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I am breastfeeding my 3 month old DS. I have to have a nuclear Scan for my Thyroid next Tuesday, and have been told I cannot breastfeed for 24 hours. Has anyone else had to do this, and have some advice? Any advice how I can rapidly increase my milk supply, so I can express enough to last 24 hours. I only have 4 days to do it in, and am not sure if this will be enough time. Guessing I need about 800mls, and all I could get today by expressing was 90mls.
Hi, I'm sorry you have to have the scan, I hope you get the results you're after.
Did you work out how much you need by your DS's weight? Has he had EBM before?
Tell me about what you do when you express.......what sort of pump, when you do it, how long for etc. Maybe I, and some of the other experienced girls on here, can give you some tips on expressing. It is a bit of an art form LOL!
Try not to stress about it, I'm sure you'll be sorted, one way or another, by Tuesday :)
No help here - i declined the scan because my supply was already bad and i was told i shouldn't feed for 72 hours and should even HOLD her for 2 (dunno if maybe my scan was different?). I lost my milk anyway and by the time i got back to the doctor able to have the scan my goiter had gone down of its own accord.
If you can i would pump about an hour after each feed between now and then and see how much you get. If you can't have enough you could consider EBM from a friend or formula, this is a medical emergency afterall...?
Bx
Hi,
It's a stressful situation, it must have been a bit of a shock for you.
Hire a good hospital grade breastpump, like the medela symphony from your local ABA groups - you could use the support they offer, and in these situations we need the best equiptment possible. Does your baby have both breasts at every feed? How often does she feed in 24 hours? You could try feeding her one breast, expressing the other and then letting her "finish" the breast you expressed - she will get more milk than the pump will.
A call to Rodney Whyte at the Monash Medical Centre drug information line 9594 2361 will be helpful for more information about your scans - he is great. It's good to just talk it through with someone knowledgable
Warm Regards
Barb
Hi Barb
Yes I am very stressed. I really need to find out why my thyroid has gone from mildly underactive before birth, to dramatically overactive after. My resting pulse when I am in bed at the moment is 96-112, so I understand that I have to find out what is wrong, and get myself well again, and this test will give me the answer.
I had a medela mini electric at home that I had just for the odd express. I have gone an hired a medela lactina from my chemist for the week for something a bit stronger. I managed to get 60mls from my left breast this morning, but not a drop from my right. My baby always feeds from both sides, but he does seem to prefer the left. How can I get more from my right? I still need to get about 700mls by tuesday morning.
Also I am going to have to express for the 24hours that I cant feed him until the nucler medicine leaves my body, and am wondering what I am going to do to get the milk from my right breast then. Any sugestions?
Thank you for Rodneys contact, I spoke to him, and he was extremely helpful. He explained that after 24 hours it would be safe to feed my baby as there would be only a minute trace of the nuclear medicine (techetium) left, and this would basically be the same amount that we would be exposed to if we went out in the sun on a hot day.
EJE, the Medela Lactina is pretty good I think, so that should be helpful.
Some things I find helpful when expressing.....
Having a nice warm shower or bath beforehand
Sitting with a wheat pack on my boobs before starting (I have a lavender one)
Either holding DS, looking at him, or at a photo of him
Gentle massage of the breast while the pump is going
Don't look at what's coming out! I know it's hard not to, but I find I get more if I'm not looking
If you're not looking at DS, watch the tv, or read a book/magazine to distract you
Ummmm, that's all I can think of ATM
I have heard that it's very helpful to have bub feed on one side while you express the other. Try Baeb's suggestion of giving one side, expressing the other, and letting DS finish off the expressed side.
I think the milk you express during the 24 hours will have to be discarded. I know that's heartbreaking! If you're not sure you could always check with Rodney again.
I'm sorry you're going through this stress ATM, but you obviously need to sort your health out. I hope the scan gives you the answer you're looking for.
I had to have a nuclear scan while I was breastfeeding. i was luckier in 2 ways I suppose,
Firstly DS was nearly 1, and I was only feeding a couple of times a day.
Secondly I always had bags of frozen EBM in the freezer.
I was advised not to feed for 24 hours, but was told that I should probably go 48 hours just to be certain.
I was also told not to let DS sleep in bed with me that night because of the nuclear isotopes. (He usually didn't sleep in with me anyway, so it was not an issue.)
