Didnt think this was an Option! Info Please!

Hi Rachel from Wisconsin! Thank you for your messages. We are going with Pauquette, and they have a very good reputation. The social worker contact issue is pretty much all my own. She has not initiated contact with us for about 2 months, but I guess that is pretty standard. I do have MANYquestions about the breastfeeding. I shared my discovery w/my husband last nite, and he was very interested. (Ultimately of course, it would be my decision.) I dont really think I can spend 200+ on a fancy pump right now...but could purchase a manual. What is Lact-aid? I have a Yaz prescription that I've quit taking about 3 months ago due to side effects, but could refill that and take for a month which sounds like what most people do. Is the Domperidone an absolute must? It's pretty expensive and I'm sure not covered by insurance. Thanks for all your help! I'm going to do some research. kaaren

Breastfeeding is SO worth it! I breastfed my biological son for 2.5+ yrs. When we decided to adopt - I wanted to have the same experience. For me - I can't imagine feeding a baby any other way. I started pumping about a month before my daughter was born. I took 30 mg of dom. I work for wic and they let me use a hospital grade pump for free - You should see if you qualify for WIC and if the clinic in your area would let you use a pump for free. However - I prefer my Advent hand pump over any electrical pump - I also prefer to hand express. Fancy pumps are over rated (imo). My daughter is now 7 wks old and she has never had a bottle (i don't even have one in the house). I breastfeed first on both sides and then if she is not satisfied I give her 1-2 oz of formula with a SNS (medela's version of the lact-aid - mine was free from WIC). She gets 10 - 14 oz of formula a day. I nurse whenever she wants. She sleeps with us and I nurse several times throughout the night. I rarely have to get up through the night to make formula!!!!!!!! I have weaned myself off the dom and my supply hasn't decreased significantly. I am trying to slowly increase my supply the old fashioned way (nursing)- I would like to exclusively breastfeed by at least 6 months. The dom definitely helps but it is expensive! I used it in the beginning to get started - but the best thing for milk production is frequent nursing or pumping. I would take breastfeeding classes and learn as much as you can about how it all works. I would recommend using a lact-aid because it allows you to enjoy breastfeeding without worrying about how much milk you make. Good luck with everything! I am excited for you!

Well, my computer just died and lost the post I'd spent an hour on, so I will sum up and maybe you can read what I have written on some of the other threads. I am also excited that you want to breastfeed! I have six adopted children, whom I nursed for a total of ten years. I used the Lact-Aid and the SNS, although I mostly used the latter just so that I would know about it. I didn't like it nearly as well, as most other moms also prefer the Lact-Aid. I never really had an opportunity to pump in advance, much, and there weren't any decent pumps outside of hospitals when my first few kids were born. With my third, I had ten days notice and used a little battery operated pump, just to try to head off some of the extreme pain I'd had before. I started out with low suction for a few minutes at a time and increased everything gradually. I also wore a nursing bra with the flaps down. By the time Thomas was ready to come home from the NICU, I had increased the elasticity and decreased the extreme sensitivity from wearing bras all the time and it was much easier to dive into nursing without pain. I just nursed him on demand with the Lact-Aid and produced up to 12 ounces a day. He and my youngest three all nursed until they self-weaned.I also used fenugreek and fennel, starting with my fifth baby, and felt like that gave me about four more ounces a day. Had I had access to domperidone, I would have tried it. I haven't heard of anyone who didn't get some benefit from it, and some moms get a huge benefit from it, but it certainly isn't a requirement. In order for Yaz or other BCPs to help increase the milk producing structures of the breasts, you have to take domperidone with it. It is the combination of the homones from the BCPs and the elevated prolactin level from domperidone that mimics the effects of pregnancy on the breasts. Also, in my opinion, that is only helpful if you can stay on it for at least two or three months, without nursing or pumping. I am not a bit convinced that being on it for one month only offers any benefit. I've met moms who have been told that they had to do that or they wouldn't produce any milk, which is absolutely not true. Someone who has less than two months and wants to try to get some milk going in advance is much better off to just get on domperidone and start pumping. Since adoption is so unpredictable, I think it is a good idea to get a Lact-Aid kit and have it ready. If a baby falls into your lap without notice, you can just start nursing with it right away. Having a baby being fed and nurtured at the breast is the most important thing, and everything else is optional. You can then decide if you want to add domperidone, take herbs, etc.. Another thing that is very important to have is a good book on breastfeeding. Adoptive moms need to know virtually everything any mom does. The biggest mistakes I made that limited my success with my first two babies were that I didn't know what constitutes proper positioning, and I didn't know that extreme nipple pain and damage means that something is wrong. I also didn't know that just a few ounces of breast milk a day offers tremendous health benefits. As far as pumps, you can find them for sale second hand. Or you can just go with a hand pump. There are some very good ones that take very little effort to operate. The Avent Isis is a favorite one. Basically, anything by Avent, Medela, Ameda Egnell, or Lansinoh is OK. There is probably something I am forgetting, but those are the main ones. There is a double pump called miPump that looks pretty good to me, for the price, but I haven't seen one close up. If money is a big issue, the Lact-Aid is the first thing I would spend money on. You can get a decent hand pump for $20-30 though. Oh, and you can see pictures of the Lact-Aid here [url=http://www.lact-aid.com]Welcome to Lact-Aid[/url] I can go on all day, because it is one of my favorite topics! Feel free to ask any and all questions here and good luck!Darillyn

