In a message dated 6/12/00 7:36:28 PM, [log in to unmask] writes:
<< Saw a really sad TV special about a young teenager getting a breast implant
to correct her asymmetry -- one side was cup size A, the other cup size B.
Of course, she didn't just get the smaller side boosted up to a B, she got
implants on both sides so she would have C size on both sides. Never a word
mentioned at all about what breasts are for. :(
Sometimes I truly despair of turning the tide on this issue. >>
Kathy,
This isn't quite the same issue, but I just finished working w/ a mom who
cried throughout her pregnancy b/c of breast reduction surgery she had at the
tender age of 18. She feared she would never bf her babies and it was very
important to her (she was also bf). She had prepared by getting an SNS and
pump before she contacted me. I told her to also try to get some breastmilk
to have on hand, either from a milk bank or another source, if she had one
she trusted. She did that as well.
I told her all of the same things to observe that any mother might watch
for, since I didn't want to create fear in her. After probing a little bit
about her feelings about the surgery, her body and her spiritual beliefs
(primarily Buddhist), I told her she needed to really believe in her body and
to focus on bf working, not failing. I told her to visualize the milk flowing
from the ducts, into the sinuses and into her baby. I suggested some Bach
Flower Remedies, which she chose to use as well.
Mom panicked a little in the first few days, but we talked every day and
things moved slowly in the right direction. As of day 8, the baby has
regained birth weight and has *many* wet and soiled diapers every day. She
has no pain with nursing and her breasts are full and leak in the mornings.
The baby is happy, alert, gulps at the breast and this mom, who deeply
regrets her decision to have surgery, believes in miracles. She plans to
reach out to other mothers about this topic, both to support bf and to
educate about the risks of losing the possibility of bf.
I have seen similar situations go poorly, I believe b/c the mothers were
undermined by fearful HCP's early on. Her bf was not going well in the first
few days, due to medical intervention during birth and some underlying fears
on her part. It would have been easy for her and a different group of HCP's
to quickly lose faith in her. Fortunately, she had midwives, a naturopath and
a chiropractor involved, so was very supported.
Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA
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