Regalin?

Hey J.,

I am a nurse who takes care of premature and sick newborns. We recommend Reglan all the time to our mothers who are having trouble with milk production. Its not a miracle drug, but some mom's really feel like it helps. We of course also recommend drinking plenty of fluid and feeding/pumping very frequently, sometimes every 2 hours, if you are not producting much with pumping every 3. I know you said your body does not respond to a pump, but that concerns me because used properly, you should get some milk. What brand is it? How long do you pump for and are you adjusting the intensity? Pumps these days are really good, even regular hand pumps work to get milk. If you are sure that it is being used properly, the only recommendation that I have there is try to relax, like you do when you nurse the baby to allow let-down to happen. Maybe you could try to pump after you nurse each time. Even if you don't get much, it is stimulting your brain that it needs to make more milk. Overtime you should notice an increase. That really worked for me with my son. I actually ended up with too much milk, so I ended up stopping that, but it really helped my production. Its the whole supply and demand thing that you hear about. Also, don't be afraid to give your baby a bottle when he gets so frustrated to get the milk. Since it is the 9:00 feeding that your milk supply is low, it is actually a good time to feed him a bottle. Many breastfeeding mom's choose to give their babies a bottle before bed. The babies get fuller and sleep longer. That was a saving grace for me as well! I would pump before bed and store the milk for later use. My son has switched back and forth between the breast and the bottle since he was one week old. He will be a year old next week, and just decided that he was finished nursing. Nursing was great experience for us this past year, yet since I opted to give him a bottle some as well I was able to work a few days a week and my husband/family members were able to feed him for me. Many of our preemies in the hospital go back and forth as well. I really feel like breastfeeding mom's feel a lot of pressure to not give their babies a bottle, but it really is not a bad thing, especially once the baby has established good breastfeeding skills. I hope that this helps.

Reglan worked great for me, relactated with it due to meds and had to stop breastfeeding.

Good luck!

My only question is for those who have used reglan successfully, how long did it take to produce a better supply of milk

Kelly D had some great advice to offer. I also agree with upping your milk supply with constant nursing or pumping in addition to any herbs or prescriptions that you take. Some women do not like Reglan's side effects, so be sure to talk to your midwife about possible feelings.

Good luck!

Hi J.,

I have personally not used Ragalin, but I have heard other ladies say it increased their milk supply quite well. I've also heard that it can be pretty expensive. I used Fenugreek to boost my supply when it was low. I was taking 9 pills a day at 610mg each. Also, I was drinking blessed (milk) thistle teas. I know you said they make you sick to your stomach, but I was just checking to see if you were taking enough of the Fenugreek for it to work...it takes a LOT.

Also, what kind of pump have you tried? My recommendation for this method is to use a Medela product with the 2 phase pumping. One stage is for stimulation (let down) and the other is for expression. I had tried the regular Pump In Style and it worked ok, but when I switched to the Medela Swing that had the 2 phase, I get so much more milk...and quick! The Pump In Style Advanced also has this option, but it is very expensive. That's why I use the Swing. Only $150 and works wonders!!

i took reglan and had to stop, my back was having muscle spasms and i was always tired. i started taking domperidone instead. i didnt (and still don't) have any side effects.

when you first pump, it takes a while for your body to get used to another way of stimulation so you might not get much mik the first time. would you be able to rent a hosiptal grade pump? here at my health department they are free to rent. when you pump, you are sending a signal to your body that you need to make more milk, so even if you dont get anything after a few days you will see an increase as you supply tries to catch up to the demand

I took Reglan while I was pregnant for nausea. It helped a lot. I also took Fenugreek after several months of nursing... My milk production slowed down when I went back to work. I don't think the Reglan will make you sick to your stomach, since it can be used to help with morning sickness. I hope it works for you!