Carol Bartle wrote:
>
> We have noticed a problem with lactation in mothes who have been pre
> eclamptic with oedema or who have been given large amounts of IV fluids
> during their labour. If the woman's serum albumen is below 30 she often
> has a long delay in establishing lactation. If she has been very ill and
> serum albumen has dropped to around the 20-22 level lactation can be
> severely delayed even when all oedema has gone.

This is interesting in light of the fact that alpha-lactalbumin is a
component of lactose synthetase, the rate limiting enzyme of lactose
production, which regulates the speed of milk production and the volume
produced as well.  I was unable to find whether alpha lactalbumin is
produced from serum albumin or de novo from amino acids... if it is
produced from serum albumin it would be easy to see how being depleted
could reduce milk synthesis, but the underlying protein deficiency of
eclampsia/pre-eclampsia could be responsible as well by limiting the
quantity of amino acids that could be spared by the mother's body.
Comments, anyone?
--
Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC  New York City  mailto:[log in to unmask]

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