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Pregnant w/ PCOS and previous problems BF. Any suggestions?

chillypenguinchillypenguin member
in Breastfeeding
Hi, sorry if this gets long! :) I am currently 22 weeks pregnant with my second LO. I have PCOS, so I knew the first time around that BF might be more difficult. Well, it was. My DD had a great latch and everything initially appeared to go well, but she lost a ton of weight very quickly and our LC recommended that we supplement using a SNS and try to pump after every feeding. With our LC's help, we weighed her before and after she ate, and we was pretty much getting nothing from me.

So we used the SNS for about 2 weeks, and I pumped but never got more than just a tiny amount. I was so overwhelmed with being a FTM and just adjusting to having a newborn, not to mention the SNS. It wasn't hard, but when you are up all night and finally get baby latched only to realize she missed the little tube in her mouth and having to start over.. frustrating. So after 2 weeks with my milk not showing any signs of ever coming in, I just gave up and switched to FF. I was just so stressed out. I just quit cold turkey and did not BF or pump, and never had any discomfort from not stopping BF slowly.

I REALLY want BF to work out this time. Does anyone have any suggestions? I know there are some vitamins to take, my LC gave me some but they were so expensive and didn't seem to do anything. I do think a small part of the problem was that I didn't eat enough in the weeks after giving birth, I was so busy and not very hungry. I have also read about "lactation cookies", does anyone know if they really work or have any good recipes? I am also going to talk to a LC again, but probably plan on pumping like crazy from day 1 to see if I can get my milk to come in.
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Re: Pregnant w/ PCOS and previous problems BF. Any suggestions?

  • brideinsummer04brideinsummer04 member
    I'm not sure how long you should wait for the milk to come in before trying this, but fenugreek 3 pills 3x a day and goats rue both increased my supply dramatically. My LC suggested them to me but I don't remember how many weeks DS was when we started them. Ask your LC how long she thinks you should wait to try them (do not take them while you are still pregnant). What also helped me get a good supply was: tons of water, enough calories especially protein, trying not to stress, and oatmeal. I would ask your LC or others about pumping after feedings to increase supply. We did that but also had latch problems and were giving him the expressed milk so our situation may be different. I would recommend getting another LC's opinion if you feel like she doesn't help enough bc the first few I saw didn't help anywhere as near as the one I ended up with. Also I've seen people on here use domperidone, but I never did so I couldn't give you much info on that. You might want to ask others or research it. Good luck! It was a ton of work for me as we struggled the first two months but was worth it in the end for me.
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  • brideinsummer04brideinsummer04 member
    One more thing, fenugreek ans goats rue were way cheaper online for me than the prices at my LC's office and pharmacy.
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  • ns1ns1 member
    I would just suggest informing yourself about bf'ing as much beforehand as possible (read, talk to lc's, etc.).  Also, drink a lot of water, consider some mother's milk tea, eat some steel cut oats, maybe make (or buy) some freezer meals before baby comes and get some good snacks stocked up so you'll be ready with food.  Good luck with this one!

    (Also, I had PCOS before DD (it's seemed to kind of "even out" after) and we were able to successfully bf.  I know it's different circumstances, but I just wanted to let you know that it's not an end all!)


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  • chillypenguinchillypenguin member
    Thanks for the suggestions! We just moved so I need to find another LC, I wasn't terribly impressed with the one that was helping me last time, although I realized that more after the fact. Hoping things will be a little easier with this one!

    @ns1, my PCOS also seemed to improve after having my daughter, I had a much easier time conceiving this LO (although they kept me on my metformin after DD was born), so maybe BF will be a little easier too. :)
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  • ABrennABrenn member
    I didn't know PCOS could affect supply.... I have PCOS and have an oversupply. I am a EPer by choice and never attempted BFing though...
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