Home Forums Induced Lactation aka Adoptive Breastfeeding Medical Interventions to Induce Lactation/Increase Milk Supply lact-aid -- practical advice and tips from pros?

One more week until I finish the accelerated protocol and begin to nurse my new baby girl! Hooray! I've tried the lact-aid with her a couple of times in order to familiarize myself with it and to check her latch. All seems OK... except... how do I LIVE with the lact-aid? If all I had to do was nurse and use the lact-aid, perhaps, but I have an older child, and we have appointments, places to be, etc. How do I do all that with the lact-aid?

I know how to do it while nursing, and I know how to do it with bottles, but how to do it with the lact-aid? How do I discreetly manage all the tubes and tape and stuff? And how do I clean it for the next feeding? And how do I get it all set up in public???

Thanks!
Janeen

Hi Janeen,

I prepared 5-6 lact aid bags ahead of time and stored them in the fridge. You can clamp down the bags and take them in a soft cooler. If I knew that within a 1/2hr I would need to BF my DD I would connect it ahead of time and wear it. Didn't seem to bother anyone and the milk was body temp by the time she got it.
Btw, to prevent clogging the tube, even with BM, I strained the milk through a moist paper towel. this worked as well or better than the strainer provided.
It's not that hard to clean. I didn't clean EACH time. The main issue is to make sure you don't have the tube clogged.I would check it occasionally by sucking on the tube myself to make sure it was flowing well.
If you can afford it, having a second feeding tube set helps.

I also found out I could actually wash the bags, and let them dry and budda bing, re use. Saved us quite a bit
After a while you might be able to not use tape on the nipple but slip it in her mouth as she latches. And hopefully you will be able to leave the lact aid altogether as your milk increases.
Wishing you the best

I just wrote a post where I asked if you had started trying to get her to the breast with the Lact-Aid, so here is my answer!

It does take some practice to learn to manage things with the Lact-Aid, but it can be done! I nursed six babies using the Lact-Aid, so I got lots and lots of practice. This is what I did, for when we had to leave home. I had Tupperware tumblers with lids that were pretty well insulated. If we were only going to be gone for a few hours, I would just carry one in the diaper bag. If we were going to be gone longer, I kept several in a small cooler, in addition to one in the diaper bag. The one in the diaper bag would stay cool, but not real cold. Although I did sometimes refill Lact-Aids, once, when the babies were a bit older, I only used new bags and freshly washed parts for this, since it didn't stay as cold. I didn't worry about warming it more than that. At home, I used the neck cord but, when we were out, I used the lace pocket with a clip. I had the Lact-Aid in the cup already in the pocket. When we needed to nurse, I stuck my hand in the diaper bag and unwound the tube. Then, I got the whole thing in my hand and popped it up under my top, clipped it onto my bra and flipped the tube under the bra frame and we were ready to nurse. I also left my bra flaps unhooked and just lifted up, to avoid taking any more time with my hand under my shirt than necessary. I didn't mind people seeing that I was nursing, but generally avoided calling attention to the fact that I was using the Lact-Aid. I also kept a small four ounce bottle and small can of powder formula in my diaper bag, and also a Lact-Aid funnel. If we didn't get home as soon as I had figured, I would use the bottle to mix up more formula for the Lact-Aid or, occasionally, I would give them the formula in the bottle.

As far as tape, I only used it for the first few days of nursing. I always wore a nursing bra that had a frame that went all the way around the breast. Just flipping the tube under that frame was sufficient to help me keep track of it and get it positioned properly.

I would suggest that you try to avoid having to leave home for the first week or two, if you can, so you can just concentrate on getting nursing with the Lact-Aid going well. Keeping visitors to a minimum is good, too. I'm sure you will work it out just fine!

Darillyn

Thank you, Linda and Darillyn! The countdown is on -- Thursday, I take my last BCP, and Friday, I start nursing! Yay!

In the meantime, I am feeding baby with the lact-aid at least twice a day to get us both used to it. Neither one of us is crazy about it, but we do manage to get her fed. I'm sure it will improve.

I have blocked out Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with no place I need to go, and no one allowed to come over. My husband has been put on notice that he will be entertaining our 9 year old and taking her to all her lessons and things those days. (hahaha!) She does have things I'll need to get her to the following week, although I won't have to be anywhere for an extended period of time until Thursday. I'm hoping that a week of nursing will make us both much better at all this.

Some more questions -- for the two of you, or anyone who wants to chime in -- I've been assuming that I should just start with the lact-aid in place when I begin to nurse her so that she doesn't get frustrated, but eventually, it would seem to make sense to let her nurse from both sides first, then add the lact-aid. Any thoughts on that? Or when we would be ready to try that?

Also, do you use the lact-aid at night? Hoo-boy, that seems hard!

Finally, I do have 2 feeding units. If I am going to be out all day with her, I can pack the bags ahead of time, but I'm still going to need to get the feeding assembly into the bags (or at least, beginning with the 3rd feeding, I will), and I'm imagining all sorts of awkward manipulations. I'll also need to figure out a way to clean the assemblies well enough to reuse later and not clog. Any specific suggestions on that?

Thanks!
Janeen

Janeen,
I have a 5 week old son born via a gestational surrogate. I did the regular protocol for 4 months and had every intention of using the lact-aid. However, after trying it with also having a 6 year old son who has to be taken to school and to many activities it wasn't practical. I hope you do find a way to use it. However, don't get frustrated if you can't. I put my son to my breast as much as possible, but when he needs more milk or when I'm out, I use a breastflow bottle. It seems to work well and is much easier for me than the lact-aid. I wish you much success!

I used the lactaid for 4 months with our daughter who is now almost 7 months. I actually rigged up a bottle which I would just tuck in the top of my bra and feed that way. It seemed easier to fill and clean up for me. Also, how are you getting it in her mouth? Do you tape it? I always would feed first and then put the tube in the corner of her mouth. That worked wonders for us and became easy to do even in the dark for night time feedings. We gave up the lactaid after 4 1/2 months because she was so nosey, she would pull away and the tube would fall out then by the time we would get it back in, she was fooling around again. Now, we top up with a bottle which isnt ideal but has worked for us.

Thank you, everyone, for the support and validation.

Snickers, what is a breast flow bottle? Right now, I am using Dr Brown's with her, with a newborn nipple.

Mamat, how do you rig up the bottle? That sounds easier to do on the fly... ??? I have been taping the tube. I tried without, and with a squirmy baby who isn't used to nursing, and a breast that isn't full, the tube just kept flopping out all over the place. Maybe when she is more used to it, I can slip the tube in. Here's hoping!

Thanks!
Janeen

The Breastflow bottle is made by the First Years company and is just suppose to make the baby hold it's tongue and swallow like they would when breastfeeding. However, I just yesterday bought a Dr. Brown's bottle because my baby has colic and that is suppose to help. I have only used it for 1 day, but my baby does not have a problem switching back and forth from the Dr. Brown bottle to my breast.
I guess my point was not to stress out about all the gadgets. Before my son was born, I had it in my mind that I was only using the lact-aid and never a bottle or a pacifier. Well, that plan changed within 2 days. LOL Besides the colic, my son is doing great and growing every day. Good luck!

Thanks!

To rig up the bottle, you cut the very tip of a nipple off of a bottle and put it so the nipple is inside the bottle. the lactaid tube will slip through the hole in the nipple and the top will fit inside the nipple. I dont know if that makes sense but you can also look it up on utube. That will be a better explanation!

Good luck!