Post-anaesthetic advice imparted to breastfeeding mothers can vary. This is due in part to the differing information from published data, product information sheets and inevitably from the unhindered flow of opinions available on the internet. This literature review examined the evidence relating to drugs commonly used in the modern anaesthetic setting and their impact on breastfed children. It suggests that special precautions are rarely warranted in the post-anaesthetic care of breastfeeding patients.