Home Forums Induced Lactation aka Adoptive Breastfeeding Medical Interventions to Induce Lactation/Increase Milk Supply We matched! Starting meds w/ a few questions.

Hello ladies,

We matched on Thursday and now I'm gearing up to start the regular protocol. Our little one is due 1/7/13, so I have about 4 months to prepare. I hope that's enough time to establish a good supply! I have a couple questions:

1. Can I take the Domperidone twice a day (20mg at breakfast and 20mg at dinner) or is it important to spread it out more and truly take it 4 times a day?

2. I'm 38 so am taking the Provera. Will I have a period while I'm taking this?

3. Should I expect any side effects from either drug?

4. Do you think 4 months is enough?

5. I nursed our 2 bio kids for a year. Does that make any difference in this process... like, will my body "remember" and kick in faster or anything like that?

Thanks so much for your insight!

Daisy

Daisy,
Congrats on the match!
1. The normal dosage for domperidone is to take 10 mg 4 times a day for the first week and then increase to 20 mg 4 times a day. I think you need at least that dosage to get a good supply going. I also think that spreading it out 4 times a day is really important so you have good milk supply all throughout the day. I took it first thing when I woke up, with lunch, with dinner and before bed. You could also just set an alarm on a phone to remind you.

2. I took the bcp's so I can't speak to the provera. I did not have a period until I stopped the bcp's and started pumping and then I did not have one again until I stopped the domperidone and stopped bf. (This was different than when I nursed our bio son. I got my period back at 7.5 months old).

3. I didn't have many side effects except a slight weight gain while on the protocol (about 9 lbs.). I think that was more from the bcp's than from the domperidone, because I lost most of it when I stopped the bcp's and started pumping and bf.

4. I think 4 months is great. I would be on the protocol for at least 2.5 months and then start pumping 4-6 weeks before the baby is due.

5. I nursed a bio son first and then nursed two daughters we adopted. I don't know it made a ton of difference in the process, but it did help me that I didn't have to figure out how to nurse a baby. There is a lot to learn just in inducing and to have to do that and learn to nurse would be a lot.
I had a hard time with my bio son because he was tongue tied and had to relearn to nurse after being clipped. The girls both had an easier time nursing. But the induction itself is SO HARD. It is so much work pumping and not getting much at first. I just had to keep reminding myself that it would be worth it and it does get easier.

I was able to ebf both girls one for 18 months and one for 20 months.

Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck!
Jennifer

Hi Daisy,
I'm taking Prometrium because I didn't want to take any extra estrogen. Most other ladies on the message board have taken BCPs so it is hard to ask questions at times. I have been taking it almost 3 months now. I still have my period, but it gets lighter and lighter every time. I also have spotting in between my period for a few days. It's all super annoying, but it seems to lightening up so I'm hoping that sooner then later my period & the spotting might stop. I'm not sure about the Provera, but Prometrium makes me tired, so I take it at night. Hope some of that helps, let me know if you have more questions and congrats on being placed!
Kelly

Thank you so much, ladies, for your replies! Well, so far so good. I'm spreading the Dom out throughout the day. And so far, I'm not noticing any S/E from the Provera, although I've always been very bad about making associations between meds and S/E! Now that I think of it though, I have felt a little dizzy these past few days. Does that sound normal?

I have a couple more questions, so thank you in advance!

1. "They" say the colostrum is so important for the baby, loaded with good fat and antibodies, etc. But we won't make colostrum this way, right? And I know they say that's all the baby needs when it's first born... so will the breast milk that I'm producing at that point be satisfying for the baby? I just remember the "older" breast milk that came out for my not-so-newborn babies was so thin and watery.

2. When you first start to pump 6 weeks out, did you keep/freeze that milk? I'm thinking I will just pump a full day's worth into the same bottle and then freeze whatever I have at the end of the day? It just seems that there will be LOTS of storage bags in the freezer with hardly any milk in them!

Thanks so much for being such a great resource to a newbie!

Daisy

I didn't make colostrum but I've heard some moms do. When storing frozen milk remember that thawed milk must be used within 24 hours. It's better to store smaller amounts so you don't thaw more than you need and then have to toss it!

Thanks Jennifer. Yes, I learned early with my first baby to freeze milk in 4 oz quantities after I watched an 8 oz bottle of breast milk get poured down the sink after 24 hrs! But what my question is... when you first start pumping and you're only getting a few oz a day, did you freeze just that small amt or did you wait til you'd accumulated more? I can't remember within what time frame you have to freeze pumped milk!

My bottle of prometrium has a sticker that says may cause dizziness, so I'm guessing that provera might cause that also.

Daisy,
1. No you don't make colustrum while on the protocol (some women have some yellow milk drops come out and think it is colustrum, but from what I have read, it is just the way the milk can look at first when you induce). Your milk will be fine for the new baby. If they were getting formula they would be drinking lots of thin formula and it doesn't have all the antibodies that bm has. When we were feeding our 2nd daughter in the hospital we were using formula and they wanted her drinking some crazy big amount (like 2 oz). She was not even close to drinking that at that point. I was so annoyed at the ped because if she was being bf by a bio mom all she would have been drinking would be tiny amounts of colustrum. So the baby will likely be drinking only an ounce or two and that will be great for them.

2. Fresh BM can be saved in the fridge for up to a week, but you should probably try to freeze before that. You can freeze some in a bag and add to it, as long as what you add has been chilled in the fridge.

Jennifer

Thanks for clarifying!