Have milk, but it won't drain

mobi is an online support group--mothers overcoming breastfeeing
issues. You may find help there.

"Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward" wrote in message
ups.com...
(Not that I'm recommending everyone follow my route, but just know if
you're in a similar situation that you shouldn't take no for an
answer!)

I am not even wanting to imagine poking my nipples with a needle over and
over.

What are the odds that you could contact your original plastic surgeon and
persuade him to open up the ducts for you?

Jess

I apologize for sounding blunt in my previous post, but I was in tears
of frustration as I wrote it after having spent a day and night in
fruitless search of information and help, realising my time was running
out.

I have since done something rather radical: I pierced two shallow holes
in the right nipple using a sterile syringe needle (at the suggestion
of the original plastic surgeon in Australia - although I doubt he
thought I'd be doing it myself!) and guess what - after the first drops
of blood, clear liquid started coming out, and the absolutely superb
lactation consultant who guided me in this (Lucia Jenkins in Wakefield,
MA) recognised colostrum right away. Hallelujah! Baby latched on
immediately, and WOW she actually SWALLOWED after a few moments of
sucking!

Lucia cut to the chase right away, realising there were simply no pores
to work with here, as they were all buried below the scar tissue. She
saw that I was about to become engorged and any additional milk
stimulation could be disastrous unless drainage was achieved. She said
I could do one of three things: (a) go to the hospital and beg to have
holes pierced in there (against all standard procedures and protocols,
given that nobody's ever done this before), (b) should the hospital
refuse, just go to the nearest piercing parlour and request several
vertical piercings - since it's well known that pierced mums get milk
even out of the piercing holes, or (c) just do the thing myself!!!

I was desperate enough, and went for it there and then. We poked for
softer spots in the scar tissue, and identified a few good candidates.
I then took the syringe and gently scratched the first spot and sort of
pushed the needle into it. A few drops of blood came out and I
persisted with pushing the needle further. Can you imagine my joy when
the colostrum started coming out? I had a WET nipple for the very
first time!!!!

Establishing the second hole was more as an exercise to see if I could
repeat the success of the first. And since I could (YES!!) I decided I
would continue the process at home.

Lucia advised me to poke several holes, use a warm compress, then pump,
and continue pumping if I can get something to come out. But if
nothing is coming out, not to pump.

After the baby finished sucking on that first pierced nipple the breast
felt less firm already - a clear sign that she had managed to extract
more colostrum still.

Oh and Lucia said not to worry if the baby gets some of my blood in the
process - many mums have bleeding nipples from breastfeeding and it's
no harm to the child.

I cannot describe what a relief I felt today! It was such a powerful
feeling, being able to take my destiny in my own hands again, rather
than depend on an unwilling medical establishment to help me. It was
almost greater than the home birth I have just had less than a week
ago. I feel so empowered.

(Not that I'm recommending everyone follow my route, but just know if
you're in a similar situation that you shouldn't take no for an
answer!)

Thank you all for your patience with me and I hope this story inspires
or helps someone out there.

"Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have since done something rather radical: I pierced two shallow holes
in the right nipple using a sterile syringe needle (at the suggestion
of the original plastic surgeon in Australia - although I doubt he
thought I'd be doing it myself!) and guess what - after the first drops
of blood, clear liquid started coming out, and the absolutely superb
lactation consultant who guided me in this (Lucia Jenkins in Wakefield,
MA) recognised colostrum right away. Hallelujah! Baby latched on
immediately, and WOW she actually SWALLOWED after a few moments of
sucking!

Well I'd like you to know that a complete stranger is VERY proud of you for
doing what you did!! After reading what someone had to say, something about
skin flaps, I wondered if someone could somehow just poke holes and have
that work out but I wasn't about to suggest something so...radical, as you
put it. But good for you. I hope it work out. I'll be interested to know how
it heals. Keep us posted on how this is working out, ok. I cringe thinking
of you doing that to yourself, because I've watched people have their nipple
pierced and could never have mine done, but then I've never had this
particular problem in breastfeeding. You be proud of yourself.
Marie

Jess wrote:
"Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward" wrote in message
ups.com...
(Not that I'm recommending everyone follow my route, but just know if
you're in a similar situation that you shouldn't take no for an
answer!)

I am not even wanting to imagine poking my nipples with a needle over and
over.

What are the odds that you could contact your original plastic surgeon and
persuade him to open up the ducts for you?

Jess

I did contact him and he'd have been happy to do it but he's in Sydney,
Australia, and I'm in litigation-happy USA where I couldn't find anyone
willing to do this for me.

Marie wrote:
"Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have since done something rather radical: I pierced two shallow holes
in the right nipple using a sterile syringe needle (at the suggestion
of the original plastic surgeon in Australia - although I doubt he
thought I'd be doing it myself!) and guess what - after the first drops
of blood, clear liquid started coming out, and the absolutely superb
lactation consultant who guided me in this (Lucia Jenkins in Wakefield,
MA) recognised colostrum right away. Hallelujah! Baby latched on
immediately, and WOW she actually SWALLOWED after a few moments of
sucking!

Well I'd like you to know that a complete stranger is VERY proud of you for
doing what you did!! After reading what someone had to say, something about
skin flaps, I wondered if someone could somehow just poke holes and have
that work out but I wasn't about to suggest something so...radical, as you
put it. But good for you. I hope it work out. I'll be interested to know how
it heals. Keep us posted on how this is working out, ok. I cringe thinking
of you doing that to yourself, because I've watched people have their nipple
pierced and could never have mine done, but then I've never had this
particular problem in breastfeeding. You be proud of yourself.
Marie

Thank you for your words of encouragement! I too am wondering how
it'll heal, but I understand if I can get a good flow through there it
should stay open. Frankly, I'm so motivated right now that I wouldn't
care if I had to reopen the holes regularly.

As for the cringe factor, it's much less awful than you might think:
I'm using just the very tip of the thin syringe needle, the sharp
slanted bit, and honestly, after the baby had been working on the dry,
unyielding nipples for the first four days they can take a little more
agression! Also, doing it to oneself is way less painful than having
someone else have a go at it.

I've also just thought of another thing: since I can't buy a syringe
over the counter (I got the one I'm using from Lucia, the lactation
consultant) and resterilising means having to boil it for 20 minutes, I
will use diabetes monitoring lancets, which have an even finer tip. I
happen to have a bunch of those left over from when I had to monitor my
gestational diabetes in pregnancy, thankfully now gone.

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward wrote:

I have since done something rather radical: I pierced two shallow holes
in the right nipple using a sterile syringe needle

Wow, I'm glad you figured it out! Now, that is
something you do not hear or read about every
day! Good for you.

-- Anita --

wow! amazing, glad your surgeon was able to suggest something, in the end it
is fairly similar to what you do if you get a plugged duct!

Anne

"Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward" wrote in message
ups.com...
I did contact him and he'd have been happy to do it but he's in Sydney,
Australia, and I'm in litigation-happy USA where I couldn't find anyone
willing to do this for me.

Can he recommend anyone, or is he coming back Stateside anytime soon?

Jess

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward wrote:

(Not that I'm recommending everyone follow my route, but just know if
you're in a similar situation that you shouldn't take no for an
answer!)

Thank you all for your patience with me and I hope this story inspires
or helps someone out there.

Okay, that made me scream and cringe, but, I've taken my own stitches
out before, so....

I'm very happy it's worked for you, and I hope everything goes smoothly
from here on....
--
Cheri Stryker

Mom to DS1 - 6 yrs old
preg w/ DS2 - due in Feb