Am hoping someone can advise me about this as I am on my own trying to work out what to do for the best.
I have breastfed 2 children before without problem but I had surgery a few yrs ago which involved cutting around my nipples and basically reattaching them after tissue/ skin had been removed.
I now have been blessed with a beautiful baby & am at a loss of what to do about feeding. Throughout this pg my breasts never leaked which is unusual for me so I took this as a sign that I probably wouldn't be able to feed. I was warned about this possibility by my surgeon prior to the treatment.
After birth I was able to squeeze a few drops of colostrum out but v tiny amount compared to previous pgs. I put baby on the breast but even that isn't easy as my nipples aren't normal anymore they sort of blend into the skin so it's hard to help baby get latched.
The hospital were a bit crap in that they kept trying to get her on & even put me on the pump for 5 v painful minutes which resulted I nothing. I kept explaining that the breasts were perfectly capable of producing milk but as the nipples had in effect been severed the milk might not be able to get out. I was worried about ending up v engorged when the milk came in. Thankfully the BF coordinator MW came to see me & told me to wait & see what happened when milk came in.
On 3rd day milk came in & again no leaks at all, could produce literally 1 or 2 drops if squeezed. Felt v engorged & put baby on. Nipples v sore unlike previous pgs I think due to shape/ latching. Baby stayed on for over an hour & definitely drained some off so I thought I would be ok to mixed feed.
This was 2 days ago & the breast didn't seem to fill back up much to my disappointment. Until tonight that is. But one side is definitely filling more than the other & that is the side that is a little easier to squeeze the drops from. Tried her on it before bed but she's tired & will try her again in the night too but I am not optimistic.
Sorry this is long. I know I need to continue to bottle feed too but even just a night breastfeed would be a bonus right now so any advice to help us achieve this is v welcome thanks.
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Infant feeding
Breastfeeding after nipple/ uplift/ breast reduction surgery
12 replies
Thornykate · 12/06/2011 23:41
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