A BFAR update - 15 months and counting!

It has been awhile since I've written and it is hard to believe that my daughter and I have been breastfeeding now for over 15 months! Wow, has it ever been a journey! But overall, it has been an experience that has been so worthwhile!  If you told me in the early days of our journey that I'd still be breastfeeding at this point, I'd probably be a bit surprised (pleasantly).

Over the past several months, I've been thinking a lot about our breastfeeding journey, and analyzing several aspects of it. Tonight in particular, I was thinking a lot about it, which led to the need to write and document some of my thoughts...

For those of you who read this blog, you know of my history breastfeeding after reduction. Since the time I was pregnant (and even before then), I knew I might have difficulties breastfeeding because of my previous breast reduction surgery. In the beginning, I felt that my supply was enough to feed my daughter and was surprised (although maybe I should not have been) and devestated when our midwife said we needed to start supplementing and trying to increase my milk supply.  This was after my daughter lost a little more than 10% of her birth weight and was regaining weight a bit slower than the midwife wanted to see (although she did seem to be gaining at least 1/2 oz. per day, which they told me to expect).

In the beginning, there were a number of symptoms besides slow weight gain (for example, excessive gassiness, sleepiness at the breast, green watery stools, etc.). Many of these symptoms could be related to low milk supply. Others we thought were just normal newborn things, a result of too much hind milk, etc.  I also had several symptoms from the beginning including a hospitalization at 9 days postpartum with a suspected cause of mastitis, continuously sore nipples (they are often still painful to nurse), nipples that would not fully heal until well after 1 year of breastfeeding, and more.

After the postpartum period was up with my midwife, I started going to see the lactation consultants at the hospital that I was admitted to at 9 days postpartum. At the clinic, they would watch us breastfeed and do before and after weights. There were a few things that I noticed in the beginning that I thought were strange but the lactation consultants passed off as normal, or attributed to my breast reduction. One thing was that whenever my daughter would latch, her top lip would flip in, and I always had to manually flip it out to get a proper latch. She never had one of the beautiful latches that I see in pictures. I also remember being so sad at some of the visits asking the LC, "how could she only have taken that much breastmilk?", explaining afterwards that when I tried to pump instead of a feed, I could get more than she was drawing out. That seemed odd to me, but I figured that the LC knew best and my breast reduction somehow was the explanation. I even remember the midwives and nurses in the beginning looking at aspects of my breastfeeding (for example, how fast my milk came in, being able to hand express [squirt] milk, and how much I could pump following a feed in the early days) and believing I had lots of milk and breastfeeding wouldn't or shouldn't be a problem.

I remember immediately after my daughter was born, noticing the deep V in the middle of her upper lip and actually asking my midwife if that would eventually go away. I had never seen a baby with that before. And, there were actually some other people who mentioned it as well. I didn't think it had anything to do with breastfeeding.

After months and months of research on low milk supply, and feeling like I had made such a mistake by having my breast reduction (I'm bigger now than when I had it done - partially due to breastfeeding), I started to think...maybe it wasn't just my breast reduction that caused the issues that we have had along our breastfeeding journey.

After researching more and more, and talking with friends, I've discovered that many of the symptoms that my daughter and I both had, could be attributed to a lip & tongue tie. One of the first things I came across (I didn't even put the symptoms and the possibility of this together until later), was the fact that her deep V in her lip could be because of a lip tie. My chiropractor actually told me that usually the deeper the V, the more extensive the lip tie. After that, I decided to take a look. Lifting up my daughters lip, I noticed an evident frenulum that looked to extend to the ridge of her gums, and possibly behind slightly to the top of her mouth. Now that her top teeth are growing in, there is a gap, although it is difficult to say if that will close with time.

After talking with a friend, she told me 2 things: lip ties generally occur with tongue ties and that lip and tongue ties run in families. I also recently read online that if a baby has a lip tie, it is unlikely for them NOT to have a tongue tie...in other words, if they have a lip tie, they most likely have a tongue tie as well.

Once I talked to my friend and learned from her, I went home and checked myself. After looking at pictures and myself in the mirror, examining my mouth, it looks like I do have a bit of a lip tie, although it doesn't extend past the gums. My friend told me that one test to check for a tongue tie is to try and touch the top of your mouth with your tongue when your mouth is open as wide as possible. If you can't, you likely have a tongue tie. I tried the test and sure enough, I can't quite touch the top of my mouth. Also, when running my finger along the bottom of my mouth with my tongue up, there is a frenulum ridge. Although minor, it looks like I might have a slight lip and tongue tie. In the beginning of my breastfeeding journey, I talked to my mom about my difficulties and found out that she thought she had a low milk supply too. I figured maybe it ran in the family and wasn't just because of my breast surgery. Looking back, maybe it was a slight tongue and lip tie that caused the difficulties.

