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Hi there!!
So I'm just starting out on the adoptive breastfeeding journey and I'm so excited to be joining this forum!! :cheer:
I've posted in the adoption forums for years now, but things are a bit different now. :) My husband and I are in the process of adopting from Taiwan and are currently on the waiting list. Obviously, we are hoping to get "THE CALL" any day now so in the mean time I'm trying to learn all I can about adoptive breastfeeding because I intend to breastfeed. I know that it may be a challenge and I'll have to work for it, but I think the benefits outweigh it all. Plus even if I can't get milk in, I'm excited about the bonding experience it gives.
So here are my questions...
I have done a lot of research and I know I don't want to be on meds if at all possible. I don't judge anyone that does, I just don't feel it's right for me. So I've read that you can take fenugreek, blessed thistle and goat's rue to help with milk production (in addition to pumping)....Is there anyone that has had experience with these and can share with me how they worked for them? Should I start pumping and taking them at the same time or should I start pumping first? Like I said, we are on the waiting list and can get a call any day and then it's probably 4-8 months before we can bring the baby home. I know I'll have to keep up the pumping till the baby comes home, but at least I can store up in the mean time.
As far as pumping is concerned, this was my plan after doing research....
I figured I start out pumping 3 times a day for 3-5 minutes and then keep moving it up. Eventually getting up to the every 3 hours for like 10 minutes. Does that sound right? In that process should I continue the pumping during the night or only during waking hours?
At first I was planning to use my sister's double breast pump because then I wouldn't have to pay for an expensive pump without knowing how things will go. But from everything I've ready, it seems that a hospital pump will benefit me a lot more. Any thoughts on this?
I might be all over the place, but bare with me. I'm excited and nervous and new! lol. If anyone has any sort of a timeline of what they did when inducing lactation without meds that they are willing to share, that'd be awesome! I found the Newman-Goldfarb Inducing lactation protocol but like I mentioned, I don't want to use birth control or meds so that's why I'm looking for a natural, no meds protocol.
I'm so excited about this community and this journey I'm on. I can't wait to hear from you ladies! :thankyou:
God Bless!
Stephanie
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Don't be afraid of the Lact-Aid! I really think it's no more complicated than a drip coffee pot (maybe one with sneak-a-cup). You have to fill it just so, and put the lid on just so, and clean it just so - but you think of all of that as just the price of having coffee at home. If you can get yours ahead of time and practice filling it with water once or twice, that might help you feel more at ease.
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Oh gosh, I didn't realize it has been a whole month since I've checked this site! Giorgianni, what has happened? Are you still pumping? If you aren't taking domperidone, it is very common not to see more than drops from pumping. Except for some moms who have experience pumping for a bio baby, most of us don't respond anywhere near as well to a pump as we do to a baby, and don't get a tremendous increase in prolactin until we get the baby. The domperidone creates the increase in prolactin, without requiring the emotional response of a baby at the breast. Everyone, please feel free to email me directly at noelani54@hotmail.com I'm on Facebook, too. My name is Darillyn Starr. I wonder if we should start a Facebook page for this topic. I think I will look into it!Darillyn
Oh gosh, I didn't realize it has been a whole month since I've checked this site! Giorgianni, what has happened? Are you still pumping? If you aren't taking domperidone, it is very common not to see more than drops from pumping. Except for some moms who have experience pumping for a bio baby, most of us don't respond anywhere near as well to a pump as we do to a baby, and don't get a tremendous increase in prolactin until we get the baby. The domperidone creates the increase in prolactin, without requiring the emotional response of a baby at the breast. Everyone, please feel free to email me directly at noelani54@hotmail.com I'm on Facebook, too. My name is Darillyn Starr. I wonder if we should start a Facebook page for this topic. I think I will look into it!Darillyn
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Darillyn-
Hi there! I was beginning to wonder if anyone would be back! :) Yep, still pumping! I've been pumping for 7 weeks now. Still not getting any milk though. I had drops in the beginning, went dry for almost 5 weeks and this last weekend started getting drops again, but now I've dried up again. :-/ I'm pumping about every 2 hours, 8-10 times a day. I have tried doing 1 night pumping to see if it would help, but I couldn't keep that up without getting "something".
