As a mother who survived a birth with HELLP syndrome, I would like to add
that there are certainly moms who are VERY ill with this syndrome and there
are others who do quite well once the baby has been born (that was me...)
 HELLP was caught very early for me, I actually did not feel ill at all in
that 35th week of pregnancy.  If the syndrome is allowed to progress and
begins to shut down the vital organs, mother has a much more difficult time
post-partum.
  I feel the mother mentioned in the HELLP post still has a very good chance
at having a positive breastfeeding experience if she is given some time to
recover.  Following the posts here, I am still uncertain whether mom's
elevated bilirubin would somehow "cause" baby's elevated bilirubin, but
either way both conditions can be alleviated without ruining the
breastfeeding relationship.  Besides, jaundice is so seemingly common in the
newborn, what does it matter how this baby got jaundice? I assume that the
mother is being treated for jaundice as well as the baby, hopefully her HCPs
will be supportive of mom's bfg when she is feeling better and their levels
stabilize.
  Lisa Jones, LLLL in Wellington FL