Greetings,
I am a La Leche League Leader with an eye to sitting for the IBCLC exam in
2009 or 2010. My best friend had a baby a few weeks ago and is struggling
with milk production; we have determined the cause of her issues is breast
hypoplasia, also called insufficient glandular tissue. Supposedly, this
occurs very rarely (1/1000).
I've been working with another mother who has been struggling as well (baby
below 10% of birth weight at 2 weeks, losing weight, etc.). I have not seen
her yet but today a light bulb came on for me -- she got breast implants
many years ago. I asked on our first call where her scar was and was glad
to her the incision was under the breast, not on it. I did some research on
implants and learned that they rarely cause problems with lactation provided
the surgery was done properly and left nerves, nipple, ducts, etc. intact.
Today, though, it occurred to me to ask this mother WHY she got the implants
in the first place. She described breast hypoplasia to a T, telling me her
breasts were "far apart, very small, not shaped like everyone elses..." She
also told me she had stretch marks that surprised her (as her breasts had
never really "grown" in puberty) and how her friends and family teased her
during her pregnancy because her breasts never got bigger or changed.
Again, red flags for hypoplasia.
My reason for posting here is that I am beginning to feel that if I'm
encountering hypoplasia twice in one month, it is not likely as rare as
resources might say. I am also finding that frighteningly few people
(doctors, lactation professionals, etc.) have even heard of this condition.
I'm wondering whether more women actually have this condition (in varying
degrees) and are the ones who never ask for help and just say "I never got
much milk so I quit breastfeeding and the baby was much happier..." These
women don't even bother trying to breastfeed a second baby and certainly
never end up finding out why there were troubles in the first place. I am
also having a hard time trying to refer these mothers to professionals who
might provide a credentialed diagnosis, because the usual suspects (LC's,
pediatricians, midwives, OB/GYN docs) are all stumped and perplexed by the
suggestion, if they've even heard of hypoplasia at all.
If you are inclined to respond -- have you ever encountered breast
hypoplasia? What are your feelings on its prevalence? Is research being
done about it? Am I in a position to share resources with health care
professionals about it, or is it indeed rare enough that it was just a fluke
I am dealing with two cases in one month? Are there experts on the subject
I can refer these women to?
Thanks in advance,
Diana Cassar-Uhl, La Leche League of Highland Falls, NY
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