Jenmarko,
Thanks for responding. I'm sorry I am not responding as promptly as I wanted...but I really appreciate your response!

No, I've never breastfed before. Thus I have no idea what a letdown feels like. Now that you described it to me, I never feel it at all. What I thought it was is a release of the milk with no force. Since you responded, I did try pumping without massaging and each time I get .75oz of milk from one breast and .5oz from the other. But after I get that amt, it stops dripping unless massaged.

I've not increased the amt of domperidone at your recommendation, but I kinda thought that the goal was to make a larger supply before the baby arrived. Do you know how long this daily supply should last typically? I'm still making 20-21oz each day. Do most babies eat that amt for about a month or two?

Thank you again for your response. It's so good to connect with someone about this!

Hi Lilwoman. If you were not having a letdown, the milk would not come out of your breast at all. It is common for many women never to feel anything when the letdown happens, even if they've birthed children. You could consult with your doctor about trying an oxytocin nasal spray. The research is mixed on whether this will help, but anecdotally some women have found it helpful.

It sounds like your volumes are amazing. Once the baby arrives, he/she will do a much better job at removing the milk from the breasts than the pump does. It sounds like you are well on your way!

I agree with Carrie. I wouldn't worry about let down, you are obviously having them without knowing it.

I would not increase your domperidone now. You will probably keep increasing your supply without it and may never need to increase the dom.

I don't think you need a larger supply than the baby needs before they arrive. You will increase to keep up with their need. Most of the literature says that the average breastfed baby from 1 month old until they start eating solids (around 6 months) will eat an average of 24 oz a day. That is about what my two daughters ate (usually a little less). I think my bio son probably ate more, but he was a bigger baby.

I would just keep doing what you are doing. You will probably need to pump some after the baby is born to keep your supply higher since they won't be eating all you have available right away. You are doing great!

Jennifer

Thank you both so much! I am now making 24oz/day and glad to know that I can feed my baby for some time on that amt.

I had read that I should pump for 10 minutes after each time that I breastfeed. I will do just that.

Just to let you know -- Baby Eliana is due April 21st, but the mother will likely be induced sooner. I am going to be a mom soon and because of this website I will be able to breastfeed my wonderful little adopted baby.

I don't think you need to pump after each time you bf. I was doing that when I started nursing, even when I was able to ebf, and it was too much. The second time we adopted, I didn't pump much at all after we got to the point I could ebf (around 2 weeks old).

The only reason I think it would be a good idea for you to pump some is that you will be making much more than she will need in the beginning. I would only plan to pump after 3-4 feeds a day and I would only do it for a couple weeks. By a month old, she should be drinking about what she will need and then your body should just keep up with the demand.

Jennifer

I have another question. Is it possible to get thrush on the nipples when inducing lactation?...or does it require a baby breastfeeding to get thrush?

I don't know the answer to this one. You could try e-mailing Lenore or Dr. Newman.
Jennifer

Unfortunately you can get thrush without a baby to share it with. If you are having new pain, that may be an indication of thrush. It also tends to be a burning or stabbing-type pain. Find the info here on candida protocol and gentian violet. If you think it's thrush, I would recommend trying to get rid of it before the baby arrives and you are having to treat both of you for it. http://www.breastfeedinginc.ca/content.php?pagename=information

I contacted my LC, but we were only able to speak via phone for now. She thinks I may have thrush. My symptoms were itching breasts...itching wasn't so bad that I couldn't bear it. I didn't even feel like I needed to scratch. The only other syptom I had was a shooting pain in my breasts 10 minutes after each pumping session. The pain lasted a maximum of 10 minutes. I have no cracking of nipples, no rash, no shiney, smooth nipples. But I began a protocol for thrush as follows:
1) 2-3 cloves of garlic/day
2) 1 probiotic 3x/day
3) gentian violet applied 1x/day
4)clean the breasts and nipples with a solution of applecider and vinegar after each pumping session (mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to 1 cup of water and apply with a cotton ball)

I began the protocol 2 days ago and I now have no itching. The shooting pain used to last 10-11min and now it lasts no more than 7 minutes.

Has anyone else had these symptoms and what did you use to help?

As instructed from my lactation consultant I treated the situation with many different things:

1)reduced sugar intake
2)probiotics 3X/day
3)gentian violet applied for 3 days in a row
4)clean with a solution of water and apple cidar vinegar after each pumping session
5)eat 3 cloves of garlic each day (I could only do this ONE day as it made my breath TERRIBLE and I'm a hygienist!)

