Drugs in Breast Milk

Abstract

Most drugs appear in breast milk in very small and safe amounts. The obstetric care provider evaluates drug transfer most commonly in the peripartum period, postpartum hospitalization; and they are often consulted when the new mother has a subsequent need for drug therapy. The chapter provides the foundations for the safest decisions for the mother and her breastfed infant. The foundation of safe decisions is accomplished through a review of the physiology of lactation, the lactation pharmacology, and the specific pharmacology and infant safety of drugs common to everyday obstetric practice.