supply

[Amanda06]

My son is 7 weeks old.
Breastfeeeding has been going really well until lately.
I have just been told I have gallstones. I had what i thought was indegestion for the last 3 months of the pregnancy. The pain was to the point of vomiting. The drs said it was because buby was sitting on my stomach. So I thought the pain would go away after bubs was born. It didn't so I toddled of to the doctor and a few tests and scans later, I was told I have Gallstones. I am having my gallbladder removed on tuesday.
My problem is I have had to cut out alot of foods. I can't have any dairy and I need to eat light and easily digested foods, so my meat intake has dropped quite a bit. I can't have large portions because if i eat to much the pain is excrutiating. While all of this is probably great for my overall health, my milk supply seems to have dwindled. My boobs feel empty all the time. I don't think I am eating enough foods to keep the suppy up.
Are there any foods that help to boost your supply?
The other thing is, how do people go with breastfeeding after an operation?
Has anyone had their gallbladder removed and continued to breastfeed? Are there any complications?
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Amanda

[the_queen]

Do a search in these breastfeeding sections for Lactation Cookies, someone has a great recipe and they're apparently fantastic (I thankfully have had no need for them) Fenugreek, oatmeal, drinking plenty of water... Feeding as often as possible, which should be easy with a 7 week old ;) Just feed feed feed, whenever bubba is awake put him on the breast. Even if he's just comfort sucking, that will be a message to your body to produce milk. Pumping whenever you can is also a good way to boost supply - BUT some people have great supply but cannot express anything, this is totally normal. So don't be disheartened if you can't pump anything. Try feeding on one side and pumping on the other side at the same time.

Congratulations on the birth of your son BTW, and wow that totally SUX about your gallstones!! Glad that you're getting something done about them though.

I think that with regards to the surgery, you should get as much expressed milk as possible between now and then, (so he can have breastmilk while you're in surgery and recovery) and straight after the surgery get the breastpump going again. A hospital should have a double electric pump, which will be much easier when you're recovering from surgery. You should speak to a Lactation Consultant, or a breastfeeding counsellor from the ABA - sadly, if you just talk to a doctor/surgeon they may well advise you to wean, which is unnecessary and could cause you to have great regrets. Please speak to a breastfeeding counsellor, because I am not sure if you can feed that milk to bubba ( the milk you express straight after the surgery, i mean) because of the anaesthesia, and of course any pain meds you may be on. But as soon as possible after the surgery, put your baby to the breast. There may be pain meds you can have which are less likely to pass into your milk. But you may have to "pump and dump", which is why you'll need a good stash of EBM in the freezer.
The other option is to keep pumping through all this surgery/recovery time, and possibly find a wet nurse or someone who can donate some breastmilk for your baby. If that is too difficult (and sadly, in this day and age, it is very hard to find a wet nurse - although if I was in sunny QLD I'd help you out!:)) as a last resort you could formula feed the baby just for the absolute minimum time - providing you continue to pump during this time, your supply will be ok.

Wow, what a sermon! Sorry.. hope you didn't get bored half way through :p
The main point I'm making is that there are herbal remedies for low supply (ooh and medicinal too, I just remembered, Maxolon can boost supply quite well) and also the best way to produce more milk is to have baby suckling on the breast as much as possible. Literally, whenever he is awake, put him on and just let him suck until he falls asleep again.

I hope all goes well with your surgery!! Let us know how everything goes :hugs:

[Reidymac]

Hi Amanda06, sorry to hear you have been suffering. Yes, it is possible to keep breastfeeding successfully after having your gallbladder removed. I had mine removed a few months after my first baby was born. It was an emergency surgery after a series of acute attacks so I didn't have time to express beforehand. The hospital were really helpful, understood I was breastfeeding and allowed my baby to be with me most of the time, arranged for an electric pump to aid in expressing and did what they could to reduce the impact of drugs etc on us both. As The_queen suggested I was encouraged to express and dump the milk produced within 10? hours after the surgery (just in case).

Feeding in the days after the surgery was uncomfortable but possible. Try feeding lying down or using support cushions to keep the baby's weight off your abdomen (and the main incision site below the sternum). Feeding after the surgery was a breeze compared to trying to feed during an acute attack (before I found out it wasn't a heart attack just gallstones :laughing: :rolleyes:)

As far as supply boosting goes there are a few great threads on BH re: the benefits of: fenugreek, blessed thistle, rolled oats, brewers yeast, loads of water etc. I have tried most (over the last 3 years) and they do work!! or ring the ABA for some advice.

Hope it all goes well on Tuesday, you'll feel better very soon and wishing you many more happy months/years of BF you little one. Please PM me if I can help or answer any questions :wave: