Customer Reviews

Medications & Mothers' Milk: A Manual of Lactational Pharmacology

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I have used Thomas W. Hale's book Medications and Mothers' Milk for years. It is the only book a consultant needs when discussing medication that can and those that should not be used while breast feeding. Sure, you can look the information up in the PDR. But that is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. This book, on the other hand, is very easy to use. All drugs are listed alphabetically for quick and easy reference.

And this book only includes information that pertains to breast feeding so you don't have to wade through a lot of other information to get to what you are looking for. The Lactation Risk Category is included for all medications. I also like the way that Hale discusses the extent of research that has been done on any given drug with regard to breast feeding. In some cases the book states that not enough research has been done for a particular drug and therefore, should only be used if absolutely necessary. The text is written in "almost" lay terminology. I would expect it to be useful for those with or without medical backgrounds.

As a pediatrician, I keep this book right by my telephone in my office so that as questions come up I can get a quick and reliable answer. I highly recommend this book for clinicians in obstetrics, pediatrics, and family medicine. And yes, I also highly recommend this book for nursing mothers.

I bought this book about a month after having my baby. I found early on that most doctors do not learn enough about pharmacology let alone breastfeeding. This book has been wonderful. I use it always before taking any medication. I have been prescribed medication that breastfeeding mothers should never take. Thankfully I looked it up in this book and quickly called the physician and had the medication changed. ALL DOCTORS, especially same day care facilities should have one of these books. Mothers who plan on breastfeeding should have a copy of this book.

I wish I had found this book with my first baby. After having my second baby and coming down with the flu I found I was calling the pediatrician's office constantly to see if the medications I was prescribed were safe for nursing. Come to find out, this is the book the pediatrician's office also uses. The books rates the safety of prescription medications, OTC medications and many herbal remedies. I cannot recommend this book enough if you are a nursing mom!!

This is the best book possible for breastfeeding mothers. All healthcare professionals should have a copy of this book. Unfortunately, most of them have never heard of it. I found out about it through my La Leche League leader. The content is exceptional, the wording is exceptionally easy to understand and all conclusions about whether to take a medicine or not are left up to the individual and her doctor/healthcare provider. The book provides information, not medical advice. There should be more publicity about this book - even most of the largest bookstores don't carry it and Amazon is the only place I found I could order it. My OB/GYN had never heard of it, but now keeps a copy in his office.

By far this is the best book I've found to help answer the common question "can I still breastfeed if I am taking this medicine?"

Far too often, drug prescribing information and texts on medications and lactation offer vague, wishy-washy recommendations. Thomas Hale's book provides concise information regarding a medication's safety for pregnant or breastfeeding women.

This book is a valuable resource that I use frequently in my office. I highly recommended it to interested health professionals.

This is really one of the most complete guides to medications in the breastfeeding mother. It is small and compact and yet full of information. The medications are alphabetized by generic name to make them easy to look up. A full evaluation is given including a brief description of the drug and what it's used for.

It rates the lactation risk factor for each drug on a scale from L1 to L5 with L1 being safest and L5 being contraindicated. This makes it quick and easy to see how safe the medication is for breastfeeding.

It makes suggestions for alternatives when the risk factor for the drug is high. This is very useful when deciding on appropriate therapy so that the clinician needn't look up each individual drug.

It lists pediatric concerns if the baby breastfeeds from a mother taking the medication and how much of the drug the baby might be expected to get.

This is a thoroughly complete breastfeeding reference guide. I would recommend it for all breastfeeding moms and any clinicians treating breastfeeding moms.