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Have milk, but it won't drain



 
 
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  #11  
Old February 10th 06, 04:33 PM posted to misc.kids.breastfeeding
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Default Have milk, but it won't drain

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward wrote:
Anyone encountered this problem: the breasts are filling up, I can feel
the ants crawling along the side, the baby has been latching on
perfectly (per lactation consultant), yet not a drop of anything is
coming out, and I've had to start feeding her formula. She's four days
old.

I've just rented a breast pump for the week and the first 15 minute
session yielded nothing whatsoever. I worry about overstimulating the
production if the milk has nowhere to go. My breasts are already
getting very full and painful.


I'm not sure, but I think the act of withdrawing milk is what
stimulates
production. Besides, like Nikki said, if you really can't get the milk
out you are going to be miserable (I am so sorry), regardless.
So, I don't think you have anything to loose by trying to pump
and continuing to latch your baby on. If your milk hasn't
come in quite yet (4 days is not unusual), pumping may not
yeild anything. Once your milk is in, you should start to see s
omething, and pumping does take practice. I always pumped
better if I was distracted by something
while pumping, if I thought about it I wouldn't let down.

Now, some women do have trouble letting down, and I think
there is an oxytocin (?) nasal spray that can help with that.

If your problem is scar tissue blocking all the pores (there are
lots of them on a nipple - which actually surprised me when
I first started breastfeeding!), then I really don't know what
to say - you'll need some professional help (your plastic surgeon?).

I hope its not that. And I don't know of any support groups, but
I feel very bad for you. Do your best, and if you can't nurse,
then feed your baby how you can. That's the most important thing.

Good luck.
Mary W.

  #12  
Old February 10th 06, 05:39 PM posted to misc.kids.breastfeeding
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Default Have milk, but it won't drain

Congratulations on your new arrrival!

My milk didn't come until the end of day 4. Even when I tried pumping I
got nothing at first. The best way to relieve the engorgement was to
hand express. My mw was very patient and showed me how to do it
correctly . The first time I managed it it flew across the room. My
main problem was I was doing it too weakly, you have to do it quite
hard and make sure you massage the outside area towards the middle then
pull and squeeze the nipple. There were leaflets to show you how but
they didn't help, I needed someone in the flesh as it were, so perhpas
your lc or mw could help. I really hope this helps, engorgement is no
fun.

Jeni

  #13  
Old February 10th 06, 05:46 PM posted to misc.kids.breastfeeding
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Default Have milk, but it won't drain


"Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward" wrote in message
ups.com...
I had nipple reduction surgery three years ago and have strong reason
to believe the pores on the tips of my nipples are 100% blocked by scar
tissue. However, before I am fully certain that this is the case I
wanted to check if others have had a situation where drainage was not
happening at all (with their natural nipples, ie), and how they dealt
with it. I stress 'at all' because I would be ecstatic if I had two
drops of colostrum like some of you have had.

snip
How can these people tell me I have drainage when I KNOW I don't?

Please anyone if you have an answer to my original question that's
really all I would like to know right now. I am frustrated enough as
it is, I don't want to be told that I don't know what I'm talking about
right now. Please understand, it's very difficult for me right now.


I appologise if my previous post caused you distress - that was not my
intention but I didn't know about your surgery which may well affect your
milk. This must be distressing.

Hope that you have some success soon, and if not, remember that feeding your
baby is the most important thing and your baby won't mind how she is fed.

Suzanne


  #14  
Old February 10th 06, 06:09 PM posted to misc.kids.breastfeeding
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Default Have milk, but it won't drain

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward wrote:

How can these people tell me I have drainage when I KNOW I don't?

Please anyone if you have an answer to my original question that's
really all I would like to know right now. I am frustrated enough as
it is, I don't want to be told that I don't know what I'm talking about
right now. Please understand, it's very difficult for me right now.


Which is reasonable and we understand, but you have to remember that
we can't answer a question specific to your case if you haven't given
us all the information. The answers were appropriate for the
information we had to work with.

Michelle
Flutist
  #15  
Old February 10th 06, 07:02 PM posted to misc.kids.breastfeeding
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Default Have milk, but it won't drain

I don't think you've ever mentioned this, basically it comes down to you
have to try it and see what happens, some people can breastfeed after breast
surgeries, some people produce milk, but it won't come out, some people
don't even produce milk.

The problem is, all of what you have said can be stuff than new mothers say
anyway and actually do have milk and it is going into the baby, but they
just never see it and that in isolation would not be a reason to think
breastfeeding wasn't working.

There is a possibility that your scar tissue could break down, with
stimulation, but I would think that is unlikely and you'd probably get very
sore in the process of doing it.

as for other things that stop the milk getting out, the main one is skin
growing over the ducts, but it is unlikely to happen to more than one place
at once, it usually results in a plugged duct for the mum and needing to
flick the extra skin off so the milk can flow again, so quite different.

Anne


  #16  
Old February 10th 06, 07:08 PM posted to misc.kids.breastfeeding
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Default Have milk, but it won't drain

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward writes:

: Anyone encountered this problem: the breasts are filling up, I can feel
: the ants crawling along the side, the baby has been latching on
: perfectly (per lactation consultant), yet not a drop of anything is
: coming out, and I've had to start feeding her formula. She's four days
: old.

Whoa! At four days old, it is quite possible that you milk has
not come in yet. This is WAY to early to resort to formula. Also,
the amount you can pump is absolutely NO indication of how much
you get from nursing. My suggestion here is to drop the forumla
and to resort to nursing as often as she will do it. That should
be at least once every 2 to 3 hours durign the day, and least least
once every 4 hours during the night. From beginning of one session
to beginning of the next. You should nurse about 10 times a day
for the first 2 to 4 weeks.

: I've just rented a breast pump for the week and the first 15 minute
: session yielded nothing whatsoever. I worry about overstimulating the
: production if the milk has nowhere to go. My breasts are already
: getting very full and painful.

Put the baby on them and leave the baby on them as much as possible.

: Warm compresses haven't made a difference.

: I hear immersing the breasts in a big bowl of very warm water for ten
: minutes might get the milk draining. Again, I worry that this might
: overstimulate the production.

: This is a Catch 22 situation: if I stimulate, it might come out, but if
: it doesn't come out, I am in deep trouble with mastitis around the
: corner.

: Any advice?

: Also, are there any support groups for mothers who desperately want to
: breastfeed but can't due to physiological reasons beyond their control?

I think it is quite possible that you are panicking too early, rather
than having a problem keeping you from breastfeeding. Relas and keep
the baby at the breast as often and long as possible.

Good luck,
Larry
  #17  
Old February 10th 06, 07:14 PM posted to misc.kids.breastfeeding
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Default Have milk, but it won't drain

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward writes:

: I had nipple reduction surgery three years ago and have strong reason
: to believe the pores on the tips of my nipples are 100% blocked by scar
: tissue. However, before I am fully certain that this is the case I
: wanted to check if others have had a situation where drainage was not
: happening at all (with their natural nipples, ie), and how they dealt
: with it. I stress 'at all' because I would be ecstatic if I had two
: drops of colostrum like some of you have had.

Ahhh. This changes everything I said in my first post. I think the
first thing you need to do is contact the plastic surgeon who did
you surgery and ask if he severed the milk ducts when he performed
the surgery. Unfortunately, most plastic surgeons know little about
breastfeeding, and don't think of it when informing their patients
of the possible consequences of the surgery. However, he ought to be
able to tell you how he conducted the surgery and how much damage
he might have done. You just have to ask the right questions. BTW:
does the hospital and LLL know you had breast reduction surgery.
This should be the first thing you tell them.

Good luck,
Larry

  #18  
Old February 10th 06, 07:35 PM posted to misc.kids.breastfeeding
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Default Have milk, but it won't drain

he might have done. You just have to ask the right questions. BTW:
does the hospital and LLL know you had breast reduction surgery.
This should be the first thing you tell them.


she said nipple reduction, I tapped it into google and this is what came up

http://www.aboardcertifiedplasticsur...reduction.html

specifically "Sensation is almost always normal following a nipple
reduction, and the ability to breast feed can usually be easily preserved. "

also seems that this is a thing that people do after breastfeeding, I never
even knew there was such a thing

Anne


  #19  
Old February 10th 06, 07:59 PM posted to misc.kids.breastfeeding
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Default Have milk, but it won't drain

Anne Rogers writes:
: he might have done. You just have to ask the right questions. BTW:
: does the hospital and LLL know you had breast reduction surgery.
: This should be the first thing you tell them.

: she said nipple reduction, I tapped it into google and this is what came up

: http://www.aboardcertifiedplasticsur...reduction.html

: specifically "Sensation is almost always normal following a nipple
: reduction, and the ability to breast feed can usually be easily preserved. "

: also seems that this is a thing that people do after breastfeeding, I never
: even knew there was such a thing

: Anne

OK. I had never heard of such a thing either, and I admit I simply
thought it was a mistype. Live and learn. Nevertheless, I think
my suggestions about contacting the surgeon still apply.

Thanks for the heads up,
Larry

  #20  
Old February 10th 06, 08:13 PM posted to misc.kids.breastfeeding
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Default Have milk, but it won't drain

You mentioned that you "spoke" with a number of people. Who has
actually seen you in person to determine what might be going on?
There's only a lot of guessing when you're on the phone, and it's hard
to remember what to tell people and harder for them to think about what
is going on. Could be scar tissue preventing the milk coming out,
could be your baby's latch, could be several things. Get to a LLL
meeting, see a lactation consultant in person, etc. If you have done
so already, then see someone else, but your previous post indicated
that you only spoke to other people, not had a person-to-person visit,
which is much more helpful.

 




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