Q&A: Can I Take Melatonin While Breastfeeding?

Written By Stacey Stewart, C.L.E

Milkology Q&A

Question:

Is it safe for me to take a small dose of melatonin at night while breastfeeding? This would be after my baby goes to sleep and they sleep through the night.

 
 

Can I Take Melatonin While Breastfeeding?

Answer:

Unfortunately, as a lactation consultant, I can’t give you advice about what medications to take. I recommend you contact your baby’s pediatrician for advice. But I can tell you that, according to the CDC, most medications are safe during breastfeeding, and few are completely contraindicated.

According to LactMed, which is a database from the National Library of Medicine, melatonin use by breastfeeding parents has not been studied, but it’s “unlikely that short-term use of usual doses of melatonin in the evening by a nursing mother would adversely affect her breastfed infant.”

LactMed does note that some experts do not recommend melatonin because of the lack of data and because it has a long half-life in premature babies. In general, the younger and more medically vulnerable a baby is, the more careful you need to be with medications or supplements while breastfeeding.

Stacey Stewart, C.L.E

Meet Stacey Stewart, Certified Lactation Educator and the creative force behind Milkology! With 3 kids of her own, she knows firsthand the joys and challenges of breastfeeding. She’s on a quest to turn nursing woes into wins for moms everywhere. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

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