Goat's Rue during pregnancy to increase mammary tissue

[FrazzleRock]

Has anyone got any experience of this?
I have very typical PCOS breastfeeding issues and I really want to prepare as best as I can this time around.

LLL consultant suggested I take Goat's Rue during pregnancy to increase my mammary tissue, although she wasnt sure on dosage so I emailed a stockist of herbal galactagogues (sp?) who said there have been no tests during pregnancy so they advised against it and to take it once the baby is born.

I then spoke to the LLL consultant who suggested speaking to a qualified herbalist.

I just wondered if anyone had actually taken it during pregnancy and if it had any effect on their mammary tissue?
Or if there are any herbalists out there who can advise!

[VeryPunny]

I have breast hypoplasia and therefore struggled to exclusively breastfeed. There is no way I would take any herbal supplement during pregnancy and certainly not on the advice of someone who wasn't a qualified medic.

I did however take fenugreek and other galatagogues as soon as my babies arrived - to be honest I think the LLL consultant has acted in a highly irresponsible manner.

There are (proper medical) literature reports of the use of (I think) progesterone supplements to increase mammary tissue during pregnancy but I think you would be hard pushed to find a doctor to prescribe for that reason.

[FrazzleRock]

Thanks Very. Yes that's exactly what I have

The LLL consultant suggested I get further advice so I don't personally think that was irresponsible. She was really helpful and explained everything I can do once the baby is born. She also suggested Domperidone which I tried to get from my GP 6 years ago when I had DS2, but she refused to prescribe it for milk production issues She actually told me to feed more, as if I wasn't already feeding 23 hours a day

I think I will give the goats rue a miss then. I'll also ask the GP about progesterone supplements, though I imagine it will be quite a fight. I'll have a little research...

Did the fenugreek work? LLL also suggested I use one of those milk supplement devices which go around the mother's neck and feeds the baby through a tiny tube attached to the breast. Seems a bit of a faff to me but I will try anything I possibly can this time.

[FrazzleRock]

When I say 'she' I meant the GP not the LLL consultant, if that wasn't clear

[VeryPunny]

I took Domperidone - I think it probably did make a difference - either way, it also made me feel like I was doing something.

I did use an SNS feeding system but it was a bit of a faff. Both mine had formula supplements from an early stage and we didn't have any breast/bottle confusion. DD fed until well over 2, DS nowhere near as long, but he was never that bothered by bfing for comfort.

To be honest, I just needed to accept that I was never going to be able to exclusively breastfeed, no matter what I did, which was bloody hard - after all, all the messages are that pretty much EVERYONE can do it, and that sucks when you are one of those women who can't.

If you don't have enough lactating tissue, there isn't much you can do, except be grateful that at least there's formula and we're not stuck with having to find a wet nurse or failure to thrive. It's a hard message to take to heart, and I still get upset about it. But hey, both my children are happy, healthy and thriving.

[FrazzleRock]

Yeah I kind of learnt to accept that with DS1 and 2 but it still hurt a lot. Like you say, all everyone seems to say is that everyone can do it! But I didn't have the support that I do now, so feel like there was so much more I could have done.

I suppose I should accept that I am one of those few people, but it won't stop the hurt when it doesn't work out. Apart from the obvious health benefits of BFing, I didn't want to have to buy bottles and sterilisers and all that gubbins. Just wanted to be able to put the baby on my chest and go!

I'm hoping third time around it might be easier. They say more milk is produced with subsequent babies... Though not sure how true this is for hypoplasia sufferers.

[FrazzleRock]

Thanks for your help very It's comforting to hear from someone in the same position.