I have lurked on the internet far too long and I want to share my experiences in case they help others.
Since 2011 I have had breastfeeding problems.
I wanted to breastfeed. I would support anyone breastfeeding who can, for the antibodies and other benefits to the child and mother. I have heard it can be a beautiful bonding thing for mum and baby.
My major issues were a propensity to get blocked ducts and mastitis, not being able to wean, oversupply also known as hyperlactation, and sore nipples.
I had a supportive husband, family and community.
My first child was born in 2011, when I was in my early twenties. I had 14 weeks of agony with engorged breasts. The baby fed well - in fact he got into the habit of feeding all the time, for comfort, to lull himself to sleep. It did funny things to my milk supply. I have always had oversupply issues but this approach really didn’t work well for me. I got mastitis in the first month. Otherwise I was fine - I had energy reserves, only looking after one baby after all!
The only other odd thing about my milk supply was it would never diminish - I couldn’t seem to stop! I wanted to stop when I got pregnant with Baby 2, but even the pregnancy hormones didn’t seem to take it down significantly. I had to very gradually wean him down - it took months and the milk never dried up because I was pregnant.
My second child arrived 18 months after the first, in 2013. I experienced 15 weeks of engorged, sensitive, rock hard breasts.
The baby had been choking and sputtering, as if attached to a firehose. On a health visitor's recommendation, expressed every morning to keep the flow from being too strong for newborn to manage. I expressed 2-4 ounces on each breast for the first 4 months, when I stopped as we were flying to the States in October 2013 and I couldn't stomach taking the expressing kit. I stopped gradually.
I have since learned that expressing is BAD for me - it encourages my oversupply issues.
In 2015 I had mastitis twice, it took 2 doses of antibiotics to clear it both times. Coamoxiclav was the winner that did the job though I didn’t feel like I got my strength back for months.
I tried to wean and couldn’t.
The baby was 2 and I couldn’t stop. The baby was 3 and I couldn’t stop.
I was dropping one feed per week a month. So in April 2016 I fed Monday, Thursday and Friday, in May I fed Monday and Thursday (twice a week), in June once a week, and in July once a fortnight. There were lots of blocked ducts along the way, so it felt like one step forwards and two steps back.
In August I ‘weaned’ but still had a lot of dried milk when I woke in the morning. It turned out I was pregnant with Child 3.
My milk never dried up during the next 6 months of my pregnancy.
May 2017 - gave birth with morphine. Baby was extra sleepy. Six days later due to cracked nipple had left breast mastitis.
After the first couple of months after Baby 3's birth, my breasts had fallen and misshapen to the point I don't think an expressing machine would work anyway.
2017 - late November, run down and exhausted in the rush up to Christmas, went out for a mum's night, got lost, next day got mastitis.
In the spring of 2018 I was spacing my feeds 1 day apart, 2 days apart, even up to 8 days apart!
Kept trying but got mastitis in October. I was desperate.
I was trying everything on the internet. Allergy medication, cold medication. I wanted to turn off the milk.
I felt it was killing me.
I consulted a private breastfeeding consultant, she told me to: speak to my GP about 'sick of being sick' and ask for referral to Breast Clinic.
2018- 27 November - 8:45 am - attended Breast Clinic, proscribed cagurgalane to dry up the milk. You take half a tablet twice a day for two days and it worked for me! Some side effects, like being sea sick and hormonal for a few days, but it worked! Remember: I was down to feeding once a week.
I weaned! It was finally over. In two months, I rediscovered joy in my life and bonded with the kids, and felt alive and capable again.
August 2021: Had 4th baby.
Lots of thrush but no mastitis for 6 months. What made a difference? Lots of things were different so not sure but here they are: Not working a job, using all the good advice I got, trying to baby myself a bit, made good habits like taking hot showers every night not just when I was feeling blocked, my husband took a year’s worth of leave when the baby was born, I bought lots of different brands of nursing bras in my actual engorged size which helped (turns out I’m a skinflint). I had NHS help, I had a private lactation consultant on both sides of the Atlantic. We really pulled out all the stops.
By February 2022 I had worked down to feeding 3 or 4 times a day. Took cagurgalane/cabergoline - same dosage as before! - to try to stop lactating again. IT DID NOT WORK. I got mastitis.
We decided my milk supply was too strong and it couldn’t be overcome by the medication.
It took 3 months to recover and to get my milk supply down to one feed a day for two straight weeks. It was like my job, I did NOTHING else.
When I did take cabergoline, it worked but I spent two months with a change of hormones that resulted in weight fluctuation, mood fluctuation and bad headaches. I still have dried milk on my breasts of a morning but apparently that’s normal.
So to anyone else who is wondering what in the world is wrong with them - hang in there! And please let us all know if there is a better way to deal with these sorts of problems!