Ok, so I had to stop breastfeeding my now 4 month old baby girl due to me returning to work and stress I wasn't producing enough. Now I really want to breastfeed again but not sure if its even possible. I can still express some clear liquid out of them but I am sure they are dired up from all milk, but not sure since I can still express something. what are your thoughts? Thank you.
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/relactation.html
https://www.llli.org/NB/NBrelactation.html
These 2 places have the *Best* articles and information on relactation. You can do it!
Jen said everything I was going to--if adoptive moms can relactate, you sure can! It'll take some work though w/ pumping and taking supplements, but is definitely possible. See if your insurance provides for lactation consultation. In the meantime, try pumping regularly and start taking fenugreek and blessed thistle to get things going again. I had a similar problem when I went to work ('cept I didn't stop, but definitely had a big drop in production after returning to work) and found that bringing a big jug of mother's milk tea (sweetened w/ agave and on ice, as it was way easier to get iced tea down than attempt to drink a cup of tea while still warm) and popping 2 fenugreek w/ blessed thistle every time I thought about it (which worked out to every few hours) I saw a big boost in production w/in 2-3 days.
I had 3 big drops in production during my daughter's 1st year and every time, this supplementation worked. Hopefully your work can provide a place for you to pump every few hours? That's key. If there's no stimulation, your milk supply is getting the message to slow down.
YES!! just let her nurse on you as if you a "pacifier" and your body will produce the milk because of her suckling! Breastfeeding is one of the best and most amazing gift of mother hood... I have 3 kids and I just stopped nursing my youngest about 5 months ago and for about the first 3 months or so I still had milk.
GOOD LUCK :)
yes you can..here is my list that i made when i was still bfing..at the bottom i mention motilium..at 9 months i was only pumping about an ounce..took 2 a day for 2 weeks and was already producing more milk after 2 days..got back to pumping 9 ounces..i also quit bfing a few times in the 3 years that i bf'ed my son..i would stop for a month b/c he would quit on his own then he'd want to again or he'd catch a cold and i could only nurse him back to sleep..well here's the list..i hope you find it helpful..
1. rent a hospital grade pump..Medela Classic is what i'm using..it's
$3 a day and totally worth it! OR better yet buy one off ebay and
when you're done you can re-sell it on ebay and get your money back.
i bought one and it works great..the medela classic is supposed to be
the best pump out there.
2. get the Easy Expression bra www.easyexpressionproducts.com it
holds both cups over you bb's and it's better to pump 2 at a time
3. eat oatmeal ....get the healthy kind i add bananas also i would
think pasta would be good b/c it retains water
4. Take "Lactation Supplement" by Gaia Herbs you can find it at the
health food store
5. try to pump at the same time every day...also try power pumping..
10 minutes pumping..then stop for 10 then 10 again and then stop and
so on. even pump if you aren't getting anything.
6. Make sure the white membrane thingies that attach onto the cups
are fairly new ..over used ones affect how much milk you get
7. Drink lots of fluids including Nursing Mom's tea or Mother's Milk
tea or the tea i prefer is www.breastea.com ..also drinks with
electrolytes like Recharge...Smart Water...Gatorade i notice on days
i drink a lot of fluids i have more milk
8. Eat barley..Barley Grass supplements are great. also..they have
barley bread at Trader Joe's if you have a Trader Joe's where you
live..or just buy barley. I buy a delicious barley tea at the
japanese market and i drink a couple of cups a day..it's decaf and
yummy.
i also drink Healthy Mom's drinks by Ensure
9.A warm wash cloth helps too ..apply to breasts before pumping or
try the breast heating pads that you heat up in the microwave.
10. Keep taking your prenatal vitamin..not getting a lot of milk
could mean a vitamin deficiency
even if you pump just a little ..save what you get and start adding
them together and then supplement with the milk that you pump..that's
why it's also good to pump after they've gone to sleep..then you help
build your supply and you also have more bb milk for baby..
11. nurse nurse nurse..triple up on nursing..you're going to have to
dedicate a week to it
the more you pump the more milk you'll begin to make.
12. LOTS OF REST..nap if you can ..milk builds when you rest
13. DHA supplements also are great for lactation..also found at the
health food store*
14. Alfalfa supplements are also great.
i think that's it..
15. Try a whey protein powder drink.. i use "Whey to Go" by
Solgar..you mix it with milk add some berries and a banana. it says
to check with your doc before using if you're bfing..so ask your
doc..i only drink one a day and i add a some Motherlove's "More Milk
Plus" to it.
16. Again you should double pump when you're pumping so make sure you
get the bra to make it easier on you!