I kept expressing during the 48 hours to keep my supply up, and just kept tipping it down the drain. (what a waste!!)
Is there any way you can delay the scan by a week or two so that you are ready with enough supply for the time required? That it what I would be inclined to do.
Just in regard to the scan itself, it is not too bad. A little injection in the arm, them you have to lie under a machine. It can get a little hot uder there though, as it is so close to your face. If you are inclined to be claustrophobic, it would not be that pleasant. Maybe bring a drink bottle of cool water to have after the test, as I ended up very flushed in the face.
If you have any other questions, feel free to either ask me on this forum, or PM me.
Good luck.
ETA - I too spoke to Rodney. He is great, isn't he!!
Ok, i looked it up and the drug they wanted to use on me takes 8-106 days to leave the system, that was why they wanted me to stop BFing for so long. l 131 i think it was? I have NO idea why they wanted to use that on me when i was nursing...?
Just in case you didn't know, you don't have to dump your pumped milk. If you label it so you don't get it mixed up, and stick it in the freezer for 5+ half lives of your nuclear drug (you can ask what it is, for the one i mentioned above it was 8.1 days so i'd have had to wait 41+ days, the 24-48 hour no-nursing one i think the half life is about 6.5 hours or so - do ask) it will be safe for bubs to drink. The radioactivity continues to decline even once the milk is pumped and frozen. I daresay Rodney could advise...?
Bx
Big big hugs, you must be feeling quite anxious about all of this. The Medela Symphony seems to be the pick of breast pumps to gain maximum yield! Double pumping or pumping on one side whilst your baby feeds from the other also helps to yield maximum milk.
You should discard the milk you express for the 24 hours post the scan. The very reason that you can't feed your baby is that the milk will have traces of the medium in it. You could contact the nuclear medicine department and ask if there is another option or if you could delay the scan an extra couple of days so that you have enough milk...
Thinking of you - I too was faced with these decisiions and difficulties whilst pregnant and after Imogens birth. It is tough. Sending you big hugs... :hug:
The radioactive medicine they will use is called technetium. Its lifespan is about 12 hours, but they say that you can safely feed after 24, and that there will not be much left by then, and that is safe for baby. Rodney has been very helpful on this.
I am getting mixed advice from the scan people and Rodney re feeding him the milk that I pump after the nuclear scan, so am thinking just to be safe (even though it will be a waste) to discard what I pump for 24 hours.
I just really want to increase my supply ASAP, so I have enough by Tuesday. I am waiting until the next feed to try the feeding and pumping thing. I will try pumping the uncooperative left side and see how I go.
megiemoppit- I would love to delay the scan, but Tuesday was as long as I could delay it. My pulse rate is too high atm to let this go on any longer, and my blood tests were very very high, so endocronologist doesnt want to leave it any longer. How did you express for that 24 hours- how long did you express each feed- how much did you get each expressed feed? Thanks for the advice re what the scan actually involves. All come as a bit of a shock, and nice to feel a little prepared about some aspect of this.
Janie- Thanks for the tips, will be trying all of them too!
I would trust implicitly what Rodney Whyte says.
I am sure that when your baby is not feeding at the breast, you will be able to express fairly easily - but no matter. The milk doesn't need to be discarded, the radioactivity disapates from the milk, so even if you leave it on the bench or in the breast, it will be minimised after 24hrs
Barb
That's good news EJE! Imagine what a nice store you'll have in the freezer :)
Yep I will have heaps! Maybe I will be able to go out for a few hours to the movies or something, and someone will be able to feed and care for him whilst I am gone!!
I now have 220mls. Only 580mls to go!!
Dont seem to be able to get much of a let down when I pump. I know it is because I am stressed, but no matter how much I try to relax, it just doesnt seem to happen. Going to keep trying though 2 and a half days left to get some more.
Hi,
I returned to work at 6 wks post partum with baby 1, 14 wks post partum with baby 2, and 20 wks with baby 3.
Each time I fully breast fed until approx 18 mths (EBM during the day). I tried pumps - but didn't get much at all. I found that hand expressing (although it's a little sticky) was the way for me. I would get about 60 ml with the pump - but up to 175 ml by hand. And my let down was much stronger. It was pretty stressful expressing at work (school teacher), as I was on a time limit always - so I thought of my baby until let down - then read a book or paper after the let down to 'distract myself' - as I found that my collection was significantly reduced if I was 'thinking' about the milk.
