I passed on the many great suggestions I got for the mom whose milk
wouldn't let down after 3 months of no breastfeeding problems.  She was a
delightful woman to work with.

I asked if she could have been pregnant before that heavy bleed.  She said,
"Not a chance."  I didn't ask.... She is now on a food iron supplement.

I shared the relaxation suggestions you sent, and she shared all of the
relaxation techniques she had been using--some of which she said she knew
sounded silly.  She has taught classes in relaxation and was annoyed with
herself that when she used the techniques she had taught, her mind would
reply, "Oh, yeah, sure."  She even made up songs to her breasts.  We
laughed a lot at her resourcefulness.

She had asked her husband at 5:00 AM to give her math problems so that she
could focus on that instead of her absent MER.  He tried, but was too
sleepy to make up really complex ones, and "2x4 just wasn't an adequate
distraction."

I suggested a day of no dress and skin to skin and *lots* of
playing--spontaneous, mindless play and laughter.  She agreed that she had
grown very serious.  She liked the idea of play and skin.

Dad took a day off from work to help with the efforts.  What finally worked
was Dad's beginning a marathon conversation with her.  He asked questions,
talked about all of the interesting or funny things that he could think of,
and was able to distract her through several feedings, since which her MER
is responsive. Isn't he a sweetie?

She has begun another menstrual period and hopes that this one will not be
heavy as the last one was.  We discussed her heavy period and she said that
it was the second full period, with the first one's being rather light.

Her baby has been a 3-4 hour feeder from early on  and sleeping through the
night, and growing beautifully.  She doesn't sleep much in the day time,
but is happy to play and be held.  All of this is probably the reason for
the early return of menses.

Howecer, mom said that she has been having light bleeding every week or so
since about 1 month.  She was concerned and asked her doctor, whose
brilliant reply was, "When you are breastfeeding all of your hormones are
crazy.  Don't worry."

Mom is concerned, however, because her sister had breast cancer, and
anything saying "hormones" concerns her. I said that I consider irregular
light bleeding in this period to be something to be looked into.  Am I
being an alarmist?  Or should she get a second opinion, especially after
the nature of that "first opinion."

Her milk supply had been great until that heavy bleed 3 weeks ago.

What do you think?

Patricia Gima, IBCLC
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Upper Midwest, USA
mailto:[log in to unmask]