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#7874 08/25/06 01:48 PM
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Because of some meds that i HAD to take for some medical conditions that i had during and shortly after her birth (actually i stil have health issues but have been able to stop taking most of the meds that made my supply pretty much nothing, even with meds, pumping ever two hours day and night, herbs and her stimulating my breasts, my supply was never over a drop or two from each breast....so....I tried to nurse my daughter for 10 weeks till she got full time breastmilk from a milk bank (same milk they give little sick babies) with sup feedings of formula. (till we found out she had very bad allergies to every kind of formula we tried) After that milk started, she nursed less and less on me. Although i never had a very big supply anyway, only a couple of oz of milk total for 24 hrs. I was pumping ever 2 hours sometimes more, taking herbs, drinking tea and even taking Reglan and nothing helped my supply grow. I was on meds that i couldnt stop taking and they really effected my supply....wait i said that twice lol sorry...anyway..............

Now Sara is starting whole milk, and is off the Milk Banks milk. But every so often she will "try" or act like she wants to suckle. I am totally dry now. No milk at all. But was wondering if i could after this much time at least build up enough milk for her to be rewarded with when she does nurse. When i mean she "acts" like she wants to nurse, what im saying is...for example when we are in the tub together or shes laying in my arms, she will pinch my nipple a bit or suck, play, suck once or twice, stop and play, lick once or twice, stop and play, but not all the time, just when shes "feels" like it. so its not actually nursing KWIM?

Anyway ive read alot about relactation and inducing lactation and just really need the support and any ideas from others who have done it...

I got my elec pump 3 days ago and have started pumping. I even noticed on my left nipple that theres a teeny tiny speck of clear liquid after pumping (not every time). Wouldnt call it a drop or even a bead of liquid. BUT its kinda sticky, so its something. Something is better than nothing lol. Anyway Im on Reglan (yes i know the side effects) and am waiting for my Fenugreek, Blessed Thistle and Alfalfa to come in, maybe ill get it in a few days. Also trying to eat oatmeal, i dont like it so its a chore....anyway so now yall know more about me than you wanted too lol (BTW cant take BCPs because of a past blood clot and heart condition)

Also i have a nipple shield to help her being that shes used to "hard" bottle nipples.

Also hoping to find an SNS or Lact-aid gentlyl used for cheap to help things along


Thanks yall....and nice to meetcha


~Mommy to Sara (1)~
Saras_mom #7875 08/26/06 02:52 AM
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Hi Sara's Mom,

Thank you for your post and welcome to the Ask Lenore website!

Which medications are you currently taking besides the Reglan? Besides the side effects you should know that Reglan is not typcially prescribed for longer than two weeks and can cause severe depression to keep an eye on yourself ok?

Pumping for two hours...you deserve a medal!. According to research by Peter Hartmann and his team in Australia, it's actually frequency of pumping rather than duration that increases milk supply. Which pump were you using? Unfortunately they are not all created equal and the wrong pump can lead you down the slippery slope to dwindling milk supply.

Did you have a hemorrhage after the birth? That can affect your pituitary and cause lactation failure as can retained placental fragments which emit progesterone and can cause problems with milk supply.

How old is Sara now please? Is she over a year? Getting an older baby to the breast is difficult but not impossible. The best advice I can give you is to contact a board certified lactation consultant to assist you. You can find one here: www.ilca.org Just click on the "find a lactation consultant" button at the top of the page.

Best,


Lenore Goldfarb, Ph.D.,CCC,IBCLC
Wife to Rob, Mom to Adam aged 13, and Ethan aged 9, both born via GS and breastfed via Regular Newman-Goldfarb Protocol.
Lenore #7876 08/26/06 08:41 PM
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Sorry i meant to say every two hours not for two hours lol.. My booboo...

Im not taking anything (for milk increase) cept for Reglan. And thanks for the warning. I am however waiting to get my Fenugreek, Blessed Thistle and Alfalfa in the mail. Eating oatmeal a bit (hate the stuff cept in cookies lol) and drinking MM Tea a couple times a day.

As far as regular everyday meds i take Inderal (for my heart) and Lantus insulin and synthroid. My thyroid levels were checked recently so they are fine. Shouldnt effect relactation too much i pray.

Yes i lost a large amount of blood. Sara was born at 35 weeks via Emergency C-section. And she was jaundice (sp?) and a very lazy nurser and the LC at the hosp worked with me a bit but suggested i try bottle feeding because of her jaundice and this and that, Lord i wish i wouldnt have listened to her.

Its sad because in 2004 we lost a little boy at 34 weeks, I had tons of milk, would spray across the room and no baby to feed, so I though with Sara wouldnt have any issues, but had nothing but issues...

She turned 1 Aug 2nd. She shows a bit of interests in my breasts and will lick them a time or two without me showing her to do that, so I think she "rememebers a bit" or she still has that instinct. Im buying an SNS (not the starter one) from a friend and will have it in a few days, i think once she knows she can get something from the breast it will be easier for her to accept my breasts.

Thank you for the link and advice

One reason this is so important to me is that Sara is our last little one. With my heart condition and my past losses (sev early M/Cs and Andrew at 34 weeks) Im just too high risk and had my tubes tied. Im very close with my daughter but wish for that bond that only a nursing couple can share. Know what i mean? Anyway even if its just for comfort nursing it will thrill me... Heres a pic of my big girl!!!!



~Mommy to Sara (1)~
Saras_mom #7877 08/27/06 07:10 AM
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Dear Sara's mom,

Thank you so much for sharing your story and the photographs. Sara is GORGEOUS!

