Home Forums Induced Lactation aka Adoptive Breastfeeding Natural Methods to Induce Lactation/Increase Milk Supply VERY sudden adoption, medicine not a possibility

We just found out we are going to be adopting a newborn girl. She is due April 29, but there is every indication that she will come early. I want very badly to breastfeed -- for a huge variety of reasons, but most importantly for the baby's health (prenatal care has been zero in this case!)

I am 44, and I don't think my doc will prescribe BCP for me. I am in the U.S. and using military medical facilities (I'm a Navy spouse), so domperidone is probably not in the cards for me either. I have access to a hospital-grade Medela pump, and will be taught how to use it tomorrow (March 6).

I already eat oatmeal every day, and will look for fenugreek and fennel. When we fly out to where the baby will be born, we'll take a SNS or a Lact-Aid with us.

Any other advice for things I can do to help me produce milk for her?

Thanks so much!

Hello Carolie,

I hope that your Doctor will consider prescribing BCP for you. Maybe if he/she would read this forum, it might give the Dr. a better idea of how lactating works with the protocol.

Just wanted to encourage you that I did not start the excelarated protocol until my DD ( arrived at our doorstep) was 10 days old. I was 46.
I tried both the SNS and the lact aid and the lact aid wins hand down. Practice with it before hand if possible, as in learning to fill it etc. You can also tape the tube on the nipple to help it stay put until you and your DD get use to it. bandaids or surgical tape work well.

I put DD to breast from day 10 on even before I had milk to get her use to the latch and receiving milk from me. She took to it like a duck to water!

I think that the domperidone is pretty vital for milk production. It can be done without, but the supply usually is less.

I BF my DD until 14 months and supplied 90% of her needs. This was, btw, was with our youngest bio son being born 19 years prior.

Good luck!
Linda

Thank you sooo much, Linda! I will see if I can work on my doctor to get the prescriptions. Thanks for the encouragement!!

Hi Carolie,
Congrats on your baby girl! Hope all goes well for you. My Hubby and I are going through the adoption process now, and I plan to breastfeed. Hopefully, we can encourage eachother as we go through the protocol process!

Kim

Thank you, Kim! Congratulations on your upcoming adoption!

Carolie, how are things going? We adopted six kids, starting in 1983, when it was very common to have little or no notice about a baby coming to you. I just started nursing on demand with the Lact-Aid. It took a few days for drops of milk and then it slowly built up to somewhere around 40% of their needs, while they were on nothing but breast milk and formula. Of the four that I nursed until they self-weaned, two insisted on having the Lact-Aid there all the time, but two were fine without it, once they were getting some other foods and liquids. I started using lots of fenugreek and fennel with my fifth baby. I felt like it gave me few more ounces a day, and also made my milk richer. If I was going to be doing it again, I would probably take domperidone, but it certainly isn't a requirement. Like with everything else to do with induced lactation, there is no way to predict what anyone's response with be, but it seems to help everyone at least some, and there are some moms it makes a huge difference with. I first heard about it in 1991, but didn't have a way to get it until about the time my youngest child weaned, 14 years ago.

I am excited for you, with the upcoming adoption. I LOVE babies! I have a new grandchild, born three weeks ago.

Hi Darillyn! I'm pumping like a crazy woman (although still not quite often enough, I think), taking Domperidone (20mg 4 x day) and taking Motherlove herbal blend (goat's rue, blessed thistle, nettle, fennel seed and fenugreek). A few clear drops at the very end, but nothing else yet.

However, the past two mornings, my breasts have felt heavy and sore, the way they used to when I was about to have my period (back when I had a uterus!) We have about three more weeks until our daughter arrives, so I'm hopeful!

I do have a Lact-Aid, and plan to use it even if I don't get any milk. I do have some donated frozen breastmilk to use.

I'll keep you all posted as to what happens!

Good luck with your adoption plan and with your lactation plan! It was a week before I saw ANYTHING at the pump (and I had been on the BCP phase for 110 days by then) and another week before I was even getting an ounce a day. So, keep your spirits up, it takes a while for it to come in.