Is it possible without drugs?

Hi, im sure other ladies will chime in like Noelani- she is a wealth of info... AFM- I did one month of BC pills, then started the Domperidone and pumping and did that for 2 weeks before my little guy came home. YES, you can do it without drugs, and just stimulation/pumping, but it is rather hard i think. From what i understand you will not get much milk, but most women will get some with just stimulation alone from the baby or pumping. You WILL need a supplementer tho. When your baby starts to nurse if he/she isnt gettting any milk or just a small amount, its possible that the baby will not want to nurse because he/she isnt getting any milk or getting enough to stay satisfied. This was my son. I used the lact-aid system and he caught on very well to it. It is time consuming and kinda akward at first when you start, but it does work. He would nurse for comfort without the lact-aid sometimes when he was upset or tired. I ended up at full capacity making 6oz/day which at the time i was kinda upset about because i pumped and nursed all the time, but he was getting such good benefits from it that it was TOTALLY worth it in the end. Even if i would get only an ounce or two, i would do it again in a heartbeat. Its great for bonding, and obviously the health benefits. It doesnt matter if you have small "equipment" the size of that has nothing to do with ability to produce milk. Im VERY small and i breastfed my bio son and have 30-35oz/day and didnt have any supply issues with him at all. Good luck, if you have anymore specific questions please ask or if you would like you can always PM me. God bless, Rach ETA: yes, you will need formula, or you can always try and find some donated breastmilk. do you know anyone who is currently nursing or pregnant?? You could ask them if they would continue to pump for you after they get done feeding their own child, or if they have extra, they could donate to you. Sounds akward, and maybe you arent down with other people's breastmilk, but if you are, its a great way for your baby to not need as much formula. My sister pumped for me about 3 months past when she weaned her daughter, and a lady from church had TONs of Breastmilk leftover so i got 1000 oz from her. (which sound like alot, but its not that much really when they can drive up to 35-45 oz/day.) Anyways, that is always an option or there are breastmilk banks, but alot of those are for premie babies or babies with health problems and you need a prescription from your doctor to get breastmilk for the baby.

Yes it's possible without drugs but difficult. Personally I don't think the birth control really helps (it's part of most protocols). You could talk to your doc about whether domperidone is safe for you. It's not a hormone. It helped me. I was pumping 20oz per day with domperidone when I stopped. I also took fenugreek.

I'm sorry I haven't been here sooner! Yes, you can certainly do it without drugs. I did! There have always been mothers who have nursed adopted babies and the use of medications has only been in use for 20 years or so. The one medication that has proven to be really beneficial, domperidone, is available all over the globe, except for in the USA. It is possible to order it from other countries, over the internet, but that didn't happen until I was done nursing all of my kids. I nursed mine for an average of two years each. I started with little or no advance preparation, just feeding on demand with the Lact-Aid. The suckling stimulation sends your brain the message that there is a baby who needs milk. Almost everyone produces milk, just from the suckling stimulation. Drops of milk are usually being produced after anywhere from a few days to two weeks and the amount builds, gradually, and levels off whenever the demand starts to decrease. I produced up to 16 ounces a day, with probably an average of about 10-12 ounces a day. That is in the average range for adoptive mothers who are nursing on demand, at least the majority of the time. Some produce more than I did. I would have liked to produce more, of course, but I could see very definite benefits of even a few ounces. It only takes a couple of ounces for the baby to get antibodies from its mother. At least as important is the emotional benefits of breastfeeding. Even though you are using the Lact-Aid, the experience is the same as for any mother and baby. That experience, to me, would have been worth it, even I hadn't produced milk.I also used fenugreek, with my later kids, and felt like it gave me a few more ounces a day than I had without it. The boy I used the most of it with has always loved pancakes, French toast and waffles, with syrup. Since fenugreek is one of the primary components in artificial maple flavoring, I suspect there is a connection.Here is a link to the Lact-Aid website. Adoptive moms have been using it for over 40 years, now. There is another, more widely advertized supplemental device, the Medela SNS, but the Lact-Aid is the favorite, hands down.Let me know if you have specific questions, and good luck with your adoption plans!

You've already got some great advice! Just wanted to chime in and say, that as an amom (who's never been pregnant) who did the medication protocol and breastfed, the breastfeeding was WAY worth it, but if I could do it over (and when we adopt again) I wouldn't do the meds. I never made enough to breastfeed exclusively. If I could do it again I would just use the Lact-Aid and breastfeed that way. You get the same experience of breastfeeding with out all of the meds and weeks and weeks of pumping. If your wanting breast milk for the baby there are milk banks you can look into or if you know a lactating friend you could see if she'd be willing to sell her milk to you ( I know a few friends who have done this). It is way worth it and something I cherish and look forward to again! Good luck! Hope it works out for you!

I just realized that I didn't give you the link, which is [url=http://www.lact-aid.com]Welcome to Lact-Aid[/url]Also, wanted to say something about the issue of small breasts. The only disadvantage is just that you might not be able to relax your arm while the baby is nursing unless you put a pillow under the baby. In the 14 years from the time my first baby came to us and my last one weaned from the breast, my weight fluctuated by about 40 pounds, from too thin to "pleasantly plump". Thankfully, I have always gained quite a bit on top, so I went from a B cup to a D. It was easier to nurse without a pillow under the baby when I weighed more.I always think of my ex's youngest sister. She was about as small breasted as someone could be, unless there was some kind of abnormality. She had five babies and nursed them all. They were all big babies, but her third was just huge. I remember, when that baby was four months old, she weighed 24 pounds. She looked like a little sumo wrestler, and all she was getting was milk from her small-breasted mother! Back in the 1950s, my mother was told that her breasts were too small to nurse me, so I was raised on evaporated milk with lots of water and corn syrup added. I am sure she could have produced plenty of milk, though. I might be a lot healthier now, too!Darillyn

Ah, that's something I hadn't thought about, having to hold the baby up closer than most people do. I'll probably be relying on those Boppy pillows. :) Yeah, it's frustrating when your weight fluctuates! I was always small chested, but now that I just got put on a "food allergy diet" (basically have to go dairy, egg and gluten free), I went from a small B cup to having room to spare in an A. Bummer! I didn't think that was possible. I'm a little dejected and self conscious about that. And I also need to go shopping for new pants, because I no longer have a butt to hold them up! Amazing what happens when you go to an all homecooked diet with lots of fruits and veggies. Glad to hear that breastfeeding may at least be possible. I'll give it my best try, without expecting too much. If all I get is some good bonding time, that's good! :)

Dajori, you mentioned something that is very important and that is the way nurturing at the breast can calm a toddler. My third child, Thomas, had spent most of his first half hour of life with both of his lungs collapsed, although they thought he was in cardiac arrest. It was a miracle that he lived and did well. He was advanced in his development, but the only problem was his temper. My first child threw some pretty bad tantrums, but nothing like Thomas. He would lose control and could scream and kick for hours. But, if I nursed him for a couple of minutes, he would be able to get himself back under control again. Did you have a hard time getting your daughter to take the breast, at six months? I got my first daughter when she was six months old and it took a great deal of patience and creativity to get her nursing. It is a wonderful experience, which I think many adoptive moms are missing out on because of the recent popularity of taking drugs and pumping. That all has its place, but it often puts the focus so much on how much milk can be pumped that the relationship with the baby gets lost in it all.