UGGHHH! Just need to vent a little, I just had an outpatient visit with a mom who... 22 year old, has 3 children, ages 5, 2, and 3 weeks. Didn't breastfeed 1st, breastfed 2nd for 4 months then "milk dried up" and was really determined to have a longer breastfeeding experience this time. She said she didn't ask for help last time and she always regretted it so this time she was going to get help... Mom is a smoker, trying to quit(she has really cut back already) Infant had been nursing WONDERFULLY since delivery and breastfeeding was going great until last week when mom got mastitis and the doctor (OB) that saw her and prescribed the antibiotic told her she could not breastfeed on the medicine. (Levoquin and Flagyl) Mom was so upset, she said that made her feel even worse and the only relief she had been getting from the pain in her breast was when he nursed from that breast. Mom began pumping and dumping the milk using an Evenflo pump. She tried pumping every time he ate, and even times in between. She wanted to pump and dump out as much or more than he was taking of formula so that her supply would stay up. Her milk supply went down rapidly. Yesterday at the pediatrician appointment mom told the doctor how disappointed she was at her supply dropping and at having to give him formula and the ped told her she absolutely could breastfeed on those meds. ( and mind you he is from our practice that we use to say their initials stood for "Women Can't Lactate Here")
So.... Mom spent the rest of the day and night just nursing the infant, no more supplements. When mom called today, I could tell that she was crying so hard she could barely speak. In a barely audible whisper she told me she was losing her milk supply.
I had her come right over so I could see where things were at and I won't bore you all with the details but the infant is doing great, (he's a true champ that LOVES to nurse and stay nursing) mom has a significant drop in supply but she does have milk and with compression, switching breasts, supplementing at the breast and pumping after feedings, things will probably come up quite well and quickly (I hope). On top of everything else, she has symptoms of ductal yeast. And maybe she would have gotten yeast anyway, but maybe not if she had been able to nurse and really empty her breasts. (yes she is getting treated for the yeast now)
So, once again, we have a beautiful situation that was undermined by ignorance... On a positive note, we are definitely getting through to some of our toughest critics (that particular pediatric group) I guess all of our "sharing" of information is working. So off I go to "share" information with a very special OB doctor.
Pam Price, IBCLC, RLC
Charleston, SC USA
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