Do these factors negatively affect breastfeeding...?

[FET14]

Attempting some v unscientific research here but curious to know whether others have had any / all of the following AND particular difficulties with / failure to (exclusively) breastfeed for at least 6 months:

A) IVF / ICSI to conceive

B) polycystic ovaries / PCOS

C) prolonged labour

D) significant postpartum haemorrhage

E) a history of fertility problems, (regardless of diagnosis and eventual mode of conception)

Please state which of the above and how long, if at all, you managed to (exclusively) breastfeed for.

Anecdotal evidence gathered from speaking to BF counsellors about my own BF experience found opinion divided. Some existing research links each of the above individually to BFing difficulties but I can't find anything on more than two or more of these factors combined.

I'm sure this is an area ripe for proper research but I'm not an academic so just being nosy for now. Thanks!

[onlychildinreality]

B and D here. I had to supplement with formula from around a month in due to my little one losing lots of weight then not gaining much once birth weight was regained.

I've heard that PCOS can cause both over and under-supply of milk. I guess lots of the things on your list are related in many cases - PCOS, fertility issues, assisted conception...

Watching the thread as results could be interesting!

[hollie84]

What are you counting as prolonged labour?

[Paddingtonthebear]

Epidural, PPH requiring two transfusions and jaundiced baby seemed to cause me problems, baby wasn't interested in latching on and I didn't seem to be actually producing anything so I gave up on day 2 as we were scared she would starve. My milk never came in after that either

[DinoSnores]

Data is not the plural of anecdote, so this is just my contribution for some balance.

Home birth, no complications: DS hardly fed for the first 24 hours, milk didn't come in until Day 5, he needed tongue tie snipped at 5 weeks

Induction, epidural: DD just knew what she was doing from the minute she was born and we had no problems whatsoever.

[leedy]

Had C) with DS1 (24 hour labour with very large OP baby, ended up with an emergency section as he was wedged face-up in my pelvis at 8cm), no feeding problems, fed him for 2.5 years, didn't need to use formula.

[Trinpy]

I had trouble conceiving due to hormonal issues but conceived naturally in the end. Difficult pregnancy followed by a short, easy labour. No problems bf at all.

[HaPPy8]

d) (2 litres) and e). BF for 20 months no problems.

[owainsmum]

Long labour (2days) and 7 litre pph, ds was formula fed for the first 2 days while I was in Intensive care, but I managed to breast feed after that with a few formula top ups for a week or so, then exclusively breast fed. Didn't stop until he was about 18 months old

[Boobsofsteel]

Prolonged traumatic labour here. Approx 1 litre blood loss with no transfusion. Fed for 2 years, DD was reluctant to give up even then and still wistfully speaks of eating boob

[RedErik]

A and C here, for different babies. I had no problems breastfeeding either of them. Fed DC1 until she was 1 and I'm still feeding DC2 at 6 months.

[wrapsuperstar]

I lost almost 3 litres of blood and had an emergency c-section. I did have problems breastfeeding, but my DD1 was exclusively breastfed, never had a drop of formula, and we fed for over 2 years (self weaned!). I did have to take domperidone to boost my low supply but there were other issues feeding into this that aren't mentioned on your list.

Oh, before DD1 I also suffered from recurrent miscarriage but no problems actually conceiving.

[BertieBotts]

I had C with no problems breastfeeding.

[mandy214]

C) and E) - 1st pregnancy was 19 hours (no urge to push) and took some time to conceive having been told I was not ovulating (or suffered from intermittent ovulation). Had premature twins, they were fed via an NG tube to start with but breastfed as soon as they were able. Fed them until they were 11 months.

2nd pregnancy just E) - fluke after being told little prospect of natural conception following my poor ovulation and H's chemotherapy. Term delivery, no problems with feeding at all, fed until she was 1yr.

[eagle2010]

I had C

[eagle2010]

Arh

[eagle2010]

St

[museumum]

I had none of your list. But ds had tongue tie. It was luckily diagnosed at 1week and fixed at 3 weeks and bf successfully till now (11mo) phasing out most feeds now, assume we will finish between 12 and 15 mo.

[eagle2010]

Bloody phone!!!

I had C) - 22 hour labour ending in EMCS under GA.

DS is 10mo and breastfed.

leedy, we are labour twins - DS was also wedged in face up. Stargazing the doctors said. Bloody painful I said!!!

[squizita]

I've done a lot of research for personal reasons and - to my relief - neither anecdote nor medical research seems to link recurrent miscarriage with breastfeeding issues wrap.
As you say, the reasons for recurrent loss are not related to fertility itself, rather either pre-existing medical conditions or the shapes/structures of the uterus/pelvis/cervix.

[leedy]

Yes, I got the "stargazer baby" line as well. I suppose it does sound prettier than "feels like being kicked in the small of the back by an army of gnomes wearing steel toe capped boots"....

[stargirl1701]

None of those. Textbook water birth. Conception in first cycle.

Managed 10 days ebf. I was then admitted to hospital with blood poisoning on the 10th tenth post birth from infective mastitis.

[AppleYumYum]

C) for both my dc, both big babies too. Breastfed dc1 for 16 months, however, would not latch on after birth and was pressured into topping up with formula at the hospital as his blood sugar would drop, he'd have no energy to try feeding, blah blah. No formula after that as had the latching sorted by the time I was discharged. In hindsight I think he was just a big baby and wasn't hungry right away.

Dc2 is 6 months old and breastfed, he latched on right away, feeds quickly and never had a problem.

[littleducks]

I have PCOS. HG in pregnancy, spent ages on hospital on drips. I lost fair amounts of blood first couple of times then had postnatal bleeding for months.

But breastfeeding my body was good at. Fed all 3 the with only small issues, mostly with pfb in getting established. Never used formula at all.

[newmummy470]

I have an underactive thyroid and PCOS. I was on Clomid to conceive. Also had c section.
My daughter is now 4.5 mths and I'm still breastfeeding.
Her weight has never dropped (apart from in first few days which is normal) although it was slow and dropped a couple of centiles. But all I did was expressed at 10.30pm when she was asleep in bed and gave this as a top up bottle at night. Seemed to work and her weight is now on curve.
Although she's small she's coming on leaps and bounds, I've never had any issues with her.
So no I dont think these issues have effected me breastfeeding. Best thing I ever did

[LilyandGinger]

All except B.

Exclusively breast fed twins for over a year.