Is not waiting until milk supply is well established the standard on bc introduction? When receptors are so sensitive in the beginning and progesterone competes with prolactin in the receptors and we want to keep prolactin levels high, this can be a factor in lowered milk supply.. right? I have personally had 3 contacts through LLL who had a dramatic drop in milk supply as soon as they started taking progesterone only bc pills.. they each noticed the drop within a couple of days! They stopped taking the pill and presto, a week or so of breastfeeding management 101 aka nursing vacation and some increased pumping and their supplies came back up.. maybe it was coincidence that this happened to all 3 women, but I doubt it.. My understanding was that this was why the depo shot has such negative consequences when administered early on and the recommendation is to take the mini pill starting at 6 weeks and if there is no negative impact, then have the shot...

could it be that the mother was reacting to the rapid drop in progesterone after birth and her "normal" level is usually much lower than most women.. perhaps her health care team needs to play with the dose for the best effect. 

I used to get migraines during the 2nd half of my menstrual cycle, which I always understood was due to higher progesterone levels and their effect on smooth muscles.. my back would always feel out of whack and then the migraine would start.. Eventually I began to link it to overall inflammation in my body which was exacerbated by my diet, which idea was supported by the migraines going away when I cut out sugar, dairy and gluten.. I find that this holds true to this day as I have not had a migraine to speak of since stopping eating gluten over a year ago - except for those times that I ate it accidentally. The gluten is my issue but has made me hyper aware that new moms experiencing symptoms of inflammation may have gluten intolerance, allergy or other food sensitivities. This has become yet more solidified in my consciousness when mothers cut out inflammatory foods and have resolution of regularly plugged ducts. Kathy Kendall-Tackett's work on Omega 3's and their anti inflammatory effect is worth applying here as well.  Ditto on the magnesium which has a profound effect on the smooth muscles in the body as well. 

Personally, I'd be encouraging this mom to try to find out why her body is reacting the way it is.. what else is out of whack. Rarely is it just one hormone that is askew as they are all so interconnected. Which brings us all back to the foundation of good health.. and which may be overwhelming right at this point.. but still needs to be addressed eventually.

Celina Dykstra, IBCLC, LLLL grateful this year to have shared a totally gluten free Christmas dinner with my family. Felt stuffed but didn't get sick.....Hooray!

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