7th February 2025
We are delighted to share this Voices blog by Hayley Alton, Drugs in Breastmilk Service and Development Manager at The Breastfeeding Network, who describes The Drugs in Breastmilk Service to raise awareness of their Information Services and the National Breastfeeding Helpline to health visitors.
Hayley Alton, Drugs in Breastmilk Service and Development Manager at The Breastfeeding NetworkThe Drugs in Breastmilk Service, part of The Breastfeeding Network, provides information on the safety of medicines for mother and baby. This patient-centred care enables informed decision-making, which means mothers can access appropriate medicines and breastfeed their babies for as long as they wish. We are committed to supporting access to independent, evidence-based information, and consistently high-quality, safe services delivered by mums or parents with their own breastfeeding experiences, free from judgment.
Our CEO, Catherine Hine, recently wrote her own Voices blog on our services and how we can spotlight breastfeeding support availability by working together with iHV. Catherine used a statistic that I’d like to reference now too. More than 8 out of 10 mothers start breastfeeding, yet more than 6 out of 10 then stop before they want to1.
There are many challenges that new mothers overcome to breastfeed and it would be remiss to think that continuing or starting medication or treatments postpartum would not itself form a challenge.
We know from our evaluation2 that if mothers had not received the information our service provides, many would not take their prescribed medication, rather than stop breastfeeding. GPs often assumed mothers would stop breastfeeding but, in reality, some valued breastfeeding so strongly that they would put their own health at risk in order to continue doing so. This would have a profound impact on maternal mental health, as well as both mother and baby‘s physical health.
Access to, and visibility of, the information our service provides is therefore paramount for the health of mother and child. Taking medication does not usually mean that a mother has to stop breastfeeding, either temporarily or permanently – and the advantages of breastmilk to the child3 should not be ignored.
Our team are constantly reviewing the information available on breastfeeding and medication, and we maintain our bank of over 75 factsheets to reflect the most up-to-date science. We know health visitors will be dealing with difficult questions around breastfeeding; and harder still when that is compounded by a medication or medical procedure.
These factsheets cover the most commonly queried medications, treatments and procedures, explaining the evidence available on the drug in question, as well as exploring possible alternatives. Some of our most commonly accessed factsheets include: pain relief, anxiety, alcohol, hayfever, antibiotics.
In our evaluation, healthcare professionals believed that “the service enabled them to provide more accurate, trusted and up-to-date information to mothers. This was information they often did not have in training or updates from other sources.”4 It is imperative therefore that health professionals, as well as mothers, hear about our service, especially as it is free to all families, whatever their circumstances.
Health visitors, and practitioners working in health visiting teams, have a vital role to play in identifying women who may need additional support and access to evidence-based information to continue their breastfeeding journey. Please raise awareness of the Drugs in Breastmilk Information Services and the National Breastfeeding Helpline through your work with families. By working together, we can improve support for families.
Drugs in Breastmilk Information Service
(https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/drugs-factsheets/)
BfN’s team of volunteer registered pharmacists have also completed accredited training with us. They answer email and Facebook questions from parents and professionals about medication and treatments whilst breastfeeding and maintain a peer-reviewed library of factsheets on some of the most common questions we receive.
The National Breastfeeding Helpline 0300 100 0212, which we run with The Association of Breastfeeding Mothers, offers infant feeding information and support, round the clock, 365 days per year. Between 09:30am and 09:30pm daily, we also offer support via Instagram and Facebook, online webchat services and helpline services in other languages including Welsh, Polish, Bengali and Sylheti.
Hayley Alton, Drugs in Breastmilk Service and Development Manager, The Breastfeeding Network
References
- McAndrew F, Thompson J, Fellows L, Large A, Speed M, Renfrew MJ (2012) Infant Feeding Survey 2010, Health and Social Care Information Centre
- Our evaluation: BfN Executive summary.pdf (breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk): Brown, A., Finch, G., Trickey, H., Hopkins, R. (2019) ‘A lifeline when no one else wants to give you an answer: an evaluation of the Breastfeeding Network drugs in breastmilk service’.
- The benefits of breastfeeding – Baby Friendly Initiative
- Our evaluation: BfN Executive summary.pdf (breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk): Brown, A., Finch, G., Trickey, H., Hopkins, R. (2019) ‘A lifeline when no one else wants to give you an answer: an evaluation of the Breastfeeding Network drugs in breastmilk service’.
