Hi I was unable to bf due to lyme's meningitis and have recently finished my antibiotics and will be starting the process of relactation this weekend. My OBGYN prescribed me reglan, but he doesn't seem to hopeful. I would love any tips for making this work.
There are a lot of good tips about relactation on the MDC Bf'ing Challenges board. You could just read through what's there or join and post. :) http://www.mothering.com/discussions/forumdisplay.php?f=363
You might also want to connect with LLL, if you haven't already.
Well I breastfed twins and I stopped when they were about 3 months for a while and then felt bad so I started up again...my suggestion would be to just have the baby latch on as much as possible random times throughout the day and also during the night. Instead of giving a pacifier give the breast and give the breast before a bottle just until the baby starts to get frustrated then give the bottle. I'm not a doctor or anything I'm the mother of 4 kids 11yo 8yo and 7mo twins.
Good Luck
Be patient and persistant. I delivered 6wks early to a baby with downs syndrome. My odds were against me.. My son never took to the breast but after persistant pumping every 2 hours for what seemed an eternity my milk finally cooperated.. I pumped for 6 mths there were times when I felt like it was hopeless but eventually it all just started working..good luck
Get in touch with a certified lactation consultant. There is a website (breastfeedingalliance.com) run by PA local lactation consultants. They may be able to help you find someone in your area.
Good luck!!!
Check out www.drjacknewman.com. I have seen Dr. Newman speak at several conferences and he truly is a breastfeeding expert.
Hi J., yes I have a recomendation. Have you ever tried Traditional Medicinals Mothers Milk tea? It can be found in health food stores, and is completely harmless.. I did this for months while trying to lactate, and it worked...I would highly recommend this process...Also, drink ALOT of water, and eat protein...continue to take reglan, as it might help the process as well....good luck
Hi, I was in a somehwat similar situation, in that in couldn't even begin to breastfeed for the first two weeks, and I was too sick for reglan, and I just pumped CONSTANTLY for 2 weeks--like 45 minutes at a time, and it did NOTHING. I was in constant tears, and just put my son to nurse one day, and voila, he got something! It took another couple days for the milk to start flowing freely, but my son trying to nurse seemed to do better than pumping alone, although I also kept pumping CONSTANTLY. Good luck.
Oh yeah--and tons of fenugreek capsules.
hi jen, when i was running low on my breast milk i wasn't sure what to do. i didn't want to stop, a friend told me about mother's milk tea. and it really worked. i went to my local health food store, or you can get it in giant, i picked some up drank 4 cups a day and within a day or two i was producing more milk. hope this works.
A.
A great website you might want to check out is www.asklenore.info. She did adoptive relacation and worked with Dr. Jack Newman to develop a protocol. I think that you might find some useful tips from that. You might want to also look to see if Newman has a more targeted protocol to your situation - just search newman breasfeeding protocols and you should find them readily. When you visit asklenore, check out her forums. She frequently posts personally and its a great way to get experienced advice.
Reglan has some serious side effects, including depression, so please educate yourself, but does seem to work. There's an alternative pharmaceutical called Domperidome (Mollitum), which can be made by compounding pharmacies (may have to look around for one willing to). When I had supply problems, I talked to the local lacation consultant expert (now moved away -www.bfar.org) on milk supply. She recommended More Milk Plus tinctures, which can be more effective than the teas or capsules. Its made by motherlove.com and can sometimes be found at Whole Foods. Another great site is www.kellymom.com. Other than that, its lots of skin contact - take the baby to bed for a weekend (week?) and let nurse on demand - even if nothing is coming out. Pump in between. Bathing together is another good way to get extra skin contact. Eat oatmeal, avoid sage and sudafed. Some people also find good effect with barley drinks (e.g., Pero coffee substitute at Whole Foods).
Good luck,
A.
One thing to note about the Mother's Milk Tea - it basically has fenugreek, alfalfa, and blessed thistle in it. While that is good because those are herbs that seriously boost lactation, the tea doesn't have significant amounts in it. It does keep you hydrated, which is an important part of lactation. Go to a vitamin store and buy fenugreek and blessed thistle capsules. Take 3 or 4 of each three times a day. Eat lots of oatmeal, drink lots of water and milk. It will boost your supply greatly.
Also - the fenugreek will make you smell like maple syrup. That is perfectly normal.
