Crohn's Disease & Motherhood: Tips for Breastfeeding (Nursing or Pumping) During Infusions

Before becoming a new mom, I knew my Crohn’s disease and the medication I take for it could impact my ability to breastfeed. I wrote here about the questions I asked my medical team before deciding to try it, and here about the nutrition tips I learned to balance my diet while breastfeeding.

As an IBD mom on IV infusion therapy (Remicade), I learned very quickly that during my first infusions post-delivery, there was a good chance my daughter would also need to eat! This made me concerned about logistics and practicality, but after a few experiences, I feel like I’ve become a little bit of an expert!

Normally, I spend about 4-5 hours at my infusion center on treatment days. I arrive, they take my weight and vitals, they access my surgical port, I receive pre-meds, ½ a liter of fluid, and then my Remicade runs for 2.5 hours. My first infusion after delivery was scheduled for the day after I was due, but my daughter surprised us a month early! This meant, she was 4 weeks old and eating about every 2 hours during my first postpartum infusion. If you’ve had a newborn, you know it’s impossible to guess what time they’ll be hungry or how long they’ll go between feeds, so I knew I needed to be prepared for anything!

IV hookup

During an infusion, you’ll either have an IV placed in your hand/arm, or if you have a central line, it will be accessed. If you are going to nurse your baby directly from your breast during your infusion, you’ll want to think about the positioning of your IV, ie, which arm you hold the baby, and which side you primarily nurse on.

I have a surgical port, which means my infusion gets run through a needle in my chest. This had me concerned about my baby’s movement, her head and hands being so close to the needle, and before I even knew she would have trouble nursing, I knew that doing so while my port was accessed might be challenging. As I prepared for my first postpartum infusion, I decided I would bottle feed my daughter, and then I would also need to pump to empty my breasts (and fill her next bottle).

Clothing!

For my infusions before motherhood, I’d wear a teeshirt or sweatshirt, something cozy with easy access to my port. After having a baby, I realized that moms would need to wear something enabling nursing or pumping access while getting their infusion, and STILL be comfortable. 4-5 hours is a long time in that chair! This would include nursing tanks or loose shirts with nursing bras, and for me, a hands-free pumping bra was pivotal! I also started bringing a cardigan or zip-up sweatshirt I could put on without disrupting my IV if I was cold or wanted to wrap up the baby.

Use your experience

As with anything, I took advantage of my experience with Crohn’s disease and infusion days when I prepared for breastfeeding during my infusion. I thought about what I usually bring (snacks, water bottles, activities) and modified them based on my breastfeeding needs. I made sure to bring the items I needed for pumping (or nursing) out of the house, plus a fully stocked diaper bag. I also brought my husband, as an extra set of hands really helped!

If you are able to leave your baby with a sitter during your infusion, and your breastfeeding, you’ll likely need to at least pump during an infusion day. My recommendation for this is to make it as comfortable as possible for yourself. If your infusion center or doctor's office doesn’t have a private room / a curtain for you to draw around your space, I recommend draping a scarf around your neck to cover where the pump flanges and bottles show your breasts. Use this time to listen to music or watch your favorite show, and zone out! If you don’t have a cooler or an ice pack to store your pumped milk before you return home, ask your nurse if they have a small fridge you could use in the interim.

If you have any questions about nursing or pumping logistics during an infusion, please write them below & I’ll do my best to answer them!