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November 2016 Moms
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Nursing after breast surgery

ANZ116ANZ116 member
in November 2016 Moms
Hey ladies! I'm wondering if there are any STMs in here who have successfully nurses after breast surgery (that involved nipple movement). I had a breast reduction in 2008, and my surgeon promised me he'd do everything in his power to preserve my milk ducts. He never mentioned any complications after the fact that would lead me to believe there was obvious damage. Of course, it's still a 50/50 shot. 

I plan on exclusively pumping (and have a plan b of supplementing with formula if needed) and I was wondering if anyone else had any tips for successfully nursing after breast surgery? I am starting to leak a little bit so that gives me hope, but I know a lot more will go into it once baby comes. Any advice or input is welcome :) 
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Re: Nursing after breast surgery

  • KRMcDKRMcD member
    No help on nursing after breast surgery specifically, but there's a facebook group called Fancy Pumpers that has a lot of useful info on pumping. 
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  • BLyn627BLyn627 member
    Not really advice, but here's my story...

    I had a breast reduction in 2008 also. I had my daughter in 2013. I was happily surprised to start pumping colostrum right away in the hospital. I had a lot of trouble with her latching, so I exclusively pumped. While I was able to produce milk and get some out, I never had the good let downs (or really any at all) that others talk about. When she was a newborn, I was able to pump just enough to feed her during the day and we suplemented at night. My supply didn't last very long - that may have been due to some blood pressure meds I got put on, but really I don't know. I was never able to keep up with what she needed and quit pumping around 4 months. 

    I know babies are better at getting milk out than exclusively pumping, so I'm hoping DD2 will latch better and it will be a different story. 
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  • ANZ116ANZ116 member
    @BLyn627  Thank you for sharing that! A little is still better than nothing so I will take what I can get for sure! 

    @KRMcD Thank you, too! I'll check out that group :) 

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  • stow2009stow2009 member
    I'm so glad you asked! I had breast surgery that severed most of my milk ducts on the right and about half on the left. It was also kind of a long shot as far as how much would come out, and after a few months it became clear that my right side would be ZERO milk and my left was pretty low. I could pump up to 4oz if I went a few hours, and my daughter was always needing a bottle after eating. But, guess what? We are STILL nursing and she's 14 months old! And she loves it and I love it! Here's what we did: 

    Months 0-1: tried exclusive BF, but daughter wasn't gaining so that had to stop
    Months 1-3: Nursing, followed by bottle (this was also bad because at 3 months she decided it was too hard to get milk from mom and would refuse to nurse. Exclusively pumped and talked to lactation consultants/cried to figure out some options. 
    Months 3-6: Realized that she would still nurse if it was a dark room after nap, so we moved to nursing about 5x/day in a dark room, followed by bottle. She was sleeping through the night at this point. This was also stressful, because I was always thinking, does she need that much in her bottle? Is it going to take away from what she takes from me? Bla bla bla...my brain just wouldn't shut off about it. 
    Month 6: Gave up hope on right side, switched to just one side
    Month 6: Daughter refuses breast again, even in a dark room. I did some research on supplemental nursing systems and found that Lactaid system. Bought the starter kit and have never looked back! It's fantastic. We dropped bottles completely and my daughter was EBF using this system. Here's how it works: 

    -Fill up bag with milk (there are 4oz or 7oz bags)
    -Put tube system into the bag and hang around your neck
    - Tiny tube goes along your nipple and baby latches onto both of them
    - Cut off the tube supply while baby empties your breast (there is a way to do this using a clip on the system), then when baby empties you, unclip and let them begin also getting milk from the bag
    - Baby drinks both your milk and milk from the bag (we used donated breast milk a lot!)

    Here are the things you should know that make this system great (if you end up needing it): 
    - Have five-eight bags ready in your fridge for the day so you aren't cleaning them constantly. You should buy as many systems as you need to be set up for the entire day.
    - The system travels well in mason jars filled with ice- I have brought them all over
    - Getting used to this takes time. I had to try a few things before baby would latch onto both 
    - There are nursing bras with fabric going along your breast that can hold this tube
    - You can completely get rid of bottles using this, and NOT PUMP! This is seriously amazing and I can't believe they didn't tell me about it at the hospital when I told them I had had surgery. 
    - The bags are resusable- just wash out with hot, soapy water.

    We are going to try for baby #2 soon, and I plan to use only this system from the beginning. Of course, breastfeeding is simpler, but once you have this system down you will get to enjoy the benefits of breastfeeding, your baby will get your milk, and you will be a pro with it. 

    I hope this helps! Really, please reach out if you need support in this. 

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  • jmama1611jmama1611 member
    The website kellymom is another useful breastfeeding site. 


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