I'm glad to hear that most moms don't see more than drops with a pump though...at least I know it's not just me! We are praying our dd is home within 2 months so if I can just hold out till then I plan to put her to the breast as soon as I can! ;)
Hey Giorgianni. Good luck with the pumping. Everyone is so different, but I wouldn't be concerned that you're not getting much of anything. You are pumping a lot...I wouldn't go more than 10 minutes a session. If you're getting some drops during a pumping session, I wouldn't go more than a few minutes after you stop getting drops. It really is the number of times you pump that's important, not the total amount of times you pump. You will most likely produce more milk once baby is home. The pumps are good, but not as good as the real thing! Are you still renting a pump? If you decide to buy one, I loved loved loved the Medela freestyle. I also had the Pump In Style with my first and it was good but louder and not as portable as the Freestyle. Let me know if you have any questions about those.ETA I sent you a FB friend request Darillyn!
There is both a FB page (open membership) and an FB Group (membership must be approved, moderated, lots of discussion) on Adoptive Breastfeeding. Let me know if you request membership to the group and I'll vouch for you (they're trying to screen out creepers, they got some fetish-y requests a while back).Group: [url]https://www.facebook.com/groups/AdoptiveBreastfeeding/[/url]Page 1: [url]https://www.facebook.com/AdoptiveBreastfeeding[/url]Page 2: [url]https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adoptive-Breastfeeding/144922355526308[/url]Hope to see you there. :)
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Alena69
Sounds really good i guess it can help a lot of people who goes some inappropriate things.This article is making sense completely glad to see it.Keep sharing things like that so we can increase our knowledge.
Curious we are hopefully going to be getting a newborn from a previous foster child's mother who has recently found out she is pregnant and does not want the child. She is aware that she will not be able to care for the child and wants me and my husband to adopt her baby
The thing is I want to breastfeed the baby as I know the benefits and the bond that it can form with the mom (me...giggles). Has anyone heard of or know how to start the process of producing milk so that I could breastfeed the little one when we are blessed with him or her?
colazig
Curious we are hopefully going to be getting a newborn from a previous foster child's mother who has recently found out she is pregnant and does not want the child. She is aware that she will not be able to care for the child and wants me and my husband to adopt her babyThe thing is I want to breastfeed the baby as I know the benefits and the bond that it can form with the mom (me...giggles). Has anyone heard of or know how to start the process of producing milk so that I could breastfeed the little one when we are blessed with him or her?
Last update on May 15, 8:59 am by megera39.
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If it's not too nosy of me to ask, why isn't your doc comfortable prescribing you the usual regimen of drugs? Regardless of whether or not you feel like answering that question, I would see another doc for a second opinion. Often docs are... Over-conservative when it comes to things with which they are not familiar.Inducing lactation without drugs can be done, though I am not sure what level of success can be guaranteed, particularly if you have never been pregnant or nursed a baby before. Your plan sounds like a good one, though I would love to see you pump every 2-3 hours instead of every 3-4. The more stimulation you can give your body, the more likely you are to be successful, and the more quickly you should see results. I'd also want you to have perfectly-sized breast shields, to ensure maximum stimulation- so I'd see a lactation consultant, preferably an IBCLC, about that. I'd also talk to the LC about the herbs- fenugreek, blessed thistle, goat's rue, and ordinary oatmeal are all useful, though not nearly so useful as frequent pumping!- and also about the dosages you should be using. And get your hands on the SNS or Lact-Aid now, and practice with it and a doll, just to get a sense of what you're in for when it comes to using it.The last thin you may want to consider is using Rx drugs to increase supply. Reglan and Domperidone are both useful in that regard- but discuss it with your doc, because both have additional side-effects and are not appropriate for every mom.