I’m a 35yrs old woman and I’m interested in doing a Tummy tuck but I am currently still breastfeeding my 17mth old. I know that after the procedure I can’t breastfeed but do I need to stop before and if I do how long prior to doing the procedure?
IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO ESTABLISH WHAT PROCEDURE WOULD BE BEST SUITED FOR YOU FIRST. A TUMMY TUCK MAY NOT BE THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR YOU. THERE MIGHT EVEN BE A NON-SURGICAL WAY OF ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS. IN OTHER WORDS, YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT ANY POSSIBLE RESTRICTIONS, AND/OR HOW YOUR BREAST FEEDING MIGHT BE AFFECTED REALLY DEPENDS ON WHAT PROCEDURE IS CHOSEN AND THAT IS SOMETHING SIMPLY NOT YET DECIDED. THE KEY FACTOR FOR BREAST FEEDING HAS TO DO WITH MEDICATIONS BEING IN YOUR SYSTEM THAT COULD BE SECRETED INTO YOUR BREAST MILK. FOR SOME PROCEDURES (LIKE A TUMMY TUCK), THAT COULD MEAN THE NEED TO AVOID BREAST FEEDING FOR MANY WEEKS. FOR OTHERS (LIKE LIPOSUCTION), POSSIBLY ONLY DAYS. YOUR NEXT STEP SHOULD BE A PRIVATE, IN-DEPTH PERSONAL CONSULTATION WITH A BOARD CERTIFIED PLASTIC SURGEON.
It’s best to wait until after you have stopped breast feeding to consider a tummy tuck or any other major elective surgical procedure since hormonal changes that occur while breast feeding may affect your healing.
It’s best to wait until after you have stopped breast feeding to consider a tummy tuck or any other major elective surgical procedure since hormonal changes that occur while breast feeding may affect your healing.
Dr. Michelle Copeland MD, FACS
New York City
(212) 452-2200
I would strongly advise you to stop breastfeeding before the surgery. All of the drugs used for the anesthesia and post op pain would cross into the milk and not be good for your child. I guess if you really wanted to nurse for an extended period of time, you could pump and discard until you were off all medications and then resume breast feeding. There is no exact time you would have to stop before having the procedure.
A tummy tuck generally requires general anesthesia and is a major operation. And the anesthetic drugs do appear in your breast milk, which would affect your baby. You have been breast feeding for 17 months — it’s probably time that your baby was weaned from the breast.
The operation is also a major procedure. Seriously, it takes the starch out of you for a week or two. On the other hand, breast feeding is one of the best ways to lose weight — it uses up lots of calories.
There is no definitive answer to your question. You can continue to breast feed as long as you wish — but eventually you will stop and THAT is the time to consider the tummy tuck — when you are at your lowest and most stable weight.
Good luck!
Elliot W. Jacobs, MD, FACS
New York City
(212) 570 6080
0 Answers
Dr. Lyle Back wrote on :
IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO ESTABLISH WHAT PROCEDURE WOULD BE BEST SUITED FOR YOU FIRST. A TUMMY TUCK MAY NOT BE THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR YOU. THERE MIGHT EVEN BE A NON-SURGICAL WAY OF ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS. IN OTHER WORDS, YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT ANY POSSIBLE RESTRICTIONS, AND/OR HOW YOUR BREAST FEEDING MIGHT BE AFFECTED REALLY DEPENDS ON WHAT PROCEDURE IS CHOSEN AND THAT IS SOMETHING SIMPLY NOT YET DECIDED. THE KEY FACTOR FOR BREAST FEEDING HAS TO DO WITH MEDICATIONS BEING IN YOUR SYSTEM THAT COULD BE SECRETED INTO YOUR BREAST MILK. FOR SOME PROCEDURES (LIKE A TUMMY TUCK), THAT COULD MEAN THE NEED TO AVOID BREAST FEEDING FOR MANY WEEKS. FOR OTHERS (LIKE LIPOSUCTION), POSSIBLY ONLY DAYS. YOUR NEXT STEP SHOULD BE A PRIVATE, IN-DEPTH PERSONAL CONSULTATION WITH A BOARD CERTIFIED PLASTIC SURGEON.
Dr. Michelle Copeland wrote on :
It’s best to wait until after you have stopped breast feeding to consider a tummy tuck or any other major elective surgical procedure since hormonal changes that occur while breast feeding may affect your healing.
Dr. Michelle Copeland wrote on :
It’s best to wait until after you have stopped breast feeding to consider a tummy tuck or any other major elective surgical procedure since hormonal changes that occur while breast feeding may affect your healing.
Dr. Michelle Copeland MD, FACS
New York City
(212) 452-2200
Dr. William Rosenblatt wrote on :
I would strongly advise you to stop breastfeeding before the surgery. All of the drugs used for the anesthesia and post op pain would cross into the milk and not be good for your child. I guess if you really wanted to nurse for an extended period of time, you could pump and discard until you were off all medications and then resume breast feeding. There is no exact time you would have to stop before having the procedure.
Dr. Elliot Jacobs wrote on :
A tummy tuck generally requires general anesthesia and is a major operation. And the anesthetic drugs do appear in your breast milk, which would affect your baby. You have been breast feeding for 17 months — it’s probably time that your baby was weaned from the breast.
The operation is also a major procedure. Seriously, it takes the starch out of you for a week or two. On the other hand, breast feeding is one of the best ways to lose weight — it uses up lots of calories.
There is no definitive answer to your question. You can continue to breast feed as long as you wish — but eventually you will stop and THAT is the time to consider the tummy tuck — when you are at your lowest and most stable weight.
Good luck!
Elliot W. Jacobs, MD, FACS
New York City
(212) 570 6080