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Breastfeeding/Lacking glandular tissue?

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Expert: - 5/28/2008


Question
QUESTION: During my two pregnancies I never felt changes in my breasts during gestation.  No darkening, no increase in size, no tenderness.  I have never felt engorgement or letdown.  I produce an average of a half ounce of milk per breast for a half hour feeding.  This calculation was done at a breastfeeding clinic, not from pumping.  I fed on demand and for up to 15 feedings the first couple weeks.  Both of my boys were under their birth weight significantly at their two week checkups so supplementation was necessary.  It breaks my heart so much because I completely believe in the benefits of breastfeeding.

(I did breastfeed my sons what milk I DID have for the first six months of both of their lives.  I now have a 7 month old and hardly any milk)

I have read about a small percentage of women not having sufficient glandular tissue - could this be me?  My body just doesn't seem to measure up to normal female expectations for breast changes and such during pregnancy and afterward.  Is there anything I can do to change my status?

thank you so much for your help,
Tiffany

ANSWER: Dear Tiffany,

I have been thinking about you and empathizing with your feelings of disappointment. If you can, though, think about how lucky you are that you have been able to have your babies (which some women are not) and that they are healthy (which some children are not). And then go on to do whatever you can for your lovely children. We can't pick the cards we are dealt in life -- but we can play the best we can with the ones we get.

Warm wishes,

Sally

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you for your response.

have you heard of raw mammary pills??  are these effective or safe?

Answer
Dear Tiffany,

I looked on the Internet for information about raw mammary pills, since neither I nor the physician I consult about drugs, herbs, etc. in lactation had ever heard of them before in relation to breastfeeding.

I found one entry from a responsible organization, warning of possible dangers from compounds like these. Although this was an old posting (1997), I would think that its cautions still apply. You might want to read it: http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/1997Q3/swallow.html

Good luck -- and enjoy those little boys! One other thought: Even though you can't breastfeed your little one, you can bottlefeed skin-to-skin and make eye contact during feedings and comfort him at the breast. And of course show your love to both your children in so many other ways.

Best wishes, Sally
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Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters. Now in revision for a fourth edition, with Laura M. Marks, M.D.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

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What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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