Neonatal Respiratory Depression Associated With Maternal Oxycodone Use During Breastfeeding

We report a case of a term male neonate, born via repeat cesarean section (CS), who developed transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN) shortly after birth, followed by two episodes of bradycardia with desaturation and apnea/bradycardia/desaturation on days of life (DOL) three and four, respectively, temporally linked to maternal oxycodone use during breastfeeding. The infant was transitioned from maternal breast milk to donor milk until the mother’s oxycodone dose was below 40 mg/day. This report highlights the importance of careful monitoring for respiratory depression and bradycardia in neonates exposed to maternal opioids through breast milk, particularly at doses exceeding recommended levels.