So looking back at everything over the past 15+ months, I wonder if the difficulties that we have encountered were not due only to a breast reduction but because my daughter had/has diffculty with milk transfer, related to a possible tongue and lip tie. Even today, I experience issues such as nipple pain during breastfeeding, clicking noises while breastfeeding, etc. This experience has definately made me look more into the issue and will make me more aware in the future. Assuming that we have enough child, these are things that I'll be watching out for once again. And, if the same circumstances arise, knowing that ties often run in families, I will have my son or daughter assessed for ties early on.  While I could be wrong (I'm not a medical expert), and people may say I'm just looking for another reason and I don't want to blame myself (that could partially be true), given all the symptoms that have occured since the beginning, this seems to be a real option.  

Update: some of you have been wondering where I am at with my domperidone. Since the last time I gave an updated, I have completely stopped taking herbs. Also, last time I posted, I was still taking 120mg of domperidone (40mg 3x/day). I have slowly been weaning over the past 6 months or so (worried if I went any faster than my supply would diminish). I am now taking only 30mg (10mg 3x/day). I am hoping to be down to zero in the near future. Since I've gone done very slowly, I have not noticed any symptoms. And my milk supply seems to have reduced only a little bit, if at all. And, if it has reduced, that might be due to the amount of solids that my daughter is taking in. Although, I call her my little boobie monster since she still breastfeeds quite frequently (I work from home, which makes it convenient).

Birth Pool in a Box Eco Review - link

Are you planning a water birth? Are you trying to decide which birth pool is right for you? Check out my review of the Birth Pool in a Box Eco Regular on Everything Up Close. 

Sneak Peek: A picture of me relaxing in between contractions in the Birth Pool in a Box.

Motherlove Product Review

Have you heard of Motherlove?  Motherlove has been around since 1990, being the first company to provide new moms with herbal personal care and supplement products made with pregnant and breastfeeding women in mind!  Motherlove is dedicated to providing products that are consistently made from the finest, purest products on the market, and ensure that the certified organic ingredients will nurture, soothe, and health woman as they grow a new little life.  Motherlove stated that "Each of our formulas are time proven and backed with integrity, wisdom and an intimate knowledge of herbal remedies." 

Some of the products that Motherlove offers include pregnant belly salve, rhoid balm, birth & baby oil (perfect for perineal massages), a wide range of products for nursing mothers (including products for low milk supply), and a range of gifts.

If you read my blog, you'll know what I have had issues with my milk supply due to a previous breast reduction surgery. This has been an emotional and challenging road trying to produce enough milk for my daughter. I have discussed using various herbal supplements in hopes of increasing my milk supply. After doing some research, I found Motherlove and after all the positive reviews, I knew that I had to try their products.

Motherlove sent my More Milk Special Blend to try out for 30 days. 

More Milk Special Blend is "an alcohol free liquid concentrate in vegetarian capsules. This formula blends the herbs in the more milk plus with goat's rue. Specially formulated at the request of lactation consultants, this product can stimulate mammary tissue and increase breast milk for women who did not increase in breast size during pregnancy, have had previous breast surgeries and adoptive mothers.  Not for use during pregnancy." Their website says it can also help moms with PCOS - polycystic ovary syndrome.

It contains "(goat’s rue herb, fenugreek seed, blessed thistle herb, nettle herb, fennel seed), non-GMO soy lecithin, vegetable cellulose, coconut oil).  All herbs are certified organic."

It's suggested use is to "Take 1 capsule 4 times per day. Women over 175 lbs take 2 capsules 3 times per day. May be taken with 1-2 oz. of liquid. Avoid additional liquids 15 minutes before and after each use."

When I received my More Milk Special Blend Capsules, I was excited to try them out. I had been curious about the difference (if any) between the More Milk Special Blend Tincture and the More Milk Special Blend Capsules.  Motherlove explained that the vegetarian capsules actually contain the tincture; the capsules just make the product easier to take.  Apparently some women dislike the taste, which I had read on some review sites.  To be honest, I'm usually worried about how things such as herbs taste so I was happy that they offered to send me the capsules instead.  Motherlove uses tincture in their products because it is more concentrated and thus more effective.

