Medications and Breastfeeding for Mothers With Chronic Illness

Mothers with chronic illnesses are often discouraged from breastfeeding by health care professionals, most often because of use of medication and fear of adverse effects in the infant. Most medications taken by mothers are not contraindicated for breastfeeding. Understanding factors that affect transfer of medications into human milk can help providers give appropriate guidance to mothers with chronic illnesses who want to breastfeed.