It is becoming increasingly clear to me that subtle imbalances of hormones
(prolactin, thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, to name a few)
during pregnancy can mess up the development of milk-making tissue.  My
guess would be this mom had very little change in her breasts during the
pregnancy, and there is nothing else that you can do now.  But she does
deserve the explanation above,  which she may not have gotten from the
endocrinologist.

I respectfully diasgree with the above declaration that "there is nothing
else that you can do now."  If the mother is committed to breastfeeding as
more than a mode of nutrition and desires to breastfeed for its myriad other
benefits, she may be able to bring in *some* milk and supplement at the
breast for the rest of her baby's caloric needs.  A supportive lactation
professional can help this mother to maximize what potential for milk
production she does have, using milk-promoting foods, galactogogue herbs
and/or medications, pumping, at-breast supplementing, etc.  For some
mothers, even having little or no milk can allow for a satisfying and
rewarding breastfeeding experience, especially later on when the child
simply goes to the breast for comfort.

I believe in this case, the mother has two older children she successfully
breastfed, so hypoplasia is probably not the issue here.

This is an issue I've dealt with and have strong personal feelings
about...if a mother is seeking help because her breastfeeding isn't going as
she planned/expected, I'd hope we would all use every tool in our bag of
tricks to help her, even if just a little bit.

Respectfully,
Diana in NY

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