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How long should I wait to breastfeed after taking aspirin?

Understanding Aspirin Use While Breastfeeding
When it comes to breastfeeding after taking aspirin, timing is crucial for ensuring the safety of your infant. Aspirin, known for its pain-relieving properties, can pass into breast milk, and the timing of breastfeeding after ingestion can help mitigate any potential risks.
Recommended Waiting Period
Experts generally recommend waiting 2 to 3 hours after taking aspirin before resuming breastfeeding. This timeframe allows for the clearance of aspirin from breast milk, significantly reducing the risk of exposure to the infant. For mothers who take low-dose aspirin, it is advisable to wait 1 to 2 hours to minimize any potential antiplatelet effects that could affect the baby.
Considerations for Dosage
The dosage of aspirin plays a critical role in determining how long one should wait. Higher doses of aspirin can lead to disproportionately higher levels of salicylic acid in breast milk, which may pose a greater risk to the infant. In cases of long-term, high-dose maternal aspirin use, there have been reports of adverse effects, including metabolic acidosis in breastfed infants. Therefore, if a mother has taken a higher dose, it may be prudent to extend the waiting period beyond the standard 2 to 3 hours.
Safety and Recommendations
While salicylate toxicity from occasional aspirin use during breastfeeding is rare, caution is always advised. The American Academy of Pediatrics has classified aspirin as a medication that should be used with care during lactation, particularly due to the risk of Reye’s syndrome, a serious condition associated with aspirin use in children.
In summary, if you have taken aspirin, waiting 2 to 3 hours before breastfeeding is generally safe, with a shorter wait of 1 to 2 hours recommended for low doses. Always consult with a healthcare provider for personalized advice, especially if you are on a higher dosage or have concerns about your infant’s health.

What does aspirin do in pregnancy?

Low-dose aspirin has been used during pregnancy most commonly to prevent or delay the onset of preeclampsia. Other suggested indications for low-dose aspirin have included prevention of stillbirth, fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, and early pregnancy loss.

How does aspirin affect baby?

During the first trimester, higher doses of aspirin may raise the risk of pregnancy loss. Taking a high dose also could raise the risk of a baby having medical conditions present at birth, called congenital defects.

When should I start taking aspirin to prevent miscarriage?

If low dose aspirin has been recommended, you should start taking it before 16 weeks in order to get the most benefit.

How long does it take for a baby aspirin to get out of your system?

The plasma half-life of aspirin is only 20 minutes; however, because platelets cannot generate new COX, the effects of aspirin last for the duration of the life of the platelet (≈10 days). After a single dose of aspirin, platelet COX activity recovers by ≈10% per day as a function of platelet turnover.

When should I stop taking aspirin before delivery?

However, aspirin might be associated with an increased risk of peripartum bleeding, which could be mitigated by discontinuing aspirin before term (37 weeks of gestation) and by an accurate selection of individuals at higher risk of preeclampsia in the first trimester of pregnancy.

How long after taking aspirin is it safe to breastfeed?

A brief wait of 2-3 hours after administration would virtually eliminate all aspirin transfer to milk. We do recommend if the infant has a known viral illness such as the flu or chickenpox to wait 24 hours after a dose or do not take the aspirin product. I hope this helps. Thanks, Sandra Lovato RN.

How long do you have to wait to breastfeed after taking a pain pill?

The amount that transfers into breast milk is 2.2-3.7% of your dose. We think short term use is probably ok if you do not exceed 40mg in 24 hours. We recommend taking the medication after nursing so you have a break before nursing again as the medication peaks in the breast milk in the first 2 hours after taking it.

Does aspirin affect babies?

Taking higher doses of aspirin may have risks depending on the stage of pregnancy: First trimester. During the first trimester, higher doses of aspirin may raise the risk of pregnancy loss. Taking a high dose also could raise the risk of a baby having medical conditions present at birth, called congenital defects.

How long does aspirin stay in the system?

If you decide to stop, make sure you are staying well hydrated and do not get dehydrated. Aspirin has a very long half life. No point stopping a day or 2 before. The half life is 5 days, so after 10 days you still have 25% of the power of Aspirin left in your blood.

How long until aspirin wears off?

The antiplatelet effects of aspirin disappeared 96 hours after aspirin withdrawal in our study, and dental extractions may be safely performed in this period when appropriate local hemostatic measures are taken.

Natasha Lunn

Tash is an IBCLC and Business Coach helping fellow IBCLCs create fun, profitable businesses that are more than just an expensive hobby. Before becoming an IBCLC and starting her private practice - The Boobala, Tash graduated as an Osteopath in 2008 and has been in Private Practice in South West Sydney. She was also a volunteer Breastfeeding Counsellor and Community Educator with the Australian Breastfeeding Association for 6 years. Through her business, Your Lactation Biz, Tash coaches and creates products to help new and seasoned IBCLCs build businesses that suit their personality and lifestyle.

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