Hi all!  Has anyone ever seen a woman get into a physical or emotional state
from pumping to build up supply  or to keep her milk supply that she is
unable to sleep at night?   I'm working with a Mom who so desparately wants
to breastfeed that she pumps or nurses every  2 hours and even at night.
She is not tired a night and does not sleep much, that I know of during the
day. I always saw  smiles on this lady until  yesterday when some pretty
grif cam to the front during my visit.  My question is : can you get an
adrenaline rush from pumping or from the stress involved?  Her therapist
asked me about this this AM. ( I had one other patient who had obsessive
-compulsive tendencies who got into a frenzy over breastfeeding.  Hers
resolved but she drove me batty (sp?) in the process.)

 She was referred 2 months ago because her baby  was not thriving  at age 4
mos--observation of feeding showed baby to be latching on poorly, nursing
ineffectively, and reportedly had been alwaus nursing like this.  I did not
know there was any hx if depression- my fault, I guess, but I thought my own
coworkers at my clinic would of known that and alerted me. I set her up with
a breastpump to help build supply and she also began giving some
supplemental formula. I did not feel SNS would work because of my experience
with it only working with the woman with a lot of support and/or better
educated. Also the infant is so distractible with the other 3 cchildren home
from school even if they are in another room.  The breastpump really did
help but we missed one visit, she has no phone, she returned breastpump too
early and her supply dropped again. Infants nursing pattern does not change,
in fact, has gotten worse.

 THis Mom is on welfare, 4 child, she had nursed her other three
successfully, not longer than 6 mos. and really wants to breastfeed for at
least give breastmilk for 1 year.  SHe has been pretty depressed due to past
issues and also the baby's father leaving her during the pregnancy, coming
back and leaving again.  She has a  good therapist who has been visiting her
since December in the home.  There is a possibility of the psychiatrist
prescribing  Meds to treat depression and he would not allow her to
breastfeed if he did so.

THe RD, MSW, myself, and the PHN, LC in training will be having a
conference meeting next week, to collaborate and ease transition from me to
the new PHN  when I leave the Health Department next week.  Thanks for input
on the question in the first paragraph.  Cindy
.Cynthia J. Church RN,BSN,IBCLC