Hi everyone,
I need urgent help with a mum whose 1st baby is due to be born by caesarean
on 2nd or 3rd December. She had a tumour on her pituitary gland, called a
prolactinoma. This meant that she produced excess prolactin and had very
bad deep breast pain. Her breasts hurt all the time but got worse if she
picked up a baby or heard a cry - just like she was letting down her milk,
only there was nothing to see. She had the tumour removed, her prolactin
levels dropped and she got pregnant. She is worried that a) she will have
difficulty with breastfeeding - she is leaking from one side but not the
other; b) the pain will be as bad as when she had the tumour; c) nobody can
give her any answers! Her surgeons say people with this condition do not
usually get pregnant (for obvious reasons!) so there is no information to
be had. She has had to research a lot for herself but no-one knows about
breastfeeding. Just to add to her complications, she also suffers from
rheumatoid arthritis, which is why she is having a caesar.
does anyone know about this condition? Apparently it is quite likely that
the tumour will regrow. I have never come across anything like it in 13
years! I think she is most scared of the pain in her breasts. I wondered
whether, if she was actually breastfeeding, and the prolactin had a
*purpose* rather than just screwing up her body, it might be ok. The baby
will be removing the milk, so the feedback/pain loop will not build up?
Any ideas anybody?


Jane Moody, NCT Breastfeeding counsellor/tutor; editor of New Generation
Digest.