For several years, I have taken 2 medications to keep my IC under control. Elmiron and Elavil worked well for me. Elavil is not approved for pregnant mothers; so, I got off of that immediately with no problem. (Fortunately, I was blessed with a low stress job. That helped keep pain down too.) I continued to take the Elmiron throughout my pregnancy. After Karis was born, I learned that there has been little research on the safety of Elmiron for breastfed babies. Since no one has said that it's safe, I didn't want to take the chance with my precious baby. For about 6 weeks I was pretty much symptom free. Then, I had some mild pain that was manageable with Tylenol. During week 10, I was experiencing more severe IC pain that was not relieved by Tylenol. One morning I decided I'd had enough. The pain was wearing me out, and I wasn't able to get to the bathroom as frequently as my body was telling me to. So, I took the Elmiron. I've been taking it for several days now, and this episode hasn't calmed down completely. I will continue my morning dose of Elmiron. :-/
I've heard that some women with IC have no symptoms after pregnancy. I was excited, thinking I would be a part of that group, but I was teased during the first 6 weeks after Karis's birth. Oh well. It was nice while it lasted.
I'm no doctor, but I do know that so often they can't say that something is safe for breastfeeding because there just hasn't been enough research. It makes sense, especially for something so rare, like IC. I think it's a good sign that it was deemed safe during your pregnancy, and a good sign that there's no negative research. You're giving her an incredible source of nutrition that is unmatched and you're taking care of your health in the process. You're a good mama!
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