Do You Have Insufficient Glandular Tissue?  Diagnose Yourself.

Strong Indicators that you may have IGT:

1. You did not experience any changes in your breasts during puberty/pregnancy.

2. You did not experience postpartum breast engorgement.

3. Your baby is not gaining weight
.  It is abnormal for a newborn baby to lose more than 10% of his birth weight.  Newborns are usually back up to their birth weight by the time they are 3 weeks old.  While this is the primary symptom to indicate your baby is being underfed, this symptom alone is not enough to indicate IGT.  It would be necessary to rule out other reasons for the lack of growth such as poor latching, underlying conditions of the baby, or poor nutrition of the mother. A baby scale can be helpful for you to determine your baby's exact milk intake during a feeding. Baby scales may be available for use at your local hospital or from a local lactation consultant.

4. You do not hear any swallowing sounds when you breastfeed.  Again, this could be a result of a poor latch, and this would need to be ruled out before presuming IGT was a factor.

Other Indicators you may have IGT:

1. You have Small Breasts. 
Small breasts alone are NOT an indicator of a lack of milk supply.  Most people are able to produce a full supply of breastmilk, regardless of breast size.  However, in combination with other symptoms this  may be an indicator that you do have insufficient glandular tissue.  What is more important than the size of the breast is whether or not you have experienced any breast changes. 

2. Your breasts are "Hypoplastic".   Many people with Insufficient Glandular Tissue exhibit "hypoplastic breasts" (see good examples here) which may be small, widely spaced, and somewhat tubular in shape.  However, not all people with hypoplastic breasts will have IGT, and not all people with IGT will have hypoplastic breasts.

3. You think your baby is not getting enough milk.  It is common for all mothers to think at one point or another that their baby is not getting enough breastmilk. A true warning sign is a baby that is not wetting or soiling diapers enough.  According to La Leche League "after the first day or two, six to eight wet diapers (five to six disposables, although determining wetness in disposables can be difficult) and two to five bowel movements every twenty-four hours means a baby is being nourished adequately. (link)"  Please see La Leche League's article on the subject: http://www.llli.org/FAQ/enough.html .  If, after reading the linked LLL article you still think your baby is not getting enough milk, follow your instincts. 

If you believe you have IGT, please seek out an understanding lactation consultant and go to our Resources page for further reading.



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