17. Goat's Rue herb is also supposed to help boost
honestly drink LOTS of liquids
keep yourself moist ...don't take any birth control pills.
18. there is also this stuff called Motilium aka DOM a lot of mom's
use this ..it's for reflux but it builds up your supply.. you can
read about it on Kellymom.com http://www.kellymom.com/newman/19a-
domperidone1.html
and you can buy it here... http://www.inhousepharmacy.com/general/
motilium.html
It is possible. I did something similar, although I only stopped breastfeeding for 1 month when my son was a few weeks ago. I got a nursing supplementer (the Medela SNS, there is also another called the Lactaid), and put formula in it, and nursed every 2 hours with it on. He got formula, but also stimulated my milk supply (nursing is the key to relactation). At night you are supposed to nurse every 3 hours with it, but I would normally let my son just wake up and then nurse him (so only 2 or 3 times a night), helped save my sanity, although it did take a little longer to relactate. I was fully relactated 5 weeks later, and I had read that it normally does take as long as you weren't nursing to relactate (I think it took me a little longer because of the nights, and also I have never had a great milk supply). I also took fenugreek, blessed thistle, ate a lot of oatmeal, and tried to add as many other galactogues (see the kellymom.com site for a list) to my diet. I also kept track of how often I nursed, and how much formula he drank at each nursing. I would pump once a day (or not at all), but always tried to get in 7 or 8 nursings in a 24 hour period. Tracking is important because you can see the amount of formula dropping, which means you're producing more. Good luck!
Another thing, you can always just be a part time nurser, if you are at work and can't get your full supply back. This means feeding morning, when you get home from work, nights, and weekends. It doesn't have to be an all or nothing thing. Do what you can. I also should have mentioned, my son is now almost 2, still nursing, and I am so glad that I put in all of the work to relactate, it was really worth it.
I would definitely pay a visit to kellymom.com they have a whole section on pumping and relactating. There are great experts there with loads of good advice. Don't be turned off by their parenting styles. I'm not into attachment parenting but they are the #1 resource for breastfeeding and saved me with #1! Good luck.
I would bet you could do it. I breastfed twins and I had to stop for 2 weeks when I got food poisining and they were almost 12 mos old at the time and at the end of the 2 weeks my breasts were about as flat as they can get. I put the babies on anyways figuring it was hopeless and they worked away at it. I got my milk supply back and life was great. The babies were so happy to be nursing again - it didn't really matter to them at first that there was nothing in there. Go for it and make sure you're eating and drinking enough. Some Mother's Milk Tea from Henry's or Mother's Kitchen could help in supply too.
Yes you can! The PP have already given you some great advice on how to get started. The only thing I want to add is to get that baby to breast. She needs to suckle in order to tell your breast to make milk. It is simple supply and demand. You baby demands the milk, you supply it! Until your supply has built back up I suggest skipping the pacifier and letter her use you instead. Even this comfort suckling with single your body to make milk. Try to offer the breast before every single feeding (that you are home with her of course), don't wait for her to start crying to be fed though as she will just get frustrated quickly with the breast since it won't be providing the quick meal she is used to with the bottle. You could also look into an SNS system. It is something that you can use to feed your child formula (or pumped breast milk) at the breast through a small tube so that she is still stimulating your breast to produce milk but is also getting the nutrition she needs to thrive. It is such a good sigh that you are still able to hand express even a little bit. You can do it!
I am sorta in agreement with Stacey H. I took domperidone for months after trying everything to up my milk supply. It worked WONDERS and may be worth you checking into.
However, I was able to get it just fine with a prescription from my obgyn. There were only a few pharmacies in my area that were able to compound it for me, but I didn't have to order it online or anything weird like that. I highly recommend it. Feel free to personal message me if you want to talk about it more!
Contact a lactation consultant in your area. But yes it possible women who adopt can lactate. You take herbs to help jumpstart milk production then you have to start pumping regularly through the day and night before you bring baby to breast. Good Luck to you !
Domperidone is used to help adoptive mothers and mothers who have low milk supplies. It took about 4 days for me to notice an improvement. You can get a prescription, but they don't sell it in the states because of some bad press it received regarding trials done with severely ill patients taking large amounts intravenously. Anyhow, you can order it from inhousepharmacy.com without a prescription. I learned a great deal about how to use it and what to expect from it from Dr. Jack Newman's website (he's a renowned lactation doctor in Canada). I've been taking it for 7 months now with no problems.
These ladies are great
Virtual Breastfeeding Help - www.virtualbreastfeedinghelp.com - provides high-tech, state-of-the-art IBCLC consultations via Skype (lactation consultations via webcam in your home)
good luck!
L.
yes!!! go for it! :)
