Hi there. I'm new to the forum so just wanted to say a big hello from "down under". We have a baby due in June via Tradtional surrogacy. I have been on the Yasmin and Dom for aobut 9 weeks now, and am finding the Yasmin very difficult to handle, with the hormonal mood swings, and heightened emotional state really letting me know that I am on the protocols. Is it possible to stop the Yasmin before the 6 weeks till due date, that is recommended? Ideally I would like to come off the BC when we hit 30 weeks, which is only a couple of weeks away, so that I can try and maintain some sort of equilibrium emotionally. What pumping regime should I follow if I do this, given that I would then be pumping for 10 weeks?

Thanks everyone.

Hi Bernice, Welcome and congrats on your upcoming arrival.
You can stop the bcp anytime and start pumping. But the longer you are on it the better your success. If you do stop it in a couple weeks just start pumping as you would for a newborn approx every 3 hours during the day and once in the night. Being on the pumping schedule will help establish a supply before your little one arrives. Pumping for 10 weeks will be tough but you can do it. I would stay on the protocol for as long as possible though. When in June is she due?

Hi there, and thank you for your reply. Baby is due mid June, somewhere around the 17 - 21st June. Scan dates vary slightly from conception date, so we are just expecting her sometime that week :0).

There is a chance that we may need a caesarian as she has a low lying placenta, we will know more in a couple of weeks after our next scan. So if a c-section is needed, then due date will be beginning of June.

What if you stayed on the protocol for 3 more weeks which would put you in mid April. That would also mean you had 3 months on the protocol which is good. Then you could start pumping and storing your milk until baby arrives. It would give you a minimum of 6weeks pumping if baby is delivered via c-section in early June or a bit longer if she comes natural.

I started pumping 8 weeks prior and found it very difficult to maintain for that long...just my opinion:)

Hi there and thanks once again for the replies. I can imagine that pumping 3 hourly for that long, would become a bit of a grind, despite the best of intentions, so I have reconsidred coming off the Yasmin too soon. I will look at sticking with it until the end of April, and by then we will know if we are looking at a c-section or not. Once the baby is feeding, do I continue to pump to keep the supply up until she establishes her own quantities?

You probably won't have to pump after baby arrives. Since you will have milk established already once she is nursing your body will respond to the demand and your supply should increase as her demand goes up. Sometimes we suggest pumping after feeds but only if the milk isn't already there. So basically we just wait to see how things go once baby gets here.

Things seem to have settled down quite a bit lately, which is lovely not having the big mood swings. My breasts don't feel tender anymore, but still feel heavier, so I'm hoping this is still a good sign. I have tracked down a supplementary feeding system (medela one) just incase I need to use it as I was concerned about confusing her with a bottle.... I have bought some bottles which simulate the breast in shape, size and feel, (Tommee Tippee closer to nature) but am interested in hearing how others found going between breast and bottle. Our lovely lovely surrogate went and had a 4D scan done as a surprise for us, so we could 'meet' our little girl before the big day, what a buzz it was to see her little face.

Hi Bernice

Great to find you in here! Those mood swings on the Yasmin sound as though they have been really hard going!

This is my first post in here - I have been having a look around whilst I get ready to begin the induced lactation protocol.

I am really looking forward to your baby shower soon.

I am going to go and put up a post to introduce myself now.

xxx

Clarissa

Yay.... awesome that you are here too Clarissa... the kiwi team is growing xxx

Hi Bernice! I am also expecting a little girl via gestational surrogacy in early June (due June 13). I started the protocol when we were 6 weeks pregnant and got lots of time on it. I stopped the yasmin anout two weeks ago and started pumping. I haven't felt that it is too demanding yet, although I know I have a long way to go with pumping. I am doing every 3 hours during the day and once overnight. So far, I actually enjoy it because I know that I am making milk for my daughter and it feels so good!

Good luck and keep us posted!
Candace

Hi Candace. I'm still a few weeks away from starting the pumping, but I have managed to organise myself in preparation for the regime. What times of the day are you pumping?

Hiya Candace and Bernice

Bernice what kind of pump are you going to be using? Have you got the Medela pump in style?

xx

Hi clarissa!

Bernice - I am pumping at 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, 10pm and 2am. It is only 7 sessions at this point and I think that as I get a little closer I will add in a few additional pumps to kick it into high gear! I am pumping between 8-10 ounces per day at this point and I would like to be at 25 when my daughter arrives.

I am using the pump in style and have no complaints!

I have the medela pump n style. I was fortunate enough to get one off TradeMe. Thanks for the timings Candace. They look like they would fit into my schedule too...

Hi all. Well I have made it to the 7 week mark (well almost) and plan to start the pumping tomorrow. A lactation consultant that one of the other IM's here in NZ has, gave her a 'lead-in' regime that slowly increased the time and number of pumping sessions in each day: 2 minutes, 2x a day for 2 days - then - 4 minutes 3x a day for 2 days - then - 6 minutes 5x a day for 2 days - then - 8 minutes 7x a day for 2 days - then - 10 minutes 8x a day from then on. Can you experienced ladies tell me which would be the better regime? Is it best to make the most of coming of the bcp by going straight into the 8x a day, or should I build up slowly?

I would think it would be better to do it 8 times a day just like a newborn would. You could start with shorter pumping times (maybe 10 minutes) then increase your time to 20 minutes. Just my two cents. If it is hard to do 8 times a day I would think maybe 6 would be okay at first too. I think that is what I did for the first week.
Jennifer

Thanks Jennifer. This morning's first session went very well with me managing to get milky liquid almost straight away. It didn't spray, but did run into the cup and connector, but not quite enough to run into the bottle itself. Things are looking good so far.

I am on day 5 of pumping and managing to pump 6 times daily but haven't introduced the night time pump yet. So far I am up to 30ml a day (about an ounce I think). What sort of volumes should I be aiming for? I am pumping for 10 minutes using a double pump. Is this long enough? thanks.