Breastfeeding After Tummy Tuck. Is It Possible? How Long of Pumping/dumping Until Meds out of System?

While it is best to check with your physicians, it should be safe to pump as soon as you are awake and alert from anesthesia. Women begin breastfeeding immediately after cesarean sections, and infants are routinely treated with both anesthetics and narcotics. If you prefer to avoid exposing your baby, then pump enough milk before surgery to last for 7-10 days. 

The first step is to start pumping pre-op so that you have a reserve of breast milk to give your baby while you are on the pain medicine post-op.  The second step is to pump and dump during your recovery.  I would not resume breastfeeding however until cleared by your OB/GYN or your baby's pediatrician.  Good luck.

   After you have discontinued medications after the tummy tuck, you may breast feed after a few days.  Breast pumping can be done in the interim period.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

There is no specific contraindication to breast feeding after a tummy tuck.  You will most certainly be on narcotics during and after surgery for a tummy tuck.  As a result, you should avoid breast feeding during this period.  Perhaps you should consider delaying your procedure until you are completely finished breast feeding since it appears to be an important priority.  All the best.

You should get instructions from your ob-gyn on how to work this out. You will be on pain medicine probably for about a week after surgery and don't want to breast feed during this time. But the pump and dump method ( never heard that term, but I like it!) should work fine until you are off all meds.

Hello  You may want to store some bottles with pumping prior to surgery.  There is no exact answer but I definitely would not advocate breast feeding for the first few days after surgery And while you are on pain medications so it could end up being a few weeks...

Discuss with your pediatrician as to how long the pain meds are present in the milk. Another source of info would be La Leche league. 

You may be able to shorten the number of days during which you need pain meds by asking your surgeon about using a long term (three day) local anesthetic either with injection of a long acting agent (Exparel) or use of a pain pump. If you have less pain the first three days, your medication needs will be less even after they are finished. 

All the best. 

While you can breast feed right up to the day before surgery, it is not going to be advised to do so for a week or two after surgery. There will be drugs in your system that you do not want to pass onto to your baby and you will be having enough issues recovering on your own. I would advise to pump and store enough milk for this duration beforehand. I would not breast feed until you are off oral pain medicine for a few days which may be a week or two after surgery. 

Personally I would avoid interfering with your breast feeding and wait until your schedule was more flexible and you didn't have the mommy obligations that you do right now.  This is major surgery and the recovery is not always easy.  I don't think there are any contraindications but you should plan to have lots of help in case you need it.

Thank you for the question. Your selected  plastic surgeon will be in the best position to advise you precisely, but I would suggest that you not breast-feed for at least a few weeks after the tummy talk procedure. Undoubtedly, you will have residual anesthesia and postoperative medications that you do not want to “transfer” to your infant.  If feasible, you may wish to store a supply prior to the tummy tuck procedure.

 You should be able to sit up after surgery to “pump/dump".

 Best wishes.