Tweet
A mother of a 3 month old exclusively breastfed baby has to return to her work as an oncology nurse. She prepares and administers chemotherapy to patients. Unfortunately, in my country there is a lack of safety regulations, and the only measure she takes is to wear gloves during administration. During preparation she is working under a laminal flow cabinet. She is concerned if it is safe to continue breastfeeding.
-
-
Hi, thanks for your post.
As you know, these drugs are very toxic and need to be taken seriously. This woman should use all available personal protective equipment and not take any shortcuts when working with these substances. She should probably wear a disposable gown or apron while preparing the drugs. The biological barrier between the blood and the breastmilk will reduce the amount of drug that ends up getting to the baby. The gown and the biological barrier should be enough to ensure the baby's safety. There are also the following things to consider:
1. If the mother experiences a workplace accident (like a spill) that exposes her directly to one of these drugs, she should not breastfeed.
2. If the mother develops ANY symptoms of exposure to these drugs, like rashes, diarrhea, etc, she should not breastfeed until the symptoms have resolved completely.
3. She should not expose the baby directly to chemical residues that may be on her clothing or skin. This will mean changing clothes and possibly bathing before handling the baby.
Please call us at the InfantRisk Center if this has not completely answered your question.*(806)352-2519
-James Abbey, MD
Comment