Dawn, this is amazing! Ii wish I had done the regular protocol too. Your results are so inspiring. Well, next time.

Keep up the good work (and don't be a slave to your pump).

Cheers,
Liche

Hi Dawn,

I agree with everyone else. You're doing GREAT! Don't sweat it if you miss a pumping session, just get to it when you can and then try to sneak in another one maybe an hour later.

You will notice some fluctuation in you milk supply from day to day and even from morning to evening with the most milk produced in the AM. The reason for this is that our milk supply goes according to our circadium rhythm.

You milk supply will continue to rise as long as you consistently and frequently drain your breasts. The reason for this is the natural feedback mechanism that is controled by a whey protein in the breastmilk. If enough of the protein is present, as when your breasts are full, the whey protein signals the breasts to slow production. Conversely, when the breasts are drained, and the whey protein is low, the breasts know to make more milk.

The more frequently you drain your breasts, the more milk they will make. I just want to caution you about one thing. You mentioned that you skipped a session and had more milk the following pumping session. This is the sort of thing that fools moms into thinking that if they pump less often, they will have more milk. It's true for a few sessions until the breasts get the message from that whey protein and then WHAM! Your milk supply plummets! I call this "the trap". Then you have to really work hard to build the supply up again.

So missing one or two is ok, but be sure to sneak another one or two in to keep the supply going. This is especially important when you're initially building your milk supply.

You're doing fabulously well. Keep up the good work.

Fondly,

Dawn,
Are you taking fenugreek and blessed thistle as well??

I haven't been. I took about 3 doses, and thought they were making me feel queasy. Then I came down with the stomach flu. So I am pretty sure it was just my illness that was making me queasy. I just took a dose with my lunch, and I feel fine. We'll see how I feel in a little while. My stomach is pretty strong, so I will be surprised if I start feeling queasy again.
I have been eating my oatmeal at least 3 times in a week. I will let you know if the fenugreek and blessed thistle have any effects. Although I seem to be increasing every day, so I am not sure how I will know if it's the herbs, or just normal increases. I was at 11 ounces yesterday. I have pumped 3 times today, and already have 7 ounces. I already have a stash in the freezer! I am so happy this is working so well!
DawnL in WA

Congrat's Dawn, I hope I do as well now that I have to go off Diane and change to Yasmin. I am in my 4th month on meds...finally 1 week away from our paperwork being done and it shouldn't be long till we get a referral! Take care, Cathy

Dawn?? We haven't heard from you in a few days girl??? Hows it goin? Post!!! <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/grin.gif" alt="" />

I thought ya'll would be tired of me by now! <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/grin.gif" alt="" />
I am up to 13 ounces now. It varies a little bit, and I have started having to write down how much per session if I want to know how much I did for the day. I am bagging about twice a day now, and stashing in the freezer, and it's confusing to keep track now if I don't write it down.
It is slowly increasing. I am sure it would go faster if I pumped more, but since we are not matched yet, I figure I will let my body figure out how much it wants to make for now. I am pumping every 2 or 3 hours, but I don't pump at night. I know that I can increase everything by increasing the number of pumping sessions, when necessary. And including one at night, of course!
Dh is content to wait until the end of the summer for a baby, but I am hoping for a match way before then! He assures me that I can keep up the pumping into August. He is very supportive. I am praying we get matched before that, though, and bring our next baby home.
I am looking forward to all you ladies finishing the protocol, so there are others out there pumping.
Now I just have to remember to behave like a lactating mama! At the mall on Saturday, I saw the blood-mobile was there, and I was going to donate. Then Dh reminded me that I am lactating, so I can't. (I don't think I can, anyway) It's a good thing most of the stuff I eat is okay for lactating mamas, anyway!
Thanks for asking about me, Nona!
DawnL

Dawn,
It sounds wonderful! You doing such a great job.Getting tired of you...what?! No way.. if you posted everyday.. it would make a lot of us happy. Don't be so quiet girl <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/grin.gif" alt="" />

Way to go Dawn!!!! Wow! You're doing GREAT!!!

You mentioned that you're bagging twice per day, so at this point it's about 6 1/2oz per bag? It sounds like you're on your way to a full milk supply and will most likely only need to supplement about 1-2 oz per feeding if any at all. If I were in your shoes I'd only bag about 2 oz per bag so that you don't end up wasting any of that precious stuff.

Please keep up the posts. It's so exciting!!!!

Esther

I've thought about using smaller bags, but I can't find any. I am currently using those Gerber bags with the zip lock top. Everything else doesn't have anything to close it with, and I am not sure how to use it in the freezer. I actually bought some plain old zip lock bags in the snack size, but when I got them home, they seemed very thin, and I didn't want to chance using those in the freezer.
Do you know how I can close up bags that don't have the zip lock top? I have a ton of them, and if I can use them, I would be able to use smaller portions for freezing. The Gerber bags are about $6.00 for 25, and using 2 a day, that's a lot. Especially considering I may wind up using more as my supply increases.
Thanks very much for the tips. I really appreciate them!
DawnL

Dawn,
What yo ucan do with the snack bags is.. Fill them and then put them in a Gallon FREEZER bag.. it will hold quite a bit. Then when its full zip it shut.. You will have the protection form the freezer bag... Keeps them consolidated to

Hi Ladies,

I used the Playtex bottle liners that come in a roll of I think 100, 9 oz for $2.99. I used two, one inside the other for protection. I filled the inside bag with about 2 oz. Then I rolled down the tops leaving a bout an inch for expansion and then stapled them shut. I used the 9 oz ones so I could roll them down and get a good closure before stapeling but they also sell them in 4 oz size that I later used for home made baby food. I learned this trick from Lenore.

Then just like Nona suggested, I put the smaller bags into a large Ziploc freezer bag with the original "zip" as opposed to the "sliding lock". Much cheaper that way.

Esther

Hello,
Congrat Dawn, you are doing so well! I sure hope you have a match before the summer!
Nona and Ester,,,thanks for the great tips on milk storage, I was still confused as to how to do this. I pump with the PIS directily into the bottles that come with it,,,and then put it in the bags afterwards?
Dawn, I am sure you know that once you have a match, adding the night pumping will def. increase your supply.
I work nights 8p to 8a, so I guess I will need to wake myself up for the 4 hours I sleep during the day and pump then. Its the opposite for me!
I am so frustrated with the paperwork for Guatemala. Its been 4 months and I am still not done!!! I just found out I have to send my already certified raised seal birth certificates from Michigan,,,all the way to Chicago to get the Guatemalan Consulate seal on them! The rest of our dossiers go to Washington D.C. GU consulate, since we live in MD. This is after the State Department in Annapolis puts their seal on them,,,only $10.00 per page! YIkes. We have at least 50 pages so far! Then the Consulate is also $10.00 per page.
More overtime to work now! Oh well, it will be so worth it when my one or two more precious kids are home.
Take care,
Cathy

wife to Dave, mom to Sean, adopted in Peru
NG protocol (in my 4th month)
adopting internationally (again)