Opioid Analgesia for Breastfeeding Mothers

Abstract

(BMJ. 2023;380:p514) Both pain management for mothers following delivery and breastfeeding are things that health care professionals often encourage. Historically, codeine was a common opioid prescribed for postpartum pain. This decreased significantly after an infant death was seemingly caused by maternal codeine-paracetamol use while breastfeeding. While that case was debunked, there is again rising concern about how the use of opioids by mothers following delivery affects breastfeeding infants.