Our story starts when I was a teenager and looked through my mom?s book, ?The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding?. I saw in there that it is possible to breastfeed an adopted child. That always stuck with me. I knew that I wanted to adopt and have bio children, both. Fast forward, I got married and my first husband and I tried and tried to have a baby. Then I found out I had PCOS. Then I found out he was a pervert and we got divorced. A blessing there was no baby. Then I found out I had endometriosis also. The doctors said that I could still have kids, but I might need a little help. Ok. Then I met and later married my husband, Stephen. We talked about adoption from the beginning of our relationship. We underwent several rounds of fertility drugs and then figured out they were making me VERY depressed. Then I wound up in the hospital with mastitis that they think may have somehow started with the fertility meds. We decided to skip the try and have-a-baby phase and go straight to the adopt-a-baby phase. I decided that it was ok if I couldn?t have kids but I WAS going to breastfeed them, come hell or high water! That was early April. At the end of April we started our adoption and I started pumping and researching ways to help with lactation. From the end of April until the end of July I pumped and pumped and took some herbs to help (Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle). I still was only making a few drops of milk a day. I had found out about this medication called Domperidone along the way, so I ordered it. Within days I was making milk! Within a couple of weeks I was making enough to freeze! So, I kept pumping through Aug., Sept, Oct., and Nov. and into Dec. when we got the call to go get him. I had been making about 24 ounces per day for about 2 months. We flew to Guatemala and they placed our son in my arms. GREAT day! He was 7 months and 9 days old. I immediately tried to put him to the breast. He let me put it in his mouth but did not suck. I switched him to Avent stage 2 bottles of breastmilk. He took it great! Then at the 24 hour mark (after multiple attempts to BF) Stephen said?.he will do it?..just make him. So I sat down with him and put him to my breast. He cried, but I just held him there and after 2-3 minutes of crying with my breast in his mouth?..HE STARTED SUCKING! He took 1 bottle for the next 2 days and breastfed for all the other feedings. We have never looked back! He has now been breastfeeding for 19 months and he does not like bottles now. He nurses several times a day and usually 1+ times per night. I have had struggles with recurrent mastitis and we had a biting phase, but every second, every single time I look down on the peaceful countenance of my nursing baby?s face?..it is worth every bit of struggle. I have the ?magic? to cure every ailment, every fear and every boo-boo along the way. I have the ability to calm him in moments, and it has helped us bond so much. I know we still would have bonded, but I know our bond is even stronger due to breastfeeding.
Here are pictures of the first time he nursed and one I took a few weeks ago.
The first time, in Guatemala City, Dec. '05
On our 18 months anniversary of BFing, June '07
One I took in the last couple of weeks from "my" perspective :-)
Overview of inducing lactation:
Pumping alone~ End of April to beginning of June
Pumping with Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle~ Mid June to End of July
Pumping with Fenugreek, Blessed Thistle, Domperidone (started at 80mg and eventually went up to 120mg due to plateauing at 16 ounces)August first through mid Dec.
Nursing baby with single bottle per day supplementing~ first 2 days of breastfeeding
Nursing baby without supplement~ 2 days after initiating BFing to current time.
Weaned off the herbs when baby turned 1 year old. No effect on supply. When baby turned 15 months old, began weaning off of Domperidone. Currently taking 10mg twice per day. Baby is 26 months old. Supply still seems to be high, with Isaac taking 1/3-1/2 of his total nutrition probably through breastmilk.
The pump I used was an Ameda Purely Yours. I did have issues with it once and they overnighted me a replacement pump. GREAT customer service!
