant, such as an SSRI or SNRI.