Exact Answer: 1 to 2 hours
Are you a breastfeeding mother who frequently experiences headaches or pain? Have you ever taken aspirin for a fever or a bodily ache, but are unsure if it’s okay to do so while breastfeeding? Do you want to know if you should take aspirin or not? Are you not aware of the time you have to wait after taking Asprin and before breastfeeding?
Summary
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, keep reading to learn about some of the potentially fatal adverse effects of aspirin while breastfeeding. We go over the many health risks of giving aspirin to your infant and how it impacts your child in great detail.
How Long After Taking Aspirin Can I Breastfeed?
Dose | Duration to wait |
Low dose | 1 to 2 hours |
High Dose | Should not be taken |
Many individuals believe that taking a modest amount of aspirin on occasion, even while breastfeeding, is acceptable because the consequences of uncommon aspirin use may not be hazardous to your infant. However, if medical professionals are to be believed, it is always better to be safe than sorry when breastfeeding. It’s safer to avoid aspirin while you’re still nursing your infant.
Aspirin is a pain reliever that can aid with pain, inflammation, and even fever. Even though aspirin should be spared while breastfeeding, some doctors feel that low-dose aspirin might be utilized as an antiplatelet medicine in breastfeeding mothers. Avoiding breastfeeding for 1 to 2 hours after a dosage of low-dose aspirin may reduce the risk of antiplatelet effects in the newborn.
When aspirin is used as an antiplatelet drug, no adverse events have been reported in newborns exposed to it through breast milk. However, there is a scarcity of data on the use of aspirin when breastfeeding, therefore it should be taken with caution. Infants who have been exposed to aspirin through breast milk should be examined for the same side effects as children who have been exposed to aspirin directly.
After taking aspirin, salicylic acid is secreted in breast milk, with larger dosages resulting in proportionately higher milk levels. One breastfed infant developed metabolic acidosis as a result of long-term, high-dose maternal aspirin consumption.
Even if it is related to Reye’s Syndrome when we give aspirin to babies having viral kinds of infections, the knowledge of its risk in breast milk from Salicylate is unknown. Continuous high-dose aspirin therapy is preferable over alternative medication.
Why wait that long to breastfeed after taking Asprin?
If you use aspirin while nursing, your infant may be exposed to the following health concerns. Aspirin is commonly used by pregnant and lactating mothers because it contains antipyretic and anti-inflammatory qualities. However, no evidence of its transfer into human milk when given at a low dose has been found.
However, it is never a good idea to breastfeed just after taking medicine. Even in little doses, it might cause problems in your health. As a result, it’s best to wait at least 2-3 hours. Even in little quantities, aspirin can cause your breast milk to behave as an anti-platelet medicine for your kid. This implies that it will be difficult for your baby’s blood to clot as easily as it should, which can be a very hazardous and even life-threatening health issue for infants.
Chemicals Used
The salicylic acid in aspirin is secreted in your breast milk after you consume it. If you take greater doses of aspirin, your breast milk will eventually accumulate more salicylic acid. Metabolic acidosis is one of the most common side effects of consuming salicylic acid-containing breast milk. It’s a disorder in which the children’s body’s acid levels are excessively high. As a result, the chemical interactions that aid in the proper functioning of your baby’s body are interrupted. This can lead to organ failure and be life-threatening in severe circumstances.
Health Issues
Thrombocytopenia is another significant health complication that might affect your infant if you use aspirin while breastfeeding. This is an extremely hazardous disorder in which your baby’s blood lacks platelets, which are the cells that help the blood clot.
While this isn’t life-threatening, it can nevertheless have a significant negative impact on a baby’s health. If your infant has thrombocytopenia, it might cause difficulty with healthy weight gain and feeding, and he or she may become underweight and malnourished.
Conclusion
Because there are so many health hazards involved with taking aspirin while nursing, it’s best to avoid it entirely. While taking aspirin in modest quantities may not have an immediate effect on your baby, it’s always a good idea to explore other options.
Furthermore, if you take the medicine in a very tiny amount, it may not have the desired impact, prompting you to increase the dosage. Instead, you can seek out safer options for treating your pain, inflammation, and edema. Consult your doctor to determine which pain relievers and medications are safe to use while breastfeeding.
While paracetamol and ibuprofen are generally regarded safe, consult your doctor before using them.If you have no other choice and must take aspirin while breastfeeding, do it immediately afterward to ensure that the milk reaches your baby after a period of time has passed.
References
Sandeep Bhandari is the founder of ExactlyHowLong.com website.
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