I'm so sorry for your losses. As a mother who lost 8 pregnancies to recurrent miscarriage and my daughter in-utero, I understand how devastated you must feel.

There is an excellent book that I have read entitled "Grieving Reproductive Loss: The Healing Process" by Kathleen Gray and Anne Lassance. I read this book myself... the author is from Montreal where I live and I have since contacted her and we have become great friends. Her book is wonderful and helped me a great deal as did Kathleen. I'm working with her right now as a matter of fact to deal with some unresolved grief. Here is the direct link to the book: http://baywood.com/books/previewbook.asp?id=0-89503-227-9

I'm trying to zero-in on the cause of your problem. I have to ask you about the loss of blood. Did you require blood transfusions? The loss of blood you describe can cause an infarction of the pituitary gland. When the pituitary gland is injured, milk supply can be drastically affected. How much blood did you lose?

You see, it doesn't make sense that you would not produce adequate milk when you have done so in the past unless you had a catastrophic event such as an infarction of the pituitary. This can go largely undiagnosed.

If this is the case, Reglan is not your best option because it's only typcially prescribed for 2 weeks. Domperidone is a better choice because it can be prescribed longer term. But it may not be enough to overcome the damage if there is damage. I'm just speculating right now based on my knowledge as a board certified lactation consultant and doctoral researcher. You're going to need to discuss all of this with your doctor for a definitive diagnosis. But to be clear, a little bleeding wouldn't cause this. It has to be enough blood loss to warrant a blood transfusion. And even then, it may not cause the infarct. But from what you describe above, possible pituitary infarct needs to be investigated. The other option is as I mentioned before, retained placental fragments....or you could have had both. One thing is certain, something was going on with you physically.

Best,


Lenore Goldfarb, Ph.D.,CCC,IBCLC
Wife to Rob, Mom to Adam aged 13, and Ethan aged 9, both born via GS and breastfed via Regular Newman-Goldfarb Protocol.
Lenore #7878 08/27/06 02:34 PM
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Thank you for the link and thank you for sharing your losses with me as well.


I did not require a transfusion and they never told me how much blood i lost. Due to a blood clot that i have and will always have where the leads to my debrillator go I had to take Lovenox her whole pregnancy and blood thinning pills after (which i was told i couldnt breast feed with taking those-now i hear you can. I hate when info changes) Anyway and it was a ER C-section so the doc says it was prob due to being on the Lovenox. IF i could have been off them for at least 24 or longer before her birth things probably would have been different. So the doc says anyway...

Someone told me you can get a script for Dom here in the states now so im going to be talking to my doc monday about it.

Thanks again!!!


~Mommy to Sara (1)~
Saras_mom #7879 08/28/06 05:35 AM
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Ok if you're sure you didn't have a hemmorhage and your pituitary is intact, not breastfeeding because of the meds was likely the culprit. Breastfeeding is a "use it or lose it" kind of thing. Heparin is a very large molecule and not readily transferred into milk so it's approved by most doctors for use in breastfeeding mothers.

If you have a blood clot, the birth control pills are not an option but you should still be able to take the domperidone. Although it is available at some compounding pharmacies in the US it tends to be very expensive and some of the preparations are not made properly. There are reports of the medications not doing it's job and some moms in California report itchy rashes. Most of the moms obtain their domperidone from www.globaldrug.tv which is very inexpensive and reliable. Regardless of the source, it's important for you to be monitored by your doctor.

This link to the FDA website indicating where to obtain domperidone may be of interest to you: http://www.fda.gov/cder/news/domperidone.htm

and here is the link to the landmark ruling in the US allowing compounding pharmacies to produce non-FDA approved medications: http://www.aapsonline.org/nod/newsofday294.php

Best,


Lenore Goldfarb, Ph.D.,CCC,IBCLC
Wife to Rob, Mom to Adam aged 13, and Ethan aged 9, both born via GS and breastfed via Regular Newman-Goldfarb Protocol.
Lenore #7880 08/28/06 05:52 AM
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You are so very helpful and thanks for the links too. I am going to "try" to get a script for Dom tomorrow or as soon as i can see him (the doc). I have Medicaid so im sure they will pay for it. Although at that site you gave me Dom isnt too expensive, it is for us. Funds right now and just horribly tight. And im not getting my husbands full support on this. He just doesnt understand, so making a purchase on something like that that he feels is a waste of time and money....hed never go for it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

But anyway Keeping my hopes up and saying my prayers that all of this work out!!!

Again thank you. Youre a wealth of information!

Oh yeah what should i try to get and do...?

10mg 3-4x a day
20mg 4x a day
30mg 3x a day

Ive read of women taking all of those...what should I do since i CANT do the BCPs and such...thanks


~Mommy to Sara (1)~
Saras_mom #7881 08/28/06 12:21 PM
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20 mg 4x daily or 30mg 3x daily either of those will work. You work your way up to 80 mg a day of course if your tabs are 30mg you would be taking 90mg total each day.


Laurie~Craig's wife~Mom to 4 blessings nurtured at the breast CJ(24)Travis(21)Beka~adopted(9)Rab(6)
Saras_mom #7882 08/28/06 02:07 PM
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great thanks..I just got off the phone with my docs office, she (the nurse) says shell call me when (if) the script is called in....keeping my fingers crossed


~Mommy to Sara (1)~
Saras_mom #7883 08/28/06 02:32 PM
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So being in Texas you will have to use a compounding pharmacy


Laurie~Craig's wife~Mom to 4 blessings nurtured at the breast CJ(24)Travis(21)Beka~adopted(9)Rab(6)
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