28-01-2014, 12:38
Well, I guess you've had your baby by now, congrats! Anyway, in response, in case anyone else is pregnant and worried: I have underdeveloped breasts with very little tissue, especially underneath my nipples, they don't grow or change much during pregnancy, and I make plenty of colostrum and hardly any milk. I've had 7 pregnancies resulting in 2 live births and I couldn't keep a mouse alive on the quantity of milk that I make. I don't have any trouble with letdown, my babies latch and suck well, just don't make enough milk. I've tried everything, EVERYTHING, including every herbal galactagogue known, domperidone, pumping before and after feeds, oatmeal, alcohol free beer (something to do with the hops), nursing damn near constantly, drinking enough water to sink a ship and, no, nothing has made enough of a difference to notice.
If you have tuberous or underdeveloped breasts, there is a small, but real, possibility that you will not be able to exclusively breastfeed, no matter what you do. If you bring these concerns to your healthcare provider, they will probably trot out the whole "Size doesn't matter, every woman can breastfeed!" line. So, if you're reading this, pregnant, with severely underdeveloped/tuberous breasts, regardless of size, prepare for the possibility that you won't be able to exclusively breastfeed, there is nothing you can do about it, but you can always combine breast and bottle feeding. It's not all or nothing.
If you have tuberous or underdeveloped breasts, there is a small, but real, possibility that you will not be able to exclusively breastfeed, no matter what you do. If you bring these concerns to your healthcare provider, they will probably trot out the whole "Size doesn't matter, every woman can breastfeed!" line. So, if you're reading this, pregnant, with severely underdeveloped/tuberous breasts, regardless of size, prepare for the possibility that you won't be able to exclusively breastfeed, there is nothing you can do about it, but you can always combine breast and bottle feeding. It's not all or nothing.