Breastfeeding problems related to fibroids?

March 2, 2004

I posted my story a few months ago after I found this group. I was

pregnant at the time and just about ready to deliver my baby after a

long and hard pregnancy (I had one intramural fibroid that I knew of

that grew to 10cm during my pregnancy and caused preterm labor - I

was on bedrest for 5 months - and during my C-Section my doctor saw

2 more - they are all smaller since the pregnancy but seem to have

leveled off at about 3cm-5cm each). I have since delivered my son

(he is 8 weeks old today and beautiful - a true miracle and gift

from God!!) - however, it seems that my saga continues as I have

recently discovered that I don't produce enough breastmilk to

satisfy him. I seemed to in the beginning when he didn't require as

much, but now as he is growing and demanding more, my body doesn't

seem to be able to make what he needs. I am aware that estrogen

supresses lactation and if fibroids are a result of an imbalance of

estrogen than it makes sense that that might be what I am fighting.

Most health care providers I have spoken with in my area (St. ,

MN), don't seem to have any information or experience with other

women that have had breast feeding/lactation/production issues and

coincidently have fibroids - so I'm just wondering if there is

anyone out there that has had a similar experience. Also, has

anyone ever used progesterone cream while breastfeeding and what are

others' experiences with progesterone cream for helping to shrink

fibroids (I know there are probably posts in the archives on that

subject but I don't have much time to search them with the baby also

making demands on my time). Thanks in advance to anyone out there

with any information related to this topic - anyone who has had a

baby can probably relate to my desperation and frustration related

to this!!!

March 2, 2004

Have you contacted http://www.lalecheleague.org/ They can give you

lots of support. Breastfeeding is totally worth it. Hang in there!

Gerri

>

anyone who has had a

> baby can probably relate to my desperation and frustration related

> to this!!!

March 2, 2004

I had a very large fibroid (small basketball size when my daughter

was born) but didn't have any problems with lactation (I actually

had an oversupply problem when she was about 2 1/2 months old). My

fibroid stayed fairly large (grapefruit size) and I just had it

removed 12 days ago via abdominal myo. I nursed my daughter until

she was 14 months old and actually weaned her the morning of my

surgery!

I would suggest making sure you are drinking enough water and also

nursing your son as often as possible...your supply should increase

with increased nursing. Or, if he doesn't want to nurse a lot, you

may want to pump in between feedings. There is also an herb called

Fenugreek that increases production for some women. There are some

helpful breastfeeding boards out there that may have other

suggestions.

Good luck to you & congratulations on your new son!

~Cindy

> Most health care providers I have spoken with in my area (St.

, MN), don't seem to have any information or experience with other

> women that have had breast feeding/lactation/production issues and

> coincidently have fibroids - so I'm just wondering if there is

> anyone out there that has had a similar experience

March 2, 2004

It's been a long time since I breastfed my babies (15 years), but

the most important thing to do to increase the amount of your breast

milk is to nurse frequently and get plenty of fluids. The act of

nursing stimulates milk production. The very worst thing that you

can do is to supplement with a bottle. I don't know if fibroids

play any kind of role in nursing.

> Most health care providers I have spoken with in my area (St.

, MN), don't seem to have any information or experience with other

> women that have had breast feeding/lactation/production issues and

> coincidently have fibroids - so I'm just wondering if there is

> anyone out there that has had a similar experience

March 3, 2004

Congratulations on the birth of your son!

I don't know whether fibroids affect breastfeeding. I breastfed my daughter for

10 weeks, then did a combination of breastfeeding and formula for another 10

weeks. Toward the end, I was BFing only 2 times a day, so my milk supply

definitely went down at that point.

One thing that was unusual was that my period came back at 8 weeks post-partum.

I don't know whether this was related to the fibroid (my fibroid was

asymptomatic and never caused bleeding problems). I suppose this could have

been caused by an excessive level of estrogen (which could have led to the

fibroid to start with). As you probably know, if you're breastfeeding

exclusively, your period often doesn't come back until much later than that,

because of the way breastfeeding affects your hormones. My midwife said that

usually when you breastfeed, the increased prolactin level keeps the estrogen

in check so that you don't get your period.

Here are a few Yahoo groups that are good sources of info and support:

Breastfeeding

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/breastfeeding/

Some members get a little preachy sometimes, but overall it's a useful group. If

I remember correctly, the Files section of the group includes a document with

tips on increasing supply.

PumpMoms

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/pumpmoms/

I have a whole stash of Web sites I referred to when breastfeeding, as we

encountered our own problems (mainly with latching on improperly and a milk

blister). Here are some Web sites with info about breastfeeding problems:

mom's Increasing Low Milk Supply

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html

mom is an excellent site for breastfeeding tips.

Ask Dr. Sears: Increasing Your Milk Supply

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/T022800.asp

La Leche League: Breastfeeding Info

http://www.laleche.org/bfinfo.html

iVillage's Breastfeeding Primer

http://www.parentsplace.com/features/primer/articles/0,,258693_114314,00.html?

Pumping Moms FAQs-Supply Boosters

http://www.pumpingmoms.org/faq-boost.html

Fenugreek FAQ

http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/fenugreek.shtml

You'll hear over and over again that you shouldn't supplement with formula if

you're having supply problems. That is true in general, because increasing the

frequency of breastfeedings and/or pumping increases your supply. However, I

think that if you've tried several remedies and you're still having supply

problems, you shouldn't feel bad if you need to supplement and/or stop

breastfeeding altogether.

Unfortunately, breastfeeding is sometimes a lot more difficult than we'd like.

It can be very frustrating and frightening when things don't work out. It's a

big burden to be the sole source of nutritional nourishment for your baby. I

hope some of the info on these Web sites helps.

Cheryl

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At 01:54 PM 3/2/2004, bstuddiford wrote:

I have recently discovered that I don't produce enough breastmilk to