Do Breastfeeding Mothers Under Medication Affect Their Newborn?

The effect of maternal antibiotic use on infant health is studied at the University Of California San Diego School Of Medicine. About 70% of breastfeeding mothers are under some form of medication and among that 90% of the medications are not labeled properly for pregnant or lactating women. This indicates that the drugs are taken “off-label” or they are not approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Most of the medication consumed by pregnant mothers will contain antibiotics (to treat various infections) and its effect on child development through breast milk exposure is not known. Human milk plays a vital role at the interface of maternal and infant health. The study was done from the data collected from basic and data scientists, pharmacologists and clinical researchers.

According to Lars Bode- professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine “Antibiotic resistance is a huge emerging problem,: “We have learned so much in recent years about the many benefits of breastfeeding for both the infant and the mother. Infants who receive human milk have fewer infections and are also less likely to become obese or suffer from allergies later in life. Women who breastfeed are less likely to develop breast or ovarian cancer. So ideally, we don’t want physicians to have to make that recommendation to stop breastfeeding simply because of a gap in knowledge.”

Researchers say that pregnant and breastfeeding women are protected in the drug development process and more research is needed to protect the infant's health due to the exposure to antibiotics.

The study is funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH) and was conducted by three institutions; UC San Diego joins Vanderbilt University, Indiana University and Ohio State University to form the new Maternal and Pediatric Precision in Therapeutics (MPRINT).

Source-Medindia