I just wanted to second Melissa's opinion of how well sometimes herbals support
moms with IGT.
A few years ago a 38 years old mom came to our lactation clinic with a 28-days
old baby who had lost 2 POUNDS after hospital discharge. Mom had a diagnosis of
PCOS, got pregnant with ART, had classic hypoplastic breasts and made about 20
ml milk from both breasts combined despite the fact that she started with a
robust almost 4 kg baby girl with a good suck. She was a very determined mom and
wanted to know all options that are available. So she started a crazy intensive
pumping regimen and goat's rue tea and called again in 6 months to say that she
managed to get to about 100 ml per pumping session. She fed EBM for about a
year.
She contacted us right away after she found out she is pregnant again to discuss
how to start right this time. Now she has a second baby with whom she started
goat's rue immediately after the birth, as well as pumping in addition to bf and
is able to bf with minimal amounts of formula supplements.
As far as the discussion about wether to tell or not to tell - it is this list
that taught me how to talk to moms about these issues. I prefer to tell them
that in their situation there "might" be some risk factors (we discuss them - if
a moms comes to us in her pregnancy, then she has a feeling something is not
right! so she is not surprised to hear what we think!) and that it is important
to observe closely and to call us right after the birth to optimize latch and
transfer (there are no LCs and no lactation support in our hospitals) and go
from there. I think the mom should be prepared and have the knowledge and skills
to start right.
I am always amazed at how especially these moms have astounding willpower and am
always moved to tears about moms who pump and pump for months on end for these
precious 80 ml they make from all the pumpings in 24h...
Christina Yaneva
BF Peer Councellor
Bulgaria
----- Original Message ----
From: Melissa Cole <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Fri, October 1, 2010 4:11:24 AM
Subject: Re: thoughts on breast hypoplasia and insufficient milk
Laurie, Pat and others...
Just sort of tagging a few comments to this IGT discussion...Laurie, do you
live in an area of Mississippi that is heavily polluted or has a lot of
agricultural chemical use? There's a strong connection to IGT and such
toxins so I was just curious about your locale.
Pat, you mentioned that no amount of galactagogues in the world will develop
glandular tissue and I just wanted to share that there are herbs (like
Goat's Rue) that do aid in glandular development, obviously pg hormones and
progesterone therapy are a different ball game but I do feel that it is
sometimes possible to build glandular tissue during lactation with
complimentary natural therapies. One of my current IGT clients has gone
from a 4 finger spacing between the breasts to a snug 2 finger spacing in a
matter of 6 mos, very exciting to see and witness! IGT cases can be multi
faceted and a comprehensive overview of hormones, past/current health/diet
Hx, etc are all factors. Of course we have to feed the baby first...but
don't forget rule #2 protect (and in these cases maximize) milk supply!
Bodies are amazing things and we can't assume that IGT moms will not make
any and/or enough milk, we just have to form a careful and proactive care
plan. I do think anticipatory guidance is valuable for such cases,
withholding info on IGT will do no good. Info can be presented in a gentle,
encouraging way as you enter into dialogue about your observations about
mom's breasts and what that may or may not mean for milk supply. This does
not mean telling moms they won't make adequate milk it means telling them
how their breast shape/size, etc could impact feeding and what red flags to
be aware of. I think it is a disservice that many prenatal providers never
even peek at or assess mom's breasts prenatally so that the discussion and
proactive nurturing care can begin even sooner.
Melissa Cole, IBCLC
Portland/Vancouver, USA
***********************************************
Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set
lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome
***********************************************
Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome
|
