Home Forums Induced Lactation aka Adoptive Breastfeeding Medical Interventions to Induce Lactation/Increase Milk Supply Timing Is Everything

Hi, I am a fairly new member to this website but have gleaned lots of useful info. so far. Thank you all.

My questions are probably fairly typical...I imagine that I am in the same boat with every other adoptive mother that wants to nurse.

I have never been pg. I began taking the Yasmin around 8/15/04 and started the dom 8/31/04. I noticed minor breast changes within 2 weeks. I have not gotten a full cup bigger but I have really filled out the bra that I already had. To be specific I was a 32C before and now I am a 34C. My areolas are a little puffy and maybe a tad bigger and darker.

We have not been chosen yet by a birthmother. We have one social worker that is telling us that an average wait time is 2 years and another social worker that says she really thinks it will not even be a year. Of all of the birthmother's that our agency has, no one is due until February. So, if we were chosen by an existing birthmother, the soonest we would have a baby is February. Our agency may get a birthmother at anytime that is due