MJ’s Story
After five years of battling fertility issues and having so many tests done yet finding no definitive reason why 1.) it took me so long to get pregnant and 2) when I did, I miscarried at the 6-week mark, I finally got some answers. I worked on getting my thyroid under control, took baby aspirin and progesterone from the time I ovulated, and low and behold, I was pregnant.
Each week that went by, I slowwwwly let down my guard, daring to believe this one I would get to keep. I prepared not just for birth, but for breastfeeding too! I took a class by a lactation consultant at the hospital where I was going to deliver, read “The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding,” researched and registered for the best storage bags and breast pumps. When people would ask me what my plans were for delivery and feeding, I would say I “hoped” to go unmedicated but I “would” be breastfeeding. I literally did not know that it was possible I would not be able to fully – it felt totally in my control.
At term, I powered through over 20 hours of contractions and was successful in my unmedicated delivery. A big motivation for me was making sure baby had nothing in her system that could potentially interfere with latching. I fed her every two hours around the clock like the nurses told me to (I had no idea it was normal that a newborn could want to eat 10 min later).
On Day 2, while we were waiting for discharge, baby was diagnosed with jaundice and we were told she needed supplement. I was told I could pump and supplement or give formula, but no one showed me how to use the hospital pump, and I wasn’t getting anything out. So, we went to formula…but that was only supposed to be for a day or two, right?! Well, we never got off it.
In the weeks and months that followed, I tried the following:
Meeting with two different IBCLCs for a total of seven visits
Triple feeding around the clock for three months (no one told me that if it hadn’t changed my supply within about a week, it wasn’t likely too)
All the supplements, foods/cookies, etc., recommended online
Nursing vacations
Domperidone ( I had my prolactin checked before I started and it wasn’t low, but that was my latch ditch effort)
Read “Making More Milk,” Googled incessantly, and joined a dom support group on Facebook
Had baby evaluated for ties, but was brushed off by the ENT because I was nursing baby during the appointment and told that because I could nurse, baby’s anatomy was “normal.” Years later, I got her actual records and saw that a tie was in fact documented.
The whole experience was like infertility all over again: feeling helpless, broken, less of a woman. The thought that if we had been in another time and place my baby would likely have died because I didn’t have enough milk for her haunted me. Eventually, I just kind of made peace with it and accepted this was our journey. We nursed for about 16 months.
“Parents who experience chronic low milk supply deserve help to figure out what is going on. There needs to be a testing and treatment protocol because something is off if mother can’t make enough milk.”
— MJ Anderson
How old was your baby when you realized you had low milk supply? What concerns led you to learn this?
She was about 3 days old. We met with the lactation consultant to try to get off formula supplements and realized baby only transferred a couple ml while nursing.
What were some of your goals when you first started your breastfeeding journey? How did these goals shift throughout the time you were lactating?
My goal was to exclusively breastfeed for 6 months and nurse to at least a year. My goals stayed the same for my timeline. Early on, while triple feeding, my goal was for her to get more breast milk than formula, then upon return to work, it was to pump enough for one bottle, and being able to nurse her overnight without any supplement.
What advice were you given, if any, to increase your supply? By whom?
The first lactation consultant I saw told me to triple feed every two hours around the clock and take 16 pills of fenugreek a day (despite the fact that fenugreek is contraindicated for those with hypothyroidism).
The second lactation consultant suggested goat’s rue, dom and a tie evaluation. She also told me it didn’t have to be all or nothing.
Facebook groups recommended all the treats, drinks and supplements.
Did you feel supported by your medical providers? Why or why not?
Not really. I told my OB at my 6-week appointment and he said he could prescribe Reglan but don’t recommend it. My regular PCP ran my thyroid labs and adjusted my medication at my request.
What is one thing that you wish someone would have told you when you began your low milk supply journey?
I wish I had known about the concept of slow refill and how to address it, as well as how important a tie could be. I also wish someone had showed me how to hand express.
Did you feel prepared for the possibility of low milk supply? Why or why not?
Nope. I thought it was impossible not to make enough milk if you put in the work.
How did you approach your second breastfeeding experience?
Fast forward to December 2019: I’m shockingly, easily surprised with a positive pregnancy test. I started Googling what I could do while pregnant to help breastfeeding and somehow stumbled upon the IGT and Low Milk Supply Support Group on Facebook. I lurked for a bit, reading the files, searching old posts and putting together a game plan. The info presented in the group, and what I expect is just a hormonal reset, has helped me be able to exclusively breastfeed my second child. For that I am eternally grateful.
What is one thing that you would like all medical and lactation professionals to know about chronic low milk supply?
Parents who experience it deserve help to figure out what is going on. There needs to be a testing and treatment protocol because something is off if mother can’t make enough milk.
In one sentence, why does low milk supply matter to you?
It should be my choice how I feed my baby.
What is one thing about your low milk supply experience that makes you proud?
I didn’t give up.