I apologize if I already sent this in - I sent it to the wrong address first!
Thank you, Dana
This is a complicated and sad story that I feel I only have one shot at
providing the perfect answer for. I am requesting your expert input into this
delicate situation. This is from a 30 year old woman who delivered her first
baby and then had a hysterectomy following a vaginal birth complicated by
placenta accreta. The hemorrhage almost took her life and was followed by blood
transfusions. Amazingly, she recovered and continued on to successfully
breastfeed her baby. Her baby is now four months old and is exclusively
breastfed.
Dana, thank you SO much for taking this on! You can absolutely pose this
question to anyone! I guess it is more complex than I had anticipated (welcome
to my world, right;)... it's so funny, going into motherhood I was not sure how
I would do breastfeeding. I read some books, took a class and adopted the
attitude of "I'll try it and if it works great; if not no big deal." However,
the instant I laid eyes on (baby) I knew it was no longer a choice-this innate
something kicked in. How could I not give her the absolute best?! I am so
incredibly thankful that I am able to give this gift to her. More selfishly, I
feel like being able to breastfeed has lessened the blow of losing my fertility.
It makes me feel like I still have a little piece of my fertility left! To do
this for our next baby would be an amazing thing, however I truly believe that
I am on a journey and whatever happens is the way that it is supposed to
happen. If it doesn't work out, at least I know I tried!!
My husband and I have already started thinking about our next baby and the
options that we might have-we're exploring both adoption and surrogacy. I am
still exclusively breastfeeding (baby) and my goal is to get to one year, which
I think I am going to make! I'm not sure if I'll go much past that-I think I
just have to play it by ear. I would absolutely love to give the gift of
breastfeeding to our next child-my body is doing this amazing thing and I just
can't imagine letting my milk dry up and never being able to get it back again.
My question is this: after (baby) weans, would it be possible to keep my milk up
by pumping just a couple of times a day until our next baby makes his journey to
us? And when we are preparing for another baby's arrival how realistic is it to
think that I can just pump, pump, pump to build up my milk supply for that baby?
Lastly, I have done some reading about milk donation...I had a transfusion
during (baby)s crazy arrival and I have read that I can't donate within a year
of that...but what about after a year? Would I be able to donate the milk that I
am pumping to keep up my supply?? Thank you so much for muscling through this
looong message!! I guess I just want to prepare myself if this is totally not
going to work.
My questions are:
1. How to manage a full supply between the time her baby weans and the arrival
of a new baby
2. How to arrange for the new baby to get colostrum
3. How far in advance to arrange for milk donationBecause she no longer has a
uterus and will never again have a placenta, I want to be sure I guide her in
the right direction so that she can enjoy breastfeeding her next biological or
adopted baby. Thank you all.
Dana Schmidt, BS, RN, IBCLC, CLE
Dana Schmidt, BS, RN, IBCLC, CLE
Cradlehold, Director
Breastfeeding Education & Support
203-687-1075
www.cradlehold.net
www.facebook.com/cradlehold
http://twitter.com/cradlehold
www.meetup.com/Wednesday-Afternoon-Weigh-Ins
Providing the minimum amount of intervention for the minimum amount of time for
maximum benefit to mother and baby
Hidden Booby Trap: Is Your Lactation “Specialist” an Imposter?
http://www.bestforbabes.org/2010/03/hidden-booby-trap-is-your-lactation-specialist-an-imposter/
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