Thank you all so much for your information and feedback. I believe we are going to try this....Money is a big issue for us, so I think I am going to try using a manual pump and the herbs to "inspire" my body. My husband has volunteered to help also. He thinks it's a really great idea, and I've been really conscious of my diet lately, so if I can get myself to produce any milk, it will be healthy.:o I am going to take the advice about getting the Lact-Aid kit so we are prepared and I'm not stressed about lack of production. I dont think we can afford the Dom. medication. I'd appreciate any input on that... Thank you all so much! I'm happy to have a "task" so I can be doing something productive with our waiting time. :fish: kaaren

I would suggest buying multiple set-ups so you only have to wash the bunch once a day. I didn't do this the first time so I was having to wash every other time and it get's old fast! Not to mention washing them in the middle of the night is not ideal ;)

Hi There, Another question...did you take the Yaz or other BC w/the Dom? I HATE the effects Yaz had on my body....I would take it again if I had to, but would really rather not. Thank you, kva

Thank you Darillyn for taking the time to write such an informative reply. I'm taking your advice, getting a book and ordering the Lact-Aid materials. I really really appreciate your help!!!! kaaren

I also faced the same frustrations were breastfeeding was concerned, and then my friend told me that it was possible. So I just googled breastfeeding adoption and found loads of information. One of the places that I read said that no med were required just stimulation... I told my friend and she loaned me her breast pump. I used it last night for the first time, and I produced 2 drops of milk!!! I've never been pregnant, and 3 years of infertility had lead me to believe that it wasn't possible... Not that I'm expecting more but it was crazy!!! Our birthmother is due next week, so I'm really excited to see what happens!!! You can do it too!!!

Thank you for the inspiration NextSteps! I ordered a pump and fenugreek, got both this week, but hadnt started yet because I just guess I was feeling overwhelmed and figured it probably wouldnt work. I'm going to pump TONITE. I think I'm a little blue right now due to the wait and the fear of "failed" match. I've said it a million times now, but I am eternally grateful for this site and it's members. the support has been invaluable. kaaren

I wish you the best of luck!!! I never dreamed that it would work. I will am very nervous of that too, but I've decided to continue to pump reguardless of the outcome of this match... If only for the selfosh reason that I will hopefully have some help loosing weight... Holly

Good luck to both of you! Adoptive breastfeeding is an amazing experience that I wouldn't trade for the world! Hoping the best for both of you!

For you two ladies who are pumping, I just wanted to be sure that you know that what you can pump is not usually a good indication of how much milk you will produce with a baby at the breast. It is not very common to see more than drops from pumping alone, unless you take domperidone. Pumping is still helpful, though. Most moms are producing ounces fairly soon after starting to nurse a baby on demand, with the Lact-Aid. Best of luck to both of you and please keep us posted on your progress!

Just wondering if any of you had breastfed for a few years, then tried start up milk production again? Was it easier to get the milk back? Do you need to start with infants right at the begining for lac-taid to work, or will it work for children who have previously had bottles? I breastfed my bio boys each for 2 years + (now 17 and 14) and loved it. We fostered a baby we were able to adopt (DD will be 3 soon), but couldn't breastfeed because it was against the rules since she was in foster care. I did feel the tingling sometimes when she would cry/was hungry, but never had milk come out. We would like to have one more child, and not sure if we will try through domestic infant adoption or foster care. If we do adopt through infant adoption, I would love to breastfeed. It was much more difficult to bottle feed, much more expensive, and we are still having a hard time getting DD off the bottle.

When I was doing the protocol I know there was another poster on here who was re-lactating (she breastfed her bio kids) and she produced WAY more milk then I ever did. I would imagine if you breastfed in the past that you have the potential re-lactate with ample production.

Thanks for the information. I hope I get the chance someday to breastfeed a little one again. :)