Thank you all. That's very helpful. So you think then it is possible for
mom to have overactive letdown, but then actually have low supply (based on
weight gain dropping off, and baby's fussiness at the breast later in the
feed).
What about also, the baby who gains weight fine for the first three months,
possibly because mom has adequate supply, but then weight drops off between
month three and four? I have read about this being related to oversupply
too. Yet, the baby is not gaining. What is your thought on that? Even if
the baby is latching and drinking well at the breast, could you see the
weight gain drop off just from baby not getting enough of the higher fat
hindmilk, at that age?
Thanks,
Sonya
On Mon, Jun 20, 2011 at 9:50 PM, Karyn-grace <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hi, Sonya. I have found, MANY times, that mothers who suffer from delayed
> L
> II (milk slow to come in) often have undersupply in the first 4 - 6 weeks.
> Many of those mothers then seem to 'switch gears' and between 4 - 12 weeks
> will often suffer from oversupply. I am not expert enough to explain what
> is happening physiologically... but...
>
> It can very confusing for us LC's, never mind other health care
> professionals who do not understand lactation, to uncover the truth of what
> is plagueing our clients, especially when the symptoms appear similar.
> Couple that with the fact that once a woman suffers from low milk
> production, it is extremely difficult for her to accept that she may well
> have TOO much milk a few weeks later.
>
> When I think I might be dealing with one of these very complex situations,
> I
> find myself doing a lot of math! I look carefully at baby's weight gain
> pattern, mom's reported history of milk production (they often are still
> pumping), and any amounts that baby may be ingesting via supplement. Often
> times, I find that baby is ingesting Way. Too. Much. And, you can bet
> that these parents complain of baby being fussy or gassy or colicky, or
> 'always wanting to breastfeed'.
>
> In my mind, though some here may disagree with me, true low supply should
> only be considered if baby is not growing satisfactorily with feeding at
> the
> breast alone, if feeding at breast is being managed appropriately (i.e.
> every three hours at minimum). The question is, how can we know for sure
> when we have a mom who is breastfeeding, pumping, offering EBM, and perhaps
> also offering formula supplemetation? In situations like this, I suggest
> weaning mom off of pumping and supplementation while watching baby's weight
> gain pattern AND baby's behaviour accordingly. This can, and should, take
> a
> number of weeks. It's important that the PATTERN of weight
> gain/maintain/loss be looked at closely, and that isolated weights are not
> used to determine growth or milk production.
>
> If all goes well, and mom is on galactagogues, she can be weaned off those
> slowly as well.
>
> Not sure if I answered your questions or not, but I hope I have a helped a
> little!
>
>
>
> Karyn-grace Clarke, IBCLC, RLC
> Registered Lactation Consultant
> HAPPY TRIBE CONSULTING
> <http://www.happytribe.ca/> www.happytribe.ca
> Nanaimo, BC, 250-739-3146
>
>
>
>
>
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