Before going back to work, I always expressed at the end of a feed to get the last little bits - it's like LIQUID GOLD!
Best of luck!
PS - there are little 'tricks of the trade' with hand expressing......nursing mothers are pretty helpful with this.
EJE, I just remembered something. I used to get the most milk expressed when I did it during the early hours sometime after 3am. Normally, who would want to get out of bed to express? But as you're on a time limit I thought you might like to know.
Hi,
Like I said earlier, I didn't need to get that much for the 24 hours as DS was only feeding twice a day by then.
I ususally got up to 100 mls with the medela electric pump, so I suppose I have a fairly good supply.
Take it bit by bit. You are getting there. Just trust in your body, and you will have enough for the 24 hour period.
Another option, honey, if you really want to, is to get up overnight and express every 2 hours overnight, even when Luke is sleeping. It will make you completely exhausted, but perhaps it's worth it???
Otherwise, perhaps contact Ady and "borrow" some EBM, I'm think she'd help out in the circumstances (particularly as Josh isn't that much older than Luke), better to have her EBM rather than formula.
Let me know if there is anything I can do, unfortunately I'm in Moorabbin on Tuesday, otherwise I'd come and take Luke for the day. I'll ring you when I'm finished and try to come over Tuesday arvo to look after him/you if you like. Let me know.
Hugs and thinking of you.
You are doing beautifully...:hug:
Oh and PS - usual amount required is baby's weight in kilos x 180mls per day... divide by number of feeds per day and this is how much to give each feed... ie Luke weighs 5.6 kilos, multiply that by 180mls is (goodness me need to get better at maths) 1008mls and divide by 7 feeds (if this is how many he's having per day) is about 145mls/feed.
It will probably depend though on when your test is... especially as he's not feeding overnight, if you feed him right up to your test, then you possibly might not need as much - only a few feeds in the afternoon/evening, and then again in the morning.
Mind you, this again is all averages.... perhaps he drinks more in the morning than the afternoon... etc etc... ring me if you need to honey!
I managed to get 80mls this morning, so now have 325mls. Yey
Thanks Divvy for the help. Noidea how much he drinks each feed tough. Never really worried about it until now that I have to work it out.
Not feeling so good today, so glad test is ony two more sleeps away, and I can start to fix whatever is going wrong.
I got up at 3am this morning, and pumped 135mls in 20 minutes!! I got another 65mls this morning, and am waiting to express later today. Almost got enough for 24hours. Am hoping to be as succesful tomorrow morning at 3am.
Oh yay EJE, I'm so excited it worked for you! Worth getting up in the middle of the night for, hey hun ;)
Well done!~!
Was 100% worth getting up for. If I manage to get the same again tomorrow morning at 3am and 6am, I should have between 800-850mls. So should be enough. Am going to give him extra long feeds at 6.30am and 8.30am to get him through.
Thanks everyone for your help and support :dance:
Brilliant news EJE! You're going great guns with the pump! Pun intended! :)
Best of luck with the scan hun, and whatever they advise as treatment, call Rodney again to discuss it. Some of the anti-thyroid meds you can't BF with but there ARE one's you can take while you're still nursing.
Good good luck!
Bx
Hi everyone. Quick update- scan was done and luckily I don't have graves disease. I do however have postpartum thyroiditis. Essentially my thyroid is leaking thyroxine. My Endocronologist said he has never had or heard of a patient with an underactive thryroid before giving birth then developing thyroiditis. He said he had only had patients who had no previous thyroid problems give birth and then develop it. He said hopefully should all resolve in the next two months or so, and will go back to having an underactive thyroid, and restart medicines for that then. The medicines that he can put me on in the meantime go through in BF, so best just to try and ride this thing out. Thanks heaps everyone for your support and help. Going to pump now before I go to bed to keep up that supply!!
Well done!
You must be relived that it is all over and doe with.
What did you think of the actual test? Not too bad hey??
Take care
Test was not that bad. I am used to needles and injections as DS was an IVF baby. Didnt like the fact that the camera plate is so close to your face though. First BF again at 11.30am today and he was great. I think he was glad to be rid of the bottles! I even have 160mls left in the freezer for future use.
What a Mama! Well done... Glad to hear it's all over my love... :hug: