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Milk Production After Reduction
One Woman's Story of Success By Kim Folsom
As the days passed and my belly grew with my third child, I fantasized about finding an article that would triumphantly announce, "I successfully breastfed my baby after a breast reduction." I pored over magazines. I canvassed my local library and bookstore. I surfed the Net. Time and again, I found stories of partial success. I learned of nursing simulators and supplemental recommendations. And I read many tales of disappointment. But I never found what I was looking for. I never found absolute confirmation that success was possible. I'm offering the following story to women in the same predicament. This is my story of success.
My husband and I had one girl and one boy, and we thought our family was complete. I had desired a breast reduction since my teens, but didn't want to interfere with the ability to breastfeed my children. So I waited to have the surgery until after I weaned my second child. Five years later, when I learned that I was pregnant again, I was very concerned that the reduction had been a mistake. I knew the pleasure and benefits of nursing, and I didn't want to miss out or deny my third baby.
Heather is a registered nurse. She has a bachelor of science degree in nursing and is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Any woman who is apprehensive or struggling with breastfeeding should seek out a board certified lactation consultant. If you've had a breast reduction, this is an absolute necessity.
After examining my breasts, peeking at the baby and asking a few questions, Heather explained how we would proceed. She seemed pleased that I was able to express small amounts of colostrum. That indicated that at least some of my milk ducts were intact. She observed the baby latching on and nursing and made arrangements to see us in her office within 24 hours after discharge from the hospital. She described a special scale called a Medela Baby Weigh Scale, which registers down to 1/10 of 1 ounce. The baby would be weighed, then we would nurse on one side, weigh again, nurse on the other side and weigh a final time. This, Heather assured me, was a very accurate way to make sure that Baby was getting adequate nourishment.