Living with hypoplasia insufficient glandular tissue IGT

Living with hypoplasia/insufficient glandular tissue (IGT) If you are a breastfeeding mother, some topics like “how to increase my milk production”, “what to eat to produce more milk”, and “am I producing enough milk for my baby?” probably keep you up at night, and if you are a mother like me, you may add the question “Why am I not losing weight?” When I was in my very early twenties, I had my first child. I was blessed with a mother and a mother-in-law who encouraged me to breastfeed. Then, I only worked part-time and went to school on Saturdays, so I was able to constantly breastfeed. I never noticed anything wrong with my milk production. To ease my overwhelmed breastfeeding sessions, my husband purchased a breast pump for me. Unfortunately, I was only able to get half an ounce out of it, so I kept doing what I was doing instead — constantly breastfeeding, on demand. However, I was still gaining weight, but I was certain that the weight would eventually come off one way or another. And then, a year later, my nephew was born. His mother passed away five days after his birth. I became his wet nurse because I had a healthy breast milk supply from breastfeeding my own child. Breastfeeding two children promoted more eating and gaining more weight. I can’t lie. It did not matter then at all. My concern about being a good mother was greater. I went on to breastfeed my daughter for five years, and I breastfed my nephew for four years. They left the breast at the same time. I lost all my weight only after I completely stopped breastfeeding. It took me a while to get back to my initial weight. I lost all my weight only after I completely stopped breastfeeding. When I was in my early thirties, I gave birth to my second child. Again, with the support of my mother and my mother-in-law around, breastfeeding was number one. During my pregnancy, I had gained over sixty pounds, so I knew I was not going to lose weight any time

soon. And like before, my family would make sure that I ate enough in order to keep my milk flowing. Unlike the first time, this second time around, I had a full-time job to return to. Therefore, in order to keep breastfeeding, I had to pump. My husband got me another breast pump. Unfortunately, just like the first time, I was unable to express more than one ounce, so I extracted breastmilk the old-fashion way — by using “hand expression.” I have to say, besides the pain I endured at the beginning of this method, I did get milk to bring home to my baby and would breastfeed until the next morning. This time around, I realized that I kept gaining weight after the birth of my baby and while breastfeeding. Still, I blamed it on me gaining too much weight during my pregnancy. Therefore, I went along with the weight gain and did not do much about it. I resigned myself to the idea of gaining weight to make sure that my child was well-fed. After a year of breastfeeding him, I started losing a few pounds due to my heavy exercise regime. My milk production diminished, but once the baby began to eat solid foods, it did not really matter. He mostly was on the breast just for comfort. We went on until he turned four years old. I lost all my weight only after I completely stopped breastfeeding. In my mid-thirties, my husband and I agreed to have our last child. This time around, because of fears that come with older women having babies, such as decline in fertility, genetic risks, still births, and miscarriage, I decided to improve my chances of having a healthy pregnancy by eating healthy, exercising, and keeping active, and I did just that. And I cannot lie, that was the best pregnancy ever.

At the end, I still ended up gaining forty pounds during the whole pregnancy, but I believed that I could get rid of those pounds by exercising and eating right. However, due to some complications after my C-section, I was not allowed to exercise until after the third month. I became more cautious about what I was eating to make sure that my baby was getting enough nutrients. I exercised five days a week for an hour, and I ate my fruits and vegetables. I ate oatmeal. I calculated my caloric intake. I took some supplements to help with my milk production. I managed my breastfeeding well, and as far as I am concerned, with all the help I had around the house, I was in a very stress-free environment. Yet, I was not losing weight, so I started searching the net. I felt a sense of relief with I came across articles that discussed hypoplasia/insufficient glandular tissue (IGT). I read “Markers of lactation insufficiency: a study of 34 mothers” by Huggins, Petok, Mirelss (2000) and “The Breastfeeding Mother’s Guide to Making More Milk” by West and Marasco (2008). I read thousands of articles, and soon enough, the truth hit me — I had hypoplasia/insufficient glandular tissue (IGT). The glandular tissue is the milk-making tissue in the breast, and while breastfeeding, my body stored all the fat to feed the baby. I went through all the physical signs

