I would like to comment on something that I feel we are hearing way to
often: That cabbage leaves decrease milk production. Cabbage leaves reduce
swelling but no scientific studies link it to a decrease in supply. We use
cabbage leaves because they are cold and because they are comfortable to
use. Not really because they have some hidden and miraculous properties.
Please remember that they are not ingested, but simply applied to the
affected area.
I have been using cabbage leaves for awhile now at the hospital. We use them
as often and as long as we need to decrease swelling in badly engorged
breasts. We also use the pump every couple of hours to see if milk will
start flowing. No decrease in milk production can be directly linked to the
use of cabbage leaves. What we do know is the effect that severe engorgement
and lack of stimulation can have on milk production. Lack of stimulation
(which is the case when a baby latches on incorrectly on an engorged breast
or infrequent pumping) will have an effect on the prolactine levels and the
pressure in the overfull alveolas will cause the milk producing glands to
shrink and become dysfunctionnal, sometimes even die. The dractic decrease
in  milk production we see after a severe or chronic engorgement is
definitely not caused by cabbage leaves application as we see the same
outcome with cold compresses  or ice if the milk producing glands have been
affected. A decrease in prolactine and oxytocine receptors can also be part
of this decrease in milk production and subsequent difficulty in maintaining
a milk supply once the severe engorgement is resolved. Until we have more
scientific data on the effect of cabbage leaves on engorgement, we should be
careful in the way we introduce their use to health professionnals. If you
do feel they have special properties, please be aware that health
professionnals will not be happy with this explanation. If you introduce
them as being a substitute to ice or cold compresses as they are comfortable
and easy to use, we are more likely to keep a strong credibility as a group
of allied health professionnals.
Dany Gauthier, IBCLC
Lactation consultant at Ste-Justine Hospital, Montreal
Quebec
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