Phyllis and Janie,
Thank you Phyllis, Janie, and Rachel for your responses. I always learn
so much from other women's experiences, personal and professional.
My experience with primiparas jives with the text book timing of
lactogenesis II but my experience with multiparas almost always
involves mothers who have nursed through part or all of their
pregnancies, and they report milk much earlier than 48 hours. They
report it with surprise because nothing in print reflects this as a
common experience.
My own personal experience mirrors that of these moms who nurse through
a pregnancy and/or tandem nursed even though I myself have never nursed
into the third trimester nor tandem nursed. I had the textbook
first-time mother lactogenesis II...my second child was conceived two
years after the first weaning and again I had the textbook lactogensis
II experience for multiparas...
But my third, fourth, and fifth pregnancies I nursed through the second
trimester and had milk within 24 hours...my sixth pregnancy occurred
about 1 year after my 5th child had weaned and I reverted to the
classic textbook multipara...I have to admit to being very frightened
by what seemed to me a delay compared with my previous three children,
and all of a sudden I had new found sympathy for moms who are tempted
to give a bottle before their milk comes in...If I, as an experienced
breastfeeding mother and board certified lactation consultant could
feel a little helpless with my baby screaming at my breast, I can only
imagine how first-time moms who not only have a screaming baby but also
other pressures to supplement must feel! I resorted to putting water on
my finger and wetting my baby's mouth and my nipple so that she could
get a good seal a few times. Our difficult time began at about 36
hours pp and lasted just a few hours. One confounding variable was that
this was my first c-section after 5 vaginal births and thus my first
real exposure to lots of drugs. So I have three things I wonder
about...timing since last nursing/weaning, surgical deliveries, and
drugs. (My most difficult labor was actually my third child so I am
thinking exhaustion alone did not account for the delay.)
I have had some experience with moms with lactogenesis II that was
delayed for weeks and even close to a month, the only commonality I can
find among them is mag sulfate, but since many women who get mag seem
to get their milk in, if not early ,at least not super late, it makes
me wonder if some women are not overdosed which might lead to a low
blood pressure event which might mimic Sheehans...and the pituitary
recovers...
I would really like to understand why it is some women experience such
early lactogenesis II because if we could understand it maybe we could
make it happen for more women...if most births could be followed by
early lactogenesis II think of all the problems that could be avoided!
Any more thoughts or observations on this subject?
Jen O'Quinn IBCLC
Augusta, GA USA
currently nursing sixth baby but first daughter!
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