>Unfortunately I have not seen the successes with good milk production after
>breast reduction surgery. It seems most moms, at least in my experience, do
>need to supplement long term.

Hi Laurie,

I'm unlurking for a brief moment to say that after a breast reduction from
an I cup to a C or D cup (roughly 2000 gms per breast removed) I breastfed
all three of my children, each longer than the last.  My youngest is
currently 2.5 and still nursing daily/nightly.

I used the SNS with my second and third babies, but not because of supply
issues as much as the health issues my children faced as newborns.  My
second child (8-4 at birth) endured prolonged separation from my while in
the nursery for as much as 6 hours at a time - for no other reason than
they were just "too busy" to give her to me, even as I waited outside the
door.  She received "flat 7-up" in bottles since they wouldn't give her
formula because she was breastfeeding... ended up with jaundice and had a
bili blanket at home for a week until her levels came down under
20s.  Before she was 3 weeks old, the pedi said she was failure to thrive
(6-10 on day 19) and handed me a can of formula, but I went home and had
back-to-back nurse-ins (although I didn't know that's what they were then)
with EBM in the SNS!  By 4 months, they were talking about putting her on a
diet and her neck disappeared under her chins.

My third child (7-0 at birth) was born with VSD (3mm) and was losing weight
daily (6-4 at lowest weight).  Recommendations came again for formula so we
rented another pump, put lots of EBM in the SNS until he was keeping weight
on for two days, and then nurse, nurse, nurse.  We even weighed him daily &
after feeds in the sling hanging from a digital fish scale (DH loved that!)
in our living room.  Our friends who watch him in action now have trouble
believing he had/has a heart defect and would tell you he's in training for
world class wrestling.

My first baby nursed beautifully, gained according to plan, but had nipple
confusion at 3 months when we moved across the country and I bottle fed him
along the way.  The terms "nipple confusion" and "nursing strike" were
unknown to me then!

If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't have the reduction!

Angela Howell
LLLL, RN to be, IBCLC to be...  Registered on Dr. Hale's list under Reduction!

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