Motherlove told me that usually it takes at least 2 weeks to see an increase in milk supply, although some reviews I read mentioned an immediate increase in supply.  I started to take the Motherlove Special Blend Capsules and was optimistic. I had already tried nearly every thing that was suggested to me and nothing had increased my milk supply all that much, if at all. After a few days of taking the supplement, I did think my supply was increasing. My daughter was choking on my milk at times, which had never happened before.  It actually seemed like I was getting better let downs. Unfortunately, after a few days, that didn't happen as much and I was very worried that my supply had actually decreasing. I tried pumping one day to see what was happening and got significantly less. After talking to the BFAR community (on the forums) they mentioned that the decrease could have been due to stress or other factors and not necessarily the herbs. But, I also thought that it could have had to do with the fennel in the supplement because from what I've read, women can have issues if it isn't cycled. Because of my worry about a possible dip in supply, I decided to stop the supplement a few weeks after I started taking it. I do not know if I ever had an actual reduction in my milk supply. A while after I stopped, I did start the supplement again and didn't notice any change (positive or negative), but since I was just taking the rest of the pills I had, I may not have taken it long enough.

Since I had bought some Motherlove Goat's Rue previously, I decided to try that out after the other supplement trial didn't go very well. From my research, I had heard that Goat's rue can be particularly good for increasing breast tissue in moms that had breast reduction surgery.  Motherlove told me, "We have found that taking goat's rue increases mammary tissue while taking the herb but after stopping, the breast size returns to normal. So, after wearning you can expect to return to your previous breast size."  This is definitely a concern that I have heard from other mothers who have undergone a breast reduction.

The Motherlove website talks a bit more about the Goat's Rue supplement, "An alcohol free liquid concentrate in vegetarian capsules. Discovered in Europe, goat's rue is one of the most potent herbs known to increase breast milk and stimulate the development of mammary tissue. This formula helps women who did not increase in breast size during pregnancy, have had previous breast surgeries and adoptive mothers. Discuss product use with a healthcare professional before using during pregnancy."

I ended up taking the Motherlove Goat's Rue and alfalfa together for approximately 1 month. Once again, I didn't notice any change.

Motherlove told me, "After a breast reduction, results are very individual depending greatly on the type of surgery you had".  Although, I didn't notice a change, or a change in my breast milk supply couldn't adequately be determined, I would try Motherlove products again. I didn't experience any adverse reactions from them and I do know for a lot of people, they seem to work. I really like that the Motherlove Special Blend comes combined with a variety of herbs that have been known to increase breast milk supply. I also love that their herbal supplements are a tincture vs. a dried herb.

I am very fond of Motherlove as a company and appreciate the work they do to educate mothers on various issues! I am particularly fond of their blog: http://motherloveblog.com. Make sure to check it out!

What herbal supplements have you tried to increase your breast milk supply? What was your experience with them?

If you've had breast surgery and are breastfeeding or thinking about breastfeeding in the future, you'll want to check out this podcast with Diane West: http://motherloveblog.com/2011/02/08/breast-surgeries-and-breastfeeding-a-podcast-interview-with-diana-west-ibclc/  "Tanya interviews Diana West, IBCLC, founder of the web’s best resource on breast surgeries and breastfeeding:  bfar.org, and lowmilksupply.org.  She is author of Defining Your Own Success, Breastfeeding after Breast Reduction Surgery, and co-author of Breastfeeding after Breast and Nipple Procedures, The Breastfeeding Mother’s Guide to Making More Milk and The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, Eighth Edition.  Diana successfully breastfed three sons after her own breast reduction surgery."

To keep up to date on the latest happenings at Motherlove, make sure to like Motherlove on Facebook and follow Motherlove on Twitter!

Disclaimer: I received a free 30-day supply of Motherlove More Milk Special Blend to review on this website.  All the opinions shared in this review are my own.

Introducing Simply Beautiful Childbirth Services

These past few weeks I've been pretty busy. We just moved to a town less than 20 minutes south of Winnipeg and have been unpacking and getting used to country living (which we are loving so far).  I have also been working on starting up Simply Beautiful Childbirth Services.

Simply Beautiful Childbirth Services currently offers doula services in Winnipeg and Southeast Manitoba. Within the coming months and ongoing thereafter, I am hoping to offer more services. At Simply Beautiful Childbirth Services, I want to help you experience a simply beautiful birth!

For those of you who don't know what a doula is, here is my definition:
Dou·la. \ˈdü-lə\ A doula is a non-medical assistant (usually a woman) who is experienced with and knowledgeable about childbirth and provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to a woman and her family during pregnancy, childbirth, and the immediate postpartum period. 

If you would like more information about doulas and how they can help you have a simply beautiful birth, please visit the Simply Beautiful Childbirth Services F.A.Q. page.

Also, check out the Simply Beautiful Childbirth Services website, http://www.simplybeautifulchildbirth.ca, to find out more about the services offered. I will be accepting clients with estimated 'guess dates' of the end of mid September and later.

ALL babies are good babies!

I love this! Remember, all babies are good babies! Bad babies don't exist! :)