Breast hypoplasia/tubular breast help??

[dogmuminsurrey]

I’ve always had very odd shaped breasts.. small and pointy and a little saggy. Nothing but chest bone up top and then just a little saggy lump. I never gave it much thought and just assumed once I was done having babies I’d consider re shaping surgery.

Im 36 weeks pregnant with my first baby and I’ve realised I have breast hypoplasia/tubular breasts. Will discuss it with my midwife but everything is pointing to this - my
breasts look exactly like what is being described and suddenly everything makes sense (I also have PCOS).

looking for mums who have this condition and have successfully breastfed? I’ve tried harvesting colostrum and can only get 0.3ml before they completely dry up (which I know is still a positive sign) but I’m just mentally preparing myself to not be able to breastfeed and I so desperately want to.. I’ve heard fenugreek is good to take but can have some adverse reactions to women who suffer with hypertension?..

feeling very disheartened before I’ve even started, but I so want to do this and I’m afraid my breasts just haven’t developed properly supply milk to my baby..

I have tubular breasts and had no issues breastfeeding (daughter was 2.5 when she stopped). I do however have one boob I much preferred feeding from (it's bigger, but also latch just seemed much easier) so for the last year or so she fed exclusively from that side. Which was fine. 0.3ml of colostrum before baby is here is amazing!

Hi, I possibly have breast hypoplasia (Suspected as I couldn't produce enough milk for my baby but couldn't get anyone to diagnose it - if you have any luck please let me know!). I breast fed for 5 months, until baby didn't want to latch any more. Yes, most of her milk came from formula, but she still got breast milk for 5 months, which is more than a lot of babies do!

What I'm trying to say is that it doesn't have to be breast or formula. If you can't exclusively breast feed you can still combine the two and your baby will still get the benefits of breast milk.

I hope breastfeeding works out for you, but if it doesn't, remember that it's only a tiny part of being a mother.

@Eliffant thank you so much! I have a lactation consultant coming over on Friday to take a look and discuss a plan. She said that whilst there isn’t a way to officially diagnose - signs can point to that. I’ll let you know!

did you pump as well or just boob and formula? If the latter, how did you you know it was enough? Did you have any other physical signs of breast hypoplasia? I literally have textbook boobs that look like it so I’m preparing myself for an uphill battle…

@dogmuminsurrey I have some physical signs but it's not clear cut - and there were a few other factors that might have caused me to not have enough milk. I've just found out I'm pregnant again which is why I'd like to know if I could be able to exclusively breast feed this time!

I did pump too but only because when baby didn't gain enough weight in the first week the team we saw told me to pump to increase my supply (which didn't work). I won't pump this time because it took up so much time and effort. Last time I let baby nurse for as long as she wanted then gave her a bottle afterwards and just let her have as much as she wanted. Generally, as long as they're having wet and dirty nappies they're getting enough.

I'm sorry, I was one who couldn't produce milk despite doing everything I was advised. I only found out that my breasts had a condition and a name while researching breastfeeding issues. I wish a midwife or health visitor would have told me! If I had known I would have got a mechanical pump (hand pump was useless) and supplemented with domperidone to give myself a decent chance but it was too late by then.

@InkHeart2024 the diagnosis is still quite new and unknown! The LC I spoke to today was actually quite excited at the prospect of helping me as it’s so interesting to her! It’s only been recently I’ve realised that BF is really important to me but want to get ahead of the warning signs that it might not go as planned as I suffer with my mental health and anxiety - so feeling like I’m in control and aware of the situation will hopefully help! Obviously hoping for the best but I think it’s likely we’ll have to supplement - have a week to get my head around it 😂

Thanks everyone for being so open. Having the same realisation myself (second pregnancy) and it's nice to know there are things I can try. Best of luck to everyone

Hi, how did you get on with feeding? What advice did your lactation consultant give you? Years ago I read there were things you could do in pregnancy to help, but I can't find anything about that now.