that may indicate insufficient glandular tissue by both authors and throughout the internet. The symptoms include: - Flat space between breasts 4cm. My breasts are 10.16 cm away from each other. - Breast asymmetry. My right breast is way bigger than my left one. - Large areolae. Definitely me. - Shape of a tube. I cannot get away with that. Guilty as charged. - No changes in breasts size. I have gained weight, so needless to say, my breasts grew a lot. I definitely saw a change. They became like big basketballs. I had four out of the five symptoms, and I got a second opinion from my doctor, who confirmed it. Therefore, I knew it did not look good. I felt angry at my body because of its constitution. I was jealous of all those mothers who just lost weight while breastfeeding, and I was upset that I could not do much about it. For a while, I was very discouraged and even stopped exercising for a few days. I started eating anything and everything. I just didn’t care. But then I realized, I really had nothing to be ungrateful about. God had allowed me to breastfeed my children and help others. Even though I had all the signs of having IGT, I was determined to not let it affect my breastfeeding. With God’s help, I became very disciplined. I followed my own diet, something that fit my needs. After four months, I went back to work. I still followed my own plan Monday through Friday. Here is what I ate and how often I pumped: 8:15 am 1 cup of oatmeal OR 1 egg OR 1 slice of wheat bread with peanut butter 9:00 am Manual Pumping 10:30 am A handful of almonds OR ½ cup Yogurt 11:00 am Manual Pumping

12:00 pm Bowl of vegetable bowl OR Tuna Salad OR Avocado Salad 12:30pm Manual Pumping 2:00 pm A fruit OR one cup of dry cornflakes 2:30pm Manual Pumping 3:30pm Kashi bar OR a handful of nuts 4:15pm Manual Pumping 6:00pm Complete dinner with 1 cup of Wheat rice OR Quinoa with meat OR fish, beans, and vegetables etc. I mixed and matched everything I ate, as well as exercised, just to confuse my metabolism. Saturdays and Sundays were my days off. I was producing a good amount of milk, while drinking two 5 gallons of water per week all by myself and exercising every day, five days a week for an hour.

And as soon I came home, I would breastfeed until the next morning. I was on a mission. I never let a chance pass me by. The baby was gaining weight. I was thrilled. I even produced enough milk to donate. So, at the end, I was still

a) Eating right b) Exercising c) Extracting way more than enough breast milk d) But I was still NOT losing the weight. The baby turned eight months. And I was still carrying the weight with me. I had not lost even one pound, so I stopped fighting it. I just embraced it. My family has been very supportive and really do not mind how I look. I, on the contrary, am not a fan of this weight gain, but it is for a good cause. The worst thing is the fact that, as a doctor, I encounter many people, and when they saw me after I gave birth versus before I was even pregnant, they tended not to recognize me or would say things like: “What happened to you?” “Are you still pregnant?” “Didn’t you give birth yet?” “You must eat a lot.” “Shouldn’t you lose weight after giving birth?” I do not get upset or angry about these comments because not many people know about my situation and explaining to them what I am going through might seem like I am giving excuses, so I go with it day by day. Some days, I will bring home forty-five ounces; other times, I will bring only eight ounces. If I miss a pumping time, I tend to miss it completely for the whole day. Or if I try hard enough, I can easily spend thirty minutes trying. Breastfeeding is not easy, but to me, it sure is worth it. I know that story might not have a conventional happy ending, but to me, it does. The main thing for me was to breastfeed, and God has allowed me to do so. My other way of seeing things is, if I tried the best I could and were still not able to get to where I wanted, I just have to be patient. The baby is ten months old now. I am still breastfeeding. I am still exercising. I am still extracting breast milk. I am still hoping I can lose

the weight. Once he turns one, he will start eating solids; therefore, I will not have to consume too much food in order to produce milk for him. Then, I will do my best, like before, to lose the weight the best I can. Therefore, the moral of the story is, if you are in the IGT women’s category, embrace what you have now. Whether you can produce a full lactation for your baby or just a small amount, whatever the child gets from you is beneficial. It is for a good cause. And if you tried but you still could not produce enough for your baby, use other alternatives like the Nursing Supplement Devices, or you can bottle feed your baby. The most important thing is for the baby not to ever go hungry. I firmly believe that, and I am aware that, with IGT, a mother can fully breastfeed her baby. It might be more difficult, but at least, it is possible. But loosing the weight will most likely come after you completely stop breastfeeding. This is only my opinion. However, if anyone has a different way to lose weight, I will most likely be willing to try it. References Huggins, K., Petok, E., Mireles, O 2000, Markers of lactation insufficiency: a study of 34 mothers. Current issues in clinical lactation 25-35. 2. West, D., Marasco, L 2008, The Breastfeeding Mother’s Guide to Making More Milk. New York: McGraw-Hill.