> And then there was the mother who cried her heart out because she really wasn't able
> to bf.  She had been badly burned in an accident as a teenager and has no nipples.
> She was still producing some milk despite internal breast damage.  Needless to say
> she was very uncomfortable for a few days.  There was no way to release that milk.
> Cabbage leaves and cold packs helped.


Susan,

I worked with a mom who was burned badly as a child and had to have
several reconstruction surgerys.  When she had her first child, no one
even bother with b.f.  They didn't think that is would be possible. She
too was broken hearted.  Well to everyone's amazement, the mother began
to leak 3 days postpartum. Her surgeon who had knowned her for the past
18 years, was at the same hospital were she delivered.  He had to come
up to see for himself because he too was amazed.  The surgeon had used
vulva tissue to reconstruct her nipples. I guess the surgeon thought
that he had done a better job than was possible.  The mom was so happy
to be able to b.f.
Although she wasn't able to fully lactate with the first, which she
attributed to the slow start, being more prepared, she was able to fully
b.f. her second .  I came into the picture with her third.  She pretty
much showed me how it was done.  She was such a wonderful person to work
with and I learned so much from her.
Since b.f. meams so much to the mom you're working with.  It may be
possible for her to b.f. in the future.  Maybe she could see a surgeon.
It sounds like the milk production is there.  Now someone needs to help
her with how to get the milk out.


Assunta Osterholt, IBCLC
http://www.earthlink.net/~oster6/


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