breastfeeding advice required - no milk supply!

jellyhead

on quite a few threads it's been said that anyone can breastfeed. i couldn't. i'm wondering if anyone can help as i'd prefer to breastfeed the baby i'm having in july if i can. it seems to be more and more popular so i thought maybe somebody would have experienced what i did, or know someone else.

i just didn't have any milk, not a single drop. i was in hospital for 5 days and had lots of help and went on a milking machine but it just didn't happen. no leaking during pregnancy, no milk for the baby, nothing afterwards either. i was told maybe it was because i had pre-eclampsia or maybe because my iron count was below 8, no real answers because no milk came later on after my iron was back up. other mums who bottlefed complained of leaks and having to take tablets to dry up the milk, i never had any in the first place.

i thought maybe it was just me but recently mum was talking to somebody else and she said that she never had a single drop for any of her 4 children either. not just having a small supply, etc. there really wasn't a single drop produced. i assume my nan breastfed her babies, bottle feeding wasn't around then so i'm guessing there's not a genetic problem causing lack of milk. not sure about the pre-eclampsia argument because nan had it with her first child but managed to feed. mum had it with her first (me) but she was okay with her other three children but still no milk.

all suggestions welcome, i've never met anyone else who had ni milk and i really want to breastfeed this baby so if there's anything i can do in the event of no milk supply i'd like to try it :-)

Ted_Hutchinson

You may find these links useful.

Laleche FAQ

Laleche helpline

Breastfeeding network also with helpline and factsheets

Spendless

Hi

Breastfeeding i can't help you with - sorry.
but about another couple of things

Pre-eclampsia - My GP told me it was more likely in a first pregnancy and the chanmces reduce in a subsequent pregnancy. That's not to say that people won't get in in a 2nd or 3rd pregnancy etc but just it's more likely in a first.

Anaemia- i had it in pregnancies with both son and daughter. What about asking your Midwife if there is anything you can do to keep iron levels up. I don't know if you can take iron tablets unless you are already anaemic, but i seem to remember things like broccoli and dried apricots were both high in iron. Perhaps woth checking into.

Good Luck

xx

jellyhead

thanks spendless :-)

i'm not taking iron from the doctor but have bought a supplement, spa-tone, it's a liquid and is supposed to be easier to digest than tablets. i feel very anaemic already but haven't had my blood test back yet. the spa-tone only has the daily RDA but it's better than nothing, the tablets the doctor gives me really upset my IBS. i probably didn't take enough iron last time. i've had a thing about dried apricots and green veg, it must be my body wanting iron :-)

my midwife wasn't very comforting about the pre-eclampsia, she told me i'm almost certain to get it again because this baby is with a different partner. i was told in the hospital that it's a 1 in 6 chance with subsequent babies but the midwife says that's only if they have the same father as the first. it's a good job i'm not easily worried because the midwife pretty much told me it's guaranteed! although mum and nan only got it with their first babies their subsequent babies were with the same father. ah well, we'll see. i know what to look out for but it all just sounds like a migraine to me lol!

i think the iron probably had more effect on my milk than the pre-eclampsia, i'll make sure my iron is up this time. i've been doing some reading but can only find out about poor milk supply, not about no supply at all. i was surprised to find not a single drop last time but i suppose i'd been quite ill beforehand, i went to bed thinking i had a migraine and my sister found me next day unconscious - even if i do get pre-eclampsia this time hubby will notice, i'm not living on my own now so it won't get to the stage it got to last time :-)

Lillibet_2

I'm pregnant & have tested as anemic, I am already taking Pregnacare which give the right quantities of iron during pregnancy but if I wasn't on these I could take iron supplements, I have also been told to eat iron rich foods (so far it isn't helping though, I'm still anemic!)

Davesmum_2

Jellyhead- I had the exact same problem - No milk whatsoever! Some midwives are very pushy about breast feeding and sometimes i think that can make you a little anxious about it. I know that they say its best for baby, but I just couldnt do it after days of trying, Spent so long beating myself up over it, and felt so guilty and that i was a terrible mother! But sometimes its just not right, I do hope it works out for you. Best wishes.

tiff

Hi jellyhead, I must admit I've not heard of anyone not having any milk. I was mortified just after I got home from hospital, sat in the bath and both breasts started dripping milk into the water like a tap. Nobody tells you these things beforehand!

I had my first child in America and went along to La Leche league meetings with an American friend whilst I was pregnant. I learned a lot during that time so that when my time came I felt confident that I would be able to do it. They were the ones that convinced me that I could do it, just a matter of persevering. I really cant help you except to say please do try La Leche league if you need help. Good luck

sairz

jellyhead,
Having succesfully breast fed all my three children i hope i can help you out a little, when i had my first son i had perfect pregnancy,labour the works my milk was fine had loads of the stuff the only problem i had there was he was a greedy little thing and constantly attached to me this eventualy slowed down until he had normal feeding times,then i had my daughter she had problems growing in the womb this scared me alittle and when she came out she looked realy small i was scared with all the midwives and doctors running about that when it came to feeding time there wasnt much there it was like that all the time i was in the hospital but when i arrived home my suppy gradualy increased,when i had my third child she also had problems growing in the womb i also had a few threatened miscarrages then i hemmoraged and delivered her she was only 4pound 3 ounces it took me 1 hour to fill a tea spoon up with milk i believe this was because of how nevous and scared i was in the end the midwives gave her a bottle of formula to keep her going but this didnt stop me trying i would sit there massaging my breast for hours my nipples where killing me but by the time i got home again i noticed that my milk started increasing again up to the fact that i was able to get rid of the formula all together, you see i believe that when we are nervous,scared or just dont feel able to relax then this will give you problems when you come to feed your baby, i urge you not to give up even if your baby does have to start on formula, i advise that once your home and relaxed spend some quality time with your baby and try them on your breast even if they dont get any milk first off, it will help believe me just try and relax the best you can, sure your nipples will be sore but that will get better, massage your breast often towards the nipple as this encourages milk supply to,drink guiness even if it is just an excuse:) not to much mind lol, try putting warm compresses on your boobs too, in the end just dont worry, as long as your baby is getting some substitute then you can just keep trying and still be happy that your baby is content, if it doesnt work out in the end then at least you can say you have tried your best,keep smiling chicken and less of the worrying about it:)im sure things will be just fine

tiff

Definitely when you are tense it affects your milk production (makes you sound like a dairy cow! You need to sit in a room (maybe on your own) on a comfortable chair, have a pillow under your arm (the one that the baby's head is resting on) and a glass of water nearby as you can get really thirsty. If you sit back, close your eyes and try to relax it really does make a difference.

Dont succumb to pressure though, do the best you can and if it means the baby has to be bottle fed then go for it. Its really not worth feeling guilty over and worrying lots about. Certainly get all the advice you can but dont beat yourself up. I think a lot of pressure is put on women to breast feed but at the end of the day if its affecting you, formula milk is a great alternative.

bis_si

Hi,

it might be worth your while contacting one of these helplines to discuss the milk issue

La Leche League (LLL): Tel: 0845 120 2918 (24hrs)
Association of Breastfeeding Mothers (ABM): Tel: 0870 401 7711 (24hrs)
The Breastfeeding Network (BfN): Tel: 0870 900 8787 (9:30am-9:30pm)
National Childbirth Trust (NCT): Tel: 0870 444 8708 (8am-10pm)

Most health professionals have little if any training in breastfeeding (I include midwives in this - I start a midwifery course later this year and breastfeeding is an optional short course in 3rd yr). The counsellors who answer the contact nos. above will have studied breastfeeding and have breastfed themselves for varying lengths of time.

I would recommend talking to a counsellor about it, and giving it your best shot - certainly stress, both physical and emotional (such as pre-eclampsia) can prevent let down (the free flow of milk). Also very few mums are able to express much with a pump in the early days of breastfeeding, it takes time to get used to the pumps.

Having said that - 98% of women can successfully breastfeed - that means 2% of women can't. You may be in this group (someone has to be I'm afraid). Please do consider trying again though!

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Yoga_Girl

I would also strongly recommend talking to a breast-feeding counsellor, I contacted a local NCT breast-feeding counsellor after the birth of my 1st child, I'd had to have an emergency caesarian and my milk didn't come in til over a week later, apparantly this can sometimes happen after caesarians but no-one in hospital told me this! The NCT counsellor came round to see me at home and she was lovely and reassuring, and gave some good practical advice.

I also went to NCT ante-natal classes as well as the classes run by the hospital, at the NCT class a lot more time was spent on looking at issues around breast-feeding.

I think the best thing you can do is just arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible and whatever happens don't beat yourself up about it, you have enough pressure on you as a new mum without thinking you've "failed" if you can't breast-feed - you havn't, every mum and every baby is different.