It's a common story: A mother plans to breastfeed, but runs into difficulties
that lead to early weaning. Once everything settles down, Mom begins to wonder
if she can return to breastfeeding.
Is it possible? Can a mother who hasn’t put her baby to the breast for
weeks get lactation going again?
For Jennifer Kaczynski, the answer was a resounding yes.
“I think mine starts out as a pretty typical story,” says Kaczynski.
“When Abby was born and I started breastfeeding, I had a lot of pain.
Everyone told me it was normal and it would get better. Soon I was seriously
engorged and had cracked and bleeding nipples. But I persevered.”
By the time Abby was two weeks old, Kaczynski had developed an infection in
her breast (mastitis). “I was taking antibiotics, but they weren’t
helping; finally, my mom came and saw my breast and insisted that I go to the
hospital right away.”
The infection had turned into an abscess and, ultimately, Kaczynski needed
surgery to drain the infected area. “The surgeon told me, ‘You’re
done; don’t put that baby back to the breast,’ and I readily agreed,”
she recalls. “My breast was like one big gaping wound, so it was easy
to say never again.”