Does anyone else have insuffient glandular tissue? - Page 6

[ejones]

Hi Tara and Jackie. Thanks for your input. It's good to know that I'm not alone. Tara, I also feel jealousy towards bf moms. I think it's normal for us. Don't you girls wish that this problem was talked about more often? All the women that I know had no idea that this even existed. It was so frustrating having to explain and even show my weird boobs! Let's all keep strong and keep nursing our little precious ones. It's a wonderful bond for both.

Question?
We might be pregnant again. I plan to continue to nurse my 61/2 mo. old until the obgyn says I should stop. Have any of you nursed your children while pregnant? If so how long did you to it for?

Thank you and good night.

[Stormintheattic]

Oh girls, I recognise all this. The jealousy, the hoping that next time its gonna be ok, even hoping you will have enough milk by some miracle the next day, the lack of energy to do anything but BF.
But maybe we should try to see the more positive side of things. Breastfeeding is more than milk alone. We're all examples of that. And we give our kids all we can. Even if we need a little help from a cow or another mom.

Ejones, I was still nursing DS when I miscarried and then became pregnant with DD. Unfortunately it was round the time DS gave up on BF so my milksupply decreased quickly. I am not sure which came first. He nursed for about 2 and a half months into the pregnancy

[Quirky]

Originally Posted by ejones

Question?
We might be pregnant again. I plan to continue to nurse my 61/2 mo. old until the obgyn says I should stop. Have any of you nursed your children while pregnant? If so how long did you to it for?

ejones, unless you have a history of preterm labor and nursing triggers strong contractions, there's no reason to quit nursing while pregnant. Your ob/gyn may or may not know about the safety of nursing during pregnancy - keep in mind that ob/gyns don't study breastfeeding for more than a couple of hours during med school, so what they "know" is often what they've heard - i.e. myths.

Unless you are put on complete pelvic rest (i.e. no sex) it is safe to nurse throughout pregnancy. Orgasm triggers much stronger contractions than nursing does (for me, O would trigger VERY strong uterine clamping-down, while nursing did nothing to trigger anything. The clamping-down wasn't problematic in any way except comfort, it's just because the uterus is more toned the second time around. Makes for worse afterpains too. )

For more information, check out the wonderful book by Hilary Flower, Adventures in Tandem Nursing as well as the Kellymom site, link here.

Now, this is a separate issue from your supply decreasing during pregnancy. It happened to me and my son nursed through my pregnancy although I put limits on it because of the comfort issue. That's a separate issue you need to decide for yourself based on your needs and your baby's.

[catnip]

No real consolation, but my county has a program to promote exclusive breastfeeding, and their performance is rated by the percentage of EBF babies in the program. They had a special meeting with their funding task force on my case, and it was determined that I count on the EBF side of the equation because my daughter is breastfed to the limits of my body's ability. (It's a great program... I get free unlimited access to an IBCLC, weekly weight checks if I want them, 24 hour hotline support and will get a free hospital grade breast pump loan when they get them in. Paid for with tobacco tax money and available to any county resident, not just low income.)

BTW, I started Motherlove's More Milk Special Blend, and it really seems to be helping. My breast size has increased, I am pumping more, and wet, poops and weight gain are good with a bit less formula.

[Stormintheattic]

Originally Posted by catnip

BTW, I started Motherlove's More Milk Special Blend, and it really seems to be helping. My breast size has increased, I am pumping more, and wet, poops and weight gain are good with a bit less formula.

Michelle, do you know of a place online that ships international that has this special blend? I definately will wanna try this with our next baby.

And just for you ladies, this o so true quote:
"Women should not feel guilty if they are unable to breastfeed, but they
*should* feel guilty if they are unwilling to do so, and they should be
intellectually honest enough to know the difference." -Elizabeth Gene

[HaveWool~Will Felt]

Originally Posted by Stormintheattic

"Women should not feel guilty if they are unable to breastfeed, but they
*should* feel guilty if they are unwilling to do so, and they should be
intellectually honest enough to know the difference." -Elizabeth Gene

Oh so true.....I LOVE IT!!!!

[ejones]

Michelle that's great that your county has a support group for exclusive bf. I will totally look into it. Do they have a web-site?

That Quote is so true. But I will always wish I had enough milk for my son.

I also want information on that special blend.

Stormintheattic, I'm sorry for your loss. I really do try to look at the positive side of all of this. I have to or else I will fall apart. It has just been a slow process for me. I do give my self some credit for everything I give to my son.

[Ayleneb]

Another good website...

Hi all, I just started researching this issue. I gave birth to my third son last Monday and was hopeful that bfing would be more successful with him than my other two. I was thrilled when he immediately had a good strong latch and dreamed that this time maybe it would work. By day four it was clear that I was doomed to be letdown again as his wet diapers were scarce, still showing urine crystals and my breasts still hadn't changed size even though my milk had "come in".
I read in Huggins Mothers Nursing Companion about hypoplastic breasts (never noticed that entry when I was struggling for four months with my last son - tried *everything*, fenugreek, SNS, twice weekly visits with the IBCLC for the first two months and finally "gave in" and started giving him bottles of formula). They do sound like what might be my case; however the picture posted at the start of this thread is much more extreme than my situation. This link http://www.leron-line.com/IGT.htm however shows several different sets of breasts with differing levels of lacking tissue and the one marked #2 looks almost exactly like me when I'm on the engorged side of things...so I'm starting to believe that I may truly be one of those 2-5% that just can't produce enough breastmilk.
At this point I'm struggling to figure out how much formula I should be supplementing with and still keeping up as much bfing as possible. I feel that every drop of bm is valuable to the babies health but I refuse to allow him to be classified as FTT as my last son was. It's great to find a group of like-minded ladies who value bfing as much as I do and understand what it means to really try but still not be able to bf.
Noone around me understands how heartbreaking this experience is for me - fortunately this time I'm really just trying to focus on making sure that the baby gets what *he* needs and keep reminding myself that this isn't about *me* being a failure as a mother, etc...
I hope that link will help someone else who is trying to dx themselves.
Aylene
Mom to Simon, Matthew and Jamie

[scubamom]

Thank you for the link, its very informative. I am also sorry to hear you are having to deal with all of it again
I am 7 months pg right now and dreading going thru this again, as i know i will as still have no breast changes.
what i always found the hardest is just that people dont understand, and it takes way to much explaing why i Bf then pull out a bottle (i didnt like using sns when NIP) I also get peeved when people use low milk supply (when clinically its not) as a reason to quit, as its so not the same as we go thru.
sorry for venting but its startimg to dawn on me that i have this battle to face again.

But i also truly believe that every drop of BM is worth its weight in gold, and i would never give up on the closeness i felt with my son while nursing, milk or no milk.

I am just praying that this little guy has a great strong latch like his brother did.

[Stormintheattic]

Aylene, great link, very helpfull, thank you! Type 2 looks just about right for me too.
Just wanted to add that you are doing a great job! IMO you're right, you are giving Jamie every single drop you can. And he's benifiting from every feeding.

[ejones]

Tubular mommy pregnant with 2nd child!

Hi girls! Hope everyone is doing well. I just stopped nursing my 15mo old son and I'm 31/2 months pregnant with our second child! I have noticed that my breast feel a little sensitive and lumpy since I've stopped nursing. They have also slowly increased in size, but not much. They are still so tubular with, of course, NO CLEAVAGE! I am planning to nurse our 2nd as long as I did w/ my 1st or longer. I'll let you girls know if this time I will be able to produce more milk. Cross your fingers. I now know what challenge I have ahead of me when it comes to nursing. I can't wait to tell all those LC that didn't know a thing about my condition. They were sooo clueless, they pissed me off! They just made assumptions that were not true. I can't stand bottles, but I've learned to make peace w/ them. Doing both has worked best for us. So we'll see what happens.

I'll keep you posted.

[newmonny]

Thank god I found this

I thought it was just me. My breasts are also shaped like those on that website. I've struggle with breastfeeding using sns since he was 4 days old. Which I didn't mind using except for the fact that I wished he was only getting my milk. I had to return to work full time at 3 months so my son has unfortunately gotten use to the bottle and will not latch any longer. Which has been devastating for me. I still continue to pump at work and hand express at home and I probably get a measly 3 ounces out a day. At one point I was able to get out 2 ounces a feed and I was so excited. This whole experience with not being able to supply enough milk for my son has been devastating, but I still would not trade those precious moments we had together when my son was half asleep and bf. He looked so beautiful there. I'm having a hard time even giving up pumping at work... even though he's not latching on any more. I still try every once in awhile to bf to see if he'll latch... no luck for 7 days. I keep hoping he'll start enjoying bf again and I don't want to give up the little supply I have. Any thoughts or support? My son is now 6 months old by the way and I also used every herb, drug, and constant pumping to build supply with no prevail. I'm sorry to hear other women had to go through what I have, but it's good to hear I'm not the only one.

[Corriander]

Hi newmommy

I started this thread so long ago I can't remember! So I'm glad that it is still providing support to those of us who can't find help even from LCs.

About your son not latching on, keep offering! If you can still pump, do that for as long as it works for you also. It's such a gift, that breastmilk. My first child, who only bf for 6 months because of all the difficulties, latched on again when she was 2 years old! It was a little strange. I had just had my second child, I was lactating again. She knew that the baby was breastfeeding and she asked me if she could too.

But when you have had enough and the frustrations are outweighing the benefits and it is negatively impacting your relationship with your child, then give yourself permission to give it up. Considering the uphill battle that women like us face, I figure a month of our bf is equivilent to 3 for those women who find it so effortless! like dog years.

Good luck! You're doing great!

[CathMac]

Corriander,
I had supply issues as a full time working mom but nothing as severe as this so I would feel presumptuous making a suggestion. I will pose a question to you as a BTDT Mom.

Would you recommend co-sleeping and nursing on demand overnight and during the early hours when prolactin supplies are highest?

Just a thought.

Thanks for the inspiring thread. It makes me realize how lucky I am, despite the issues I have faced.
~Cath

[Corriander]

bf at night

Definately bf at night and co-sleep if that works for you. I have known women you have had hardly any supply during the day, but have had their babies latched on and feeding all night. That works if you can get some sleep at the same time.

Some babies who when they are awake and hungry do not have the patience to stay latched on if you take a long time to let down or don't have much supply. But they will stay latched on and nursing while they are sleeping or napping.

[ejones]

Almost due!

I am sceduled for a c-sec on the 31st of July. I am still planning on a vbac. I'll have to wait and see if I go into labor. We are having a girl! I'm sad to say though, that my boobs, again have not enlarged at all during my pregnancy!!! I will just wait and see after I give birth of any changes that do occur. I will still keep you all posted. I don't have high hopes, but at least I know what I'm looking forward to.

Peace out ladies!

[luminesce]

My lactation consultant confirmed that I have IGT. We have estimated that I'm probably making 70-75% of his needs with the effects of fenugreek (which aren't reliable because I build up a tolerance to it and have to stop and start it again for the effect.) My son has been gaining all along but is at the very low end of normal. He has been trending downward on the growth charts. He is at the 5th percentile now at 10 weeks - down from 46th percentile at birth.

This has been the most difficult thing I've ever dealt with. I wanted so much for our breastfeeding relationship to be a beautiful thing - and it is, but it has also been rife with frustration for both of us. I find myself crying a lot - I feel so bad when he gets frustrated and I can't give him what he needs. I also get angry when I think of all the women I know who chose not to breastfeed for convenience!

I think one of the most difficult aspects of dealing with this was the ups and downs I experienced trying to figure out if something was wrong. I was all over the board - thinking he was just a slow gainer to thinking I had a supply issue. I even once thought when he didn't nurse long he was getting more efficient at removing milk when what actually was happening was that the flow stopped. My son has been such a good baby through all this. Many times, he would just eat what I had and then sleep, wake up a little bit later, eat what I had then sleep again. This cycle continued until recently when he started to get more hungry and started to express frustration at slow let-down and small quantity. It truly has taken me 10 weeks to put it all together and to find a LC who could confirm what was happening and help me. I wish that my midwives would have told me what the size and shape of my breasts could mean and what I might be dealing with. I know that MOST women should have no trouble breastfeeding if they manage it right but I know now that I'm one of the ones who physically CAN'T. I've been reassured by several care givers (because my son was gaining, albeit slowly) that my son was doing ok, despite his thin frame, the repeated uric acid in his diapers (which even made us think he might have a metabolic disorder) and his infrequent stooling (longest stretch was 12 days!) All of these things can be normal but all together they should be viewed as suspicious especially when the mother thinks there is a problem and has breasts that are classic IGT. There were several opportunities for early intervention and help but I had to figure it out for myself and trust my gut instinct that he wasn't getting enough and locate a LC who could help me. When I saw her and she looked at the test weighs I had done with feeds she told me that I had beat all records of nursing frequency. There were 27 weighs in a 24 hour period. For 10 weeks I've nursed around the clock to try to build my supply and transfer small amounts of milk to my son. The funny thing is that I never thought this was a problem. I thought babies needed to be nursed this often.

I always wondered why my breasts looked so funny but when I saw the pictures of women with IGT I finally knew what was wrong with them. On top of the IGT, I had a small benign fibrocystic lump removed from my (bigger) right breast and the incision was made right around the areola which is the worst place to have surgery when it comes to severing milk ducts.

I'm going to try Domperidone and keep up the insane nursing schedule - and if that doesn't work, look at trying to get some donated breast milk. I'm worried about taking this drug but I don't like my other alternatives (I refuse to take Reglan. Even though he has been exposed to formulas, I don't want to use them.) I was wondering though - has anyone else with IGT had any luck with Domperidone?

[Quirky]

Oh, many to you for doing such a great job!

I don't have IGT, but I did have luck with domperidone in increasing my supply. It is very safe, and in fact is approved by the AAP for use in nursing mothers. Here are Dr. Jack Newman's handouts on it. You may want to try emailing him -- I will try to round up his email address for you, I know he is very approachable and helpful.

http://www.kellymom.com/newman/19a-domperidone1.html

http://www.kellymom.com/newman/19b-domperidone2.html

http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/...actagogue.html

http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/...#Galactagogues (domperidone is L1, the safest category for lactation)

Goat's rue is an herb that is thought to be very helpful in increasing glandular tissue -- you can get goat's rue in tincture form at www.motherlove.com (Motherlove Herbals). You would need to try it for at least a month.

Have you seen the link here with more info on hypoplastic breasts?

http://www.007b.com/breast_size_breastfeeding.php

Have you talked to your doctor about trying to determine whether YOU have a metabolic disorder associated with IGT, such as PCOS? If you have PCOS, you can go on metformin (Glucophage), and that may help with your milk supply issues.

Hang in there.

[sarahandlily]

another IGT mama here

wow! i have searched for months and just happened upon this thread.

anyone tried natural progesterone cream?

goat's rue?

i am pregnant with #3 and wanting to get everything lined up now.

i have the same story as pp. i have tried to get answers the last 5 years about why i can not bf. i have shown everyone my boobs that will look, and i just now discovered what is going on.

thanks for sharing your stories - they really make a difference.

thanks!
sarah

[ILoveMyBabyBird]

Originally Posted by sarahandlily

anyone tried natural progesterone cream?

I am wondering the same thing, I read an article online that said it worked for one mom.

I am still bfing ds, eventhough have never been able to fully supply his needs.

Around 9 months I realized that he had a lip-tie, which may have been the reason he could never have a great latch, but at that point it was too difficult to fix the problem. Needless to say, he has a gap inbetween his two upper front teeth, so I suppose he will have to get braces some day, or we will have to get it clipped later.

Above all, I know I still have IGT, but I am hoping that the next future lo will not have the lip tie and if he/she does, we will get it clipped from the beginning, and I know that will improve my production, next time I am not hoping for a miracle full supply, but I am certain with more info and experience I will be able to produce more, and deal with the obstacles better than with ds.

BTW-Keep up the good work! We are all troopers in this, but it is worth it.