In response to: ********* Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 22:41:42 EDT From: "Lori Salisbury, RN, IBCLC" <[log in to unmask]> > Has anyone worked with any moms who have had similar situations? How long > were they > able to exclusively BF from just 1 breast? *********** Dear Kerrie: My circumstances are not identical as the mother you mentioned, but even so it might encourage her anyway. I had two fibrous adenomas removed and, while I have since observed many mothers who were completely able to lactate after similar surgeries, that was not the case for me. I was never able to produce very much from my right breast and it took an IBCLC to notice that my son was not really swallowing on that breast. I did all sorts of things to try to boost production on that side to no avail. So I ended up I using the right side for comfort and finally gave up nursing on that side when he was nine months old. Now that I know more about lactation, I realize that there are a few more techniques I might have tried to increase production on the right side, but I don't think it would have made that much of a difference. I STILL nurse my son at 26 months old and he shows no signs of being ready to self wean anytime in the near future. I did not manage exclusive breastfeeding to six months because I went back to work when he was two months old and never let down very well for the pump. He did get about 90% breast milk. Once he started solids he stopped formula entirely. I also think I should have seen an IBCLC much sooner than I did. I made some mistakes in breastfeeding management that I do believe led to my son growing somewhat slower than I think he should have. I am NOW convinced that his slow growth is due to those mistakes, not to the fact that one breast was producing so little. Nevertheless, it was very upsetting at the time and I worried constantly about the lack of production from the one breast. Since then, I have also seen some mothers who have low production on one side give up if they are not given agressive encouragement. So, my personal opinion is that observation from an IBCLC right from the start would useful to help prevent any problems that might interfere with full production on the one breast and also provide emotional support and encouragement. Of course, every mother is different and may have different needs. Susan Burger, PhD, MHS (studying to become an IBCLC) *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html