So many stories are pouring in. Women around the world want to tell their stories and they are so appreciative of others sharing theirs. Each breastfeeding relationship is unique and changes with each baby you have. It is amazing how different babies are and how we change we each one. I like to think of baseball. Each game is different, even with the same players. Many variables factor into wins and losses. Thank you to all who want me to tell their story.
Today's story didn't have the positive outcome with the first two babies we all hope for. This mother came to see me while still pregnant. She had a very difficult time breastfeeding her first child due to severe engorgement and mastitis.
She was told to pump after every feeding while still in the hospital because of her engorgement. She was quickly pumping 8-10 ounces with each session. Her breasts were abundant producers. Her husband, thinking himself funny, called her a cow. Not exactly something any woman wants to hear and especially not right after having a baby.
Every time she tried to stop pumping, her breasts filled quickly, she was engorged and felt she had to pump- a vicious cycle. Before long she developed mastitis. In a few weeks she developed mastitis again. This time she she said, "enough is enough."
We talked about ways to manage her milk production during the prenatal visit. She left with a plan to call me after the baby was born. Second baby arrives and even though she did not pump, her breasts became engorged. The baby drank well, transferring three ounces of milk on day three! I saw her several times in the first week. She was managing her abundant milk production well, though it wasn't easy.
Late on a Friday night the call came in. In those early days of my private practice, I always answered the phone, even at night. She had fever, chills, flu-like symptoms: mastitis. She got through the first bout and breastfeeding was going well. Her milk production was decreasing and manageable.
One week later mastitis occurred again. She was feeling very discouraged. At her baby's two week check-up, she mentioned to the healthcare provider that she had had mastitis twice. She was advised to give up breastfeeding. "Why do you want to do this to yourself?" she was asked. "The new formulas are just as good, if not better than breastmilk." She called to tell me she had decided to give up breastfeeding. "When I learned that the new formulas are so fantastic, it didn't make sense for me to continue." She felt sad, but comforted in her false knowledge.
Next comes baby number three. She had had a lot of time to think about breastfeeding. She had done extensive research and now understood that formula can never match breastmilk. It does a decent job of matching the nutrition, but breastmilk is only 10% nutrition. With a better understanding of how to manage an over abundance of milk, as well as her determination to make it work, she "conquered" breastfeeding. Two strikes and a home run!
- Anybody else have a similar situation with milk production?
- Did anyone have a healthcare professional tell you that formula is just as good as breastmilk?
Debbie
And as always,
Our mothers are amazing and our babies are awesome.
P.S. Some women never produce all the milk their baby needs. Please know that my heart goes out to you. Whenever possible supplement with donor milk. And know that with each baby the breasts recalibrate. You may produce all the milk your 2nd or 3rd baby needs.