Hi Lactnet friends,
Mother is pregnant with her third child. In connection with her visit
to our hospital´s birth-fear-midwife-outpatient clinic, she said that she -
despite in principle wanting to breastfeed her coming baby - has decided
not to breastfeed being convinced that she is allergic to her own milk. I
was told (have not met her yet) that she is ginger-type, has mildly atopic
skin, but otherwise healthy. She initiated breastfeeding her two previous
children, but both times had to end lactation due to a severe painful rash
on breasts and nipple area. According to mother if any milk came into
contact with the skin on the breasts, she developed painful rash. As far as
I understood no symptoms inside the breasts. She tried to pump, but only
the same symptoms. She was examined by doctors and tests were made (don´t
know what tests):doctors came to the conclusion that mother obviously
sensitive to her own milk.
If mother has decided not to breastfeed, that will obviously be respected,
but she did allow for trying to research the subject also in this forum.
It seems strange that mother should be sensitive to a substance that has
been produced by her own body - unless there is something autoimmune going
on. I asked one of our obstetricians, but she also found it unlikely that
it is an allergy per se; leant towards stress reaction(?).
Do any of you have experience with something similar? Can somebody direct
me to good information? What else could it be? Could it be her skin type,
that reacts to the milk? If she decides to come for a talk at the clinic
how can we help her the best?
Thank you in advance for any input
Merete Willis, midwife, IBCLC, working at a finnish maternity
hospital/breastfeeding clinic

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