The pain and all itching subsided within 3 days!

BUT I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION!

....I got my little baby 3 days ago! I've been breastfeeding since she was born! I was there for the delivery and spent the night with the birthmom so that I could feed her overnight.
I've been pumping for 10-15min after each feed to help keep the supply up. The first day the supply was still high. The second day I missed 2 or 3 pumping sessions because we had SO much going on (I had never missed more than one pumping session) like visiting with the adoption agency and social workers and pediatricians, etc.
My supply dropped DRAMATICALLY and I only got 10oz today.
This is a huge difference from the 27oz that I got the day before my little girl was born.

The questions are: Did the supply drop because I missed the pump sessions? Will it increase quickly again?

I know she can't be eating 17oz! She's only a few days old!
I thought my supply was supposed to increase when she came because she could extract more milk. Being this old she is surely just eating a few ounces, right?

I need some reassurance. I worked so hard to get that supply up and I feel like I've lost a lot of headway.

Thanks

How big is she? She could be eating a good portion of that. I would not be concerned. You know you can make enough for her and you will. Really, within a couple of weeks, I would stop pumping after feeds altogether and just let your body do it's thing. The only reason I would pump at that point is if you need some extra for something.

Right now you are busy and stressed with all the newness. That could affect your supply some too. It will come back. Don't worry.

The first time I induced I made myself crazy pumping all the time after feeds for the first 3 months. The second time I didn't pump at all once I got to the point of ebf (when she was 2 weeks old). Both babies did fine. I was much less stressed the second time.

Congrats to you! When are papers signed?
Jennifer

She was born on Wed (4 days ago) at 9lbs 4oz. She dropped to 8lbs 13oz later that evening.

We sign the papers soon. We are waiting on some paperwork to come through before it's final. It might be a few weeks, but she has been in our arms since the first day and she isn't going anywhere.

You think that she might be eating a lot? She seems to be eating very frequently which makes me pause because I'm wondering if she is able to get the milk out.

The in-between pumps also seem to be dropping. They are down to 1.5-2.5oz. I'm pumping every other time that I feed her.

We are going to get her weighed on Wed...so I guess I'll know if she is doing well. I guess I thought that the supply would continue to increase with her arrival.

I would love to know that this is normal.

That is a big baby. My girls we adopted were tiny - 5lbs 12oz and 6lbs 1oz. So they didn't drink that much. She is likely drinking 14-20 oz a day.

Kelly mom says from 1-6 months most babies drink between 19-30 oz of breastmilk a day. http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/
And that before 1 month it will be less than that. I have read average from 1-6 months is 24 oz a day. But every baby is different.

Weighing her should give you some reassurance, but remember the goal is to be back up to birth weight by 2 weeks, so if she isn't there yet, that is okay. Is she peeing and pooping? Does the poop look "seedy"? It is so hard to trust it, but you have to.

I actually had a baby scale that I used to weigh the baby before and after some feeds to give me an idea of how much she was taking. But really, you have so much milk, I wouldn't worry.

I'm feeling much better about her eating...she wasn't ready to eat one day so I went ahead and pumped and got 7 oz!...then she ate a full 5oz of it. So I know now that she eats quite a bit and I must be producing if she is satisfied at each nursing session.

She has plenty of wet diapers but she lacks the poops. I've heard so many people say that their children only pooped every couple of days and the pediatrician said not to worry about it. We weighed her at the pediatrician when she was 1 week and she went from 9.4 to 8.8...I'm going to take her in again at the 2 week mark and see if she is gaining.

Thanks for all your help! I'm feeling so much better about the whole process and I've been able to reduce my pumping to just 1-3X/day (I still have to pump if she isn't ready to eat simply to avoid these nasty clogged milk ducts!)

You are so helpful!

They are supposed to be back up to birth weight by 2 weeks, so as long as you are there, you are good. Bf babies often poop only every few days, but I thought those first few weeks they were supposed to poop more. It has been a while, and my mommy brain forgets a lot, so if your ped says it is fine, then I wouldn't worry either.

You sound like you are doing great. As I said before, I would only pump for another week or two and then just let your supply adjust to her need. Then only pump when you need to.

Jennifer