Greetings from Texas!

I took the plunge and ordered the Domperidone yesterday from New Zealand. My hubby and i had a great discussion about the commitment and the controversy between meds or not... for us, i believe that we have already mentally bonded with our child (wherever he/she is out there) - for us, it's about making the best decisions for his/her health and well being - giving them breast milk from the get go seems the obvious choice.

Considering all that I did to my body during 5 IUIs and 3 IVFs - I think my body can stand a year of pill popping (it's beter than injections!), gastronomical discomfort and weight gain - those side effects may take their toll, but it will all go away when I am able to nourish our child.

Hubby was fine with everything until i told him we were ordering meds from NZ - he wondered if insurance would cover the costs <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/smirk.gif" alt="" /> Men.

So, I will patiently wait the next 10-12 days for the meds to arrive. I will take a copy of the protocol and all the info. on the bcps and Dom to my doc (who is supportive and curious since I will be his first patient ever to do this). I will continue to visit this site and glean all the knowledge I can from you pioneers and pray for us all that we may be able to provide this wonderful juice of life for our new babies!

I'll let you guys know when I start the protocol!

Renee,
I am glad you decided to do the protocol. I have been on it for 5 months, this is actually my second time on it. I did it about 1.5 years ago (was on it 4 months) and the adoption fell through. We then decided to go international, so its been a long time doing paperwork etc,,but we hope that we will get our referral of a newborn girl in the next few weeks, then 4 months of paperwork over in Guatemala and by end of July, beg of August she will be ours.
The meds usually do not bother peoples stomachs. The domperidone may for the first week but then it gets better, and take the bcp with a meal, not on an empty stomach. (The domperidone can be taken 30 min before meals or 1.5 hours after meals). I felt very fatigued the first 4 months while on Diane and domperidone, but with the Yasmin the fatigue is not quite as bad. Of course, working nights does not help me, only getting 3-4 hours sleep max a day.
I have gained 45 lbs, but luckily I was a size 5 to begin with, now a 16. I hope to lose it when I start pumping/nursing,
I did IVF 4x, so I know what you mean about the high dose of hormones with that.
My ob/gyn had never heard of inducing lactation either, I gave her a copy of the protocol, but she would not write me a script for bcp, so I got mine on-line. You will need to have your blood pressure checked (you can even do this now in the grocery store) etc,,,mine went from 90/50 to 145/78.
I have about 21 more days left of my Yasmin, then I don 't know if I will order more or just start pumping then, it will be six months on the meds at that point.
We are here to answer any questions you may have, congrat's on getting approved,,,we have been through that 3x, our agency took about 6 months the first time we did our homestudy, and 5 months this time,,,then we had an update this year that took 3 months,,,they are soooo slow!
Take care,
Cathy

Hi All!

I received my dom and got a scrip for the ortho novum 1/35. My questions are:
Do I have to wait until the start of my next cycle to begin the protocol?
Is it imperative that I take the dom every 6 hours - or can the timing be more relaxed?
The suggestion for taking dom is 90 minutes after meals for greatest absorption - can a meal be something light like a couple of crackers? or does it have to be something more substantive (I can't imagine eating 4 large a meals a day!!)
I f I accidentally forget or skip a dose of dom - is it recomended to take 2 as soon as you remember?
At what point do I consider switching to Yasmin if i don't see/feel significant breast changes?

I know I have a lot of questions - I appreciate your responses and check the message boards daily! i'm so excited and am ready to get things going!

Thanks bunches!

Hello,
Most women do fine on the Ortho and domperidone for the long protocol. If you are doing the shorter/accelerated I would definately rec. the Yasmin. I would give the Ortho 1/35 a good month or two before you decide to switch. Also, try to do the domperidone spacing the best you can. Dr. Newman has said not to wake yourself up to take it etc...Also, you can take is 30 minutes before a meal OR 90 minutes after a meal. I work nights and on my days off I never know when to take it...I think my body is pretty confused d/t the shift work. I just try to make sure I get the 80 mg per day in somehow! Just do the best you can with it. I am sure you will do fine. Take care, Cathy

Cathy - Thanks for the info. I appreciate your response.

I found a post by Lenore that recommended waiting for the start of my next cycle before beginning the protocol - since I have time and since it will reduce the amount of break-through bleeding. So I will start the protocol in the next week or so.

I'm glad for the flexibility on the dom - I understand that sleeping 8 hours a day will go away soon - so allowing myself 6-9 more months of sleeping in will be grand!

I'll let you all know when I start~!

Hi Renee,

Since you're taking the Ortho 1/35 for your breasts and not for contraception you can begin at any time. But because you have such a nice long lead time it's a good idea to wait for the 5th day of your cycle. This seems to lessen the chance of spotting that can occur if starting towards the end of your cycle when your period would be due.

If you miss a dose of domperidone, just take it when you remember and take the next dose a little later. Lenore recommends taking the domperidone 1/2 hour before meals and at bedtime because it's easier to remember than 90 min after eating but if you forget to take it, it's good to know that this option is available.

Lenore mentioned that she's doing the protocol with Ortho 1/35 because it worked for her last time. It's a nice reliable birth control pill for the long protocol. If you are concerned about breast changes after two weeks, ask her what she thinks. A lot of the time breast changes occur and we don't even know it till the milk starts flowing.

Cathy, do you have any tenderness in your armpits or the breast tissue near there? That's usually the first place to feel anything. I know my pits were pretty darn sore when I did the protocol but only if I touched them. Otherwise I didn't notice anything.

Esther

Today begins day one on the regular/long protocol.

I started keeping a journal - just so that I can track my progress and also to remind myself of my excitement as I start the process - 6 months doesn't sound like a long time right now - but I know that 6 weeks from now I may feel differently - especially after skipping a period and the effects of the drugs start kicking in - my hubby is most worried about mood swings - he is such a pleaser that he gets concerned when he cannot help me - when its hormones he just feels at a loss because he knows he cannot help me.

I am also beginning a low carb diet and hoping to not experience a great deal of weight gain - I mean the goal is increased cup size not dress size right? In the event that I do gain the weight, my hubby and I are prepared for that as well (mentally that is).

I'll post my progress and question on this post as I go and will continue to appreciate all words of encouragement and advice along the way!

Thanks so much...

Hi Ester,
I have had no breast changes on the Diane or the Yasmin,,,no tingling , no soreness or fullness. I know other women have had no changes and done fine, so I am hoping! Today marked the six month mark,,Yeah! I wll stay on it until we get our referral and then start pumping, hopefully in the next two weeks or so.
Thanks, Cathy