I'm guessing that sometimes a pituitary takes a bad hit during some kind of intrapartum oxygen deprivation, and can recover fully or partially, over time.  And I'm guessing that *that's* when Ruth Lawrence's suggestion of syntocinon may help a woman get past that early period of a "down but not out pituitary" until it reestablishes itself.  

With full-blown Sheehan's, which I've seen once, syntocinon becomes laughable.  The woman's ability to produce all kinds of reproductive, growth, and other hormones is destroyed for good.  It's truly devastating.  

There was an article in Breastfeeding Review (Failure to lactate - two cases explained, 1995; 3(2): 92-94) that described a couple women's experiences; one of them sounds like Sheehans.  She failed to recover her supply with that child but did with a subsequent one.  Again, I'd guess her pituitary suffered a severe but not fatal blow.  My client would envy her.

Supportive measures like syntocinon make sense until you have a better idea of where this is headed.  Cross your fingers!

Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC, LLLL  Ithaca, NY  USA
www.wiessinger.baka.com

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