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I am trying to research this but am not having too much luck. Has anyone out there breastfeed their adoptive baby without the use of medical help? Meaning, all natural with herbs or what have you?
Hi Dori,
Check out the message boards on the web site AskLenore.info. There is a whole forum for people who are breastfeeding their adopted children without medical interventions.
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I attempted it and didn't get even a single drop of milk. I did skip the hormones though and just did Domperidone and I got a full supply. :)
Well, I just lost a big long post I had been writing, so I will try to sum it up! Basically, I can assure you that you can succeed at nursing an adopted baby without using medication, because I have done it, and worked with many other moms who have! I have nursed six adopted babies, the last four of whom I nursed until they self-weaned, at an average of two years old. Essentially, I did it by nursing on demand, with the Lact-Aid. I did allow an occasional bottle, but always made sure that they nursed the vast majority of the time, including at night. I started producing drops of milk pretty quickly, and then continued building, gradually. I used fenugreek and fennel, starting with my fifth, because I didn't know anything about it earlier. It takes quite a lot of it, but it does help. I had to continue supplementing until they were taking other foods and liquids, but they were very healthy, and the nurturing benefits were the best thing of all!
I tried Reglan, which i felt gave me a little more milk, but the depression it caused was no where near worth it, so I quit. There were a few other drugs I tried, in the 80s and early 90s, but none helped me, or were found to be helpful, in general.
I would have tried domperidone, had I had access to it, but had no way to get it until after my last child had weaned, in 1997. That is the only drug I am convinced is safe and effective enough to recommend its use, but it is by no means a necessity. It is especially helpful if you are trying to get a milk supply going in advance, by pumping. Very few moms can pump more than drops just from pumping, even though most of those start producing ounces once they get a baby suckling. Pumps don't have the emotional effects on prolactin production that babies do. Domperidone increases prolactin without the emotional effect.
Well, my battery is dying, but here is a link to some more that I have written on the subject. [url=http://www.fourfriends.com/abrw/Darillyn%27s/dc.htm]Darillyn's[/url]
Good luck!