Low Milk Supply Help!!!!!

[melissa4girlz]

I am a mother of 3 girls that has had problems with little to no milk supply with all 3 girls when they were babies. I tried the herbs and pumping and even the perscription drugs to get more milk and have still had no luck. I have had large babies and never enough milk to feed them. All 3 times my babies lost weight fast and nursed like they were frantic. I have had tests done on my thyroid and physical exams that came back with no reason for low milk supply.
I am writing now that I am now pregnant with my fourth baby girl and really desperatly want to nurse. Is there anything that you can do to point me to something that might work? Anything I can do now? I am 26 weeks pregnant and my midwife has offered little to no help. She told me that becuase I was overweight that I would have problems. Is this true? PLEASE advise. Melissa

[greencurry]

It's great that you are so dedicated to breastfeeding your baby, even after past challenges. There are so many advantages for the mother and child!

La Leche League International is a breastfeeding support and advocacy group that holds meetings in many areas.

Their website is http://www.lalecheleague.org/

The group leaders are experienced breastfeeding mothers who also have some training in lactation promotion and specific issues that come up. I know they have lots of suggestions for increasing milk supply and positioning for women who are overweight or have larger breasts.

If you can't find a group in your area, send me a private message and I will put you in touch with one of the leaders here who I'm sure would be happy to help.

Good luck!

[StarMama]

Melissa, first off s I'm sorry things have gone so badly for you breastfeeding!

Secondly, your midwife doesn't sound very caring to blow you off like that! Unless of course you're not quite going into full details of the conversation...

Third, what does not having enough milk and being overweight have to do with each other? I've heard vauge mentions of this elsewhere, and as a plus sized mama who has had to supplement as well I'm really interested in *why*.

I hope things go better this time around for you!

[Quirky]

Sadly being overweight can interfere with milk supply, because fat secretes estrogen and an excess of estrogen can interfere with the milk supply hormones.

But that doesn't mean that being overweight is the cause of your low milk supply issues. It's possible that you have an undiagnosed thyroid problem that the tests haven't picked up. Have you seen an endocrinologist?

It's also possible that you have undeveloped breast tissue (hypoplasia).

It could also just be one of those things......that there's no detectable/treatable reason for.

I would recommend finding a good lactation consultant (one with the credential IBCLC) who is knowledgeable about low supply issues. You can find one near you by going to www.ilca.org.

What kinds of herbs and prescription drugs did you use?

Even if you never develop a full supply you can still nurse your baby. StarMama has done that as have a lot of other women here who have had breast reduction surgery, etc. It doesn't have to be all or nothing!

There's a thread in the Finding Your Tribe forum for mamas with low milk supply issues. There's a lot of great information in there.

Hang in there!

[melissa4girlz]

I have tried the nursing teas, Blessedthissel and fenugreek and I have tried reglan. None made any signifigant impact. How do I know if my breast tissue is underdeveloped? What is an endocrinologist? What can they do?

[Quirky]

Reglan is not as effective or safe as domperidone, which you can read more about at

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

and

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

An endocrinologist specializes in hormonal systems and can evaluate whether you have a thyroid problem. Read more on thyroid at www.thyroid.about.com. The website has doctor recommendations.

You may also have PCOS - polycystic ovarian syndrome - which is linked with low milk supply. http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/pcos.html

More on insufficient glandular tissue/hypoplastic breasts: http://www.007b.com/breast_size_breastfeeding.php

Also check out www.bfar.org - even if you haven't had a breast reduction there's a lot of great info on maximizing your supply, etc.

I really do recommend working with a lactation consultant - start looking for one now - who can help you figure out the cause(s) of your supply issues and make sure you're doing everything you can do to get as much milk as possible.

[Quirky]

You may also find these support threads helpful:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...ad.php?t=48728

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=119922

[StarMama]

Originally Posted by Quirky

Sadly being overweight can interfere with milk supply, because fat secretes estrogen and an excess of estrogen can interfere with the milk supply hormones.

Even if you never develop a full supply you can still nurse your baby. StarMama has done that as have a lot of other women here who have had breast reduction surgery, etc. It doesn't have to be all or nothing!

Ah! Thanks Quirky!

And yes, I am still :, I'm NAK right now in fact!

[artgoddess]

This site has some great tips...

http://ar.essortment.com/increasebreas_rhtl.htm

best of luck!

[melissa4girlz]

I have worked with a lavtation consult each time before and still had no luck. I will look into that drug more carfully and see if that will apply. I don't think that I have that ovary disease though I do have only one ovary due to an ovarian cyst that I had removed as a teenager. My last lactation consult told me that all that stuff is connected and it could be a possible reason but was not for sure. Has anyone ever heard of this>?