Mild Form of Hyperlasia(sp?) Complicated by a Short Frenulum(sp?) Advice Welcome

J.-
An applause for your efforts-keep it up, your perserverence will pay off! I am writing to cheer you on and also to let you know that my son (who's 9 months) and 2 of my girlfriend's who are all in different states, have breastfed and often joked about our poopy diapers, or lack thereof. One time Jace went 8 days w/o a poopy diaper and Darcy's daughter went 13 days. The only reason why we could joke about it is because, all 3 of our pediatricians/midwifes told us this was normal w/ breastfed babies. I didn't complain! Good luck! M.

Hi J.,
I had my daughter on May 9th, and have nearly the exact same problem. I have been pumping/nursing, taking fenugreek and another lactation blend supplement capsules, then finally Reglan. My supply has only barely increased, and not enough to satisfy my baby. I didn't want to give my girl formula, but she wasn't gaining weight, so I had to. The important thing to remember is that you are doing the best you can, and don't let ANYBODY (friends, family, strangers OR lactation nurses) make you feel bad. We are not in a 3rd world country, and you do what you have to to make sure your baby is healthy and well-fed. Also remember, ANY breast milk is better than none at all.
My daughter also has a short frenulum. I use nipple sheilds to help her out because she just gets frustrated w/o them. However both my pediatrician and an ENT specialist recommended against clipping her tongue. Her tongue can reach her gumline, and that's as far as it will need to reach for all adult pruposes (speaking, eating). And the frenulum can stretch over time, so it may extend farther as she grows. Both dr.s have 25+ years experience and both said they've never seen a child that NEEDED it done. That said, they both said if I wanted to have it done, the younger the better and it probably would do my child no harm, but it may not help her either. Things to consider prior to having it done is YOUR pain during breastfeeding, and her weight gain. If you are fine and she is getting enough breastmilk according to your Dr, then it may be unnecessary.
Go with your gut, and get as many opinions as you need. Good luck!

Congratulations on the new baby! Hang in there, J.. You're doing great and everything will work out. I know that there is a breast-feeding support group that meets at least once a month in our area. Are you familiar with them? That might be a great way to get some in-person support. In the first weeks, almost nobody produces much milk so don't let it stress you out. I'm sure you already know this, but remember to: Relax. Relax. Relax. (This was the hardest thing for me to do when I was trying to feed and soothe a screaming baby, but when I would make a deliberate effort to relax all of my muscles I could feel the milk let-down.) And drink plenty of water and avoid caffeine.

I also pumped after feedings and let my boys nurse as much as they wanted when we first came home. I didn't get many poopy diapers in those early days, but the pediatrician assured me this was normal and as long as I was changing a minimum of three wet diapers each day AND the babies were gaining weight everything was fine. It took a lot of work and determination, but eventually I started doing an imitation of a dairy cow!

I'll be thinking good thoughts in your direction!

Hi J.,

I'm sorry your having such a challenging time nursing. I understand totally. I had a breast reduction as a teenager and it was virtually impossible for me to nurse.

I managed to for about 4 months (before my milk was gone) with the help of a Supplemental Nursing System. I think I got mine at Birth & Beyond (I think that's they're name on Madison). It was about $40 and it hung from my neck with tubes that went down to the nipple. As DD nursed she got some tiny amount of breastmilk, and the goat milk I was supplementing with.

The important thing was it helped her to latch (because she hated nursing as she wasn't getting anything to make it worth her while). My DD was born a month early with poor suck but we now have a 3.5 year old healthy, slightly chunky preschooler.

I wish I had seen your post 2 weeks ago. I had a brand new un-opened SNS that I tried to give away several times, I just mailed it to a friend to sell on Ebay for her adoption fundraiser. I just tried to call her but she's not home. She may have listed it already you can find a link through her blog. www.rachaeljanew.blogspot.com

I know it's stressful, keep the faith. It is worth it in the end. I pumped any time my daughter wasn't latched and still got less than 2 oz. We had to feed her through a medicine dropper when she was first born. Those days are rough and exhausting. I hope things get better quickly.

Hi J.
I have a son who is 2 now ( and he is still nursing ) but when he was born he had trouble nursing because he was tongue tied as well. I had a c section so we were in the hospital for 5 days, and while we were there the lactation consultant noticed his tongue and had my sons dr clip it. He wasn't getting enough milk even though my milk had come in already, once that procedure was done, he had no trouble getting milk. Maybe that will help you as well. I think that if you're letting your daughter nurse on demand and are pumping regularly, you will both do great. I had to pump alot in the beginning to build up my supply, and after a few weeks, my supply flourished!! Don't give up, you'll both find your nitch and do great!!
S.

Hi J.,
Im not sure what Hyperlasia is....but I too had problems breastfeeding....but came thru and breastfed my son all the way up till he was 12 mths....he weened himself
I have two other children before my son and was not able to breastfeed them...due to breast infections really bad both times.
So I knew I wanted to breastfeed and new i wanted to be successful and not have to worry about the pain and discomfort.
So what i did was get my nipples ready a month before birth..All I did was use the ointment after i showered...
Then I when i went in to do my check in at the hospital i was able to talk to a lactation consultant and let her now what was going on..and how my milk came out (it actually looked stringy and sometimes when i was pumping and dumped the milk into a bottle it plopped out...yeah i know ewww)so she suggested before i even leave the hospital to start pumping.....
well when my son was born he latched on pretty good...but he lost alot of weight and had problems with his thyroid....
So I had to breastfeed (10 mins on each side), supplement using a suringe and my pinky (up to 15 cc's), and pump after breastfeeding 10 on each side or if you have a double pump 10 total... I was feeding him every two hours ...... and i would replace the formula with breastmilk and soon it was all breast milk and not formula...
pumping helped with my milk supply cause i was pumping right after i fed him and helping me produce milk...
it was very tiring at first..but as long as i ate well and took my vitamins i also used tea too....it was nice...soon i didnt have to supplement at all......i hope this info helps ...im not sure about the clipping of the tounge...never even heard of that....that sounds painful and i would think very hard to heal since its in the mouth..but im sure you did your reasearch.
but i think if you pump right after feedings you will find it helpfull and then you wont have to supplement as well
please follow up i would love to know what you figured out.
C.

I'm glad things are going better. I also want to offer encouragement to not give up. I know it can be tough some times. My pediatrician told me I might want to start supplementing with my 3 month old. I started reading about it online and found that the more you supplement the less you produce, so I would encourage to allow your baby as much time at the breast as she wants! Hang in there!

I encourage you to keep on with the breast feeding. I looked up hyperlasia and found that it has something to do with atypical tissue in the breast. Does that make it more difficult to produce milk or for the baby to nurse? Even if it's more difficult I believe that breast feeding is worth working at.

My daughter had difficulty nursing at first but it became easier with time. She had to use a nipple shield because her nipples were inverted. But she kept at it until it worked. She also used a breast pump.

From the little I read hyperlasia can also be associated with cancer. Is that one of your concerns? If so and it was me I'd ask the doctor if nursing increases the chance of developing cancer and if so by what percentage. If the percentage was low I'd just be sure to have frequent mammograms or even CAT scans.

I do know about being tongue tied. My brother, who is now in his 50's was having difficulty talking clearly and so his doctor clipped his tongue when he was 2 or so and his speech immediately improved. I don't think that there are any ill effects from clipping the frenulum and doing so may help with both nursing and speech.

Have you tried some of the herbs you can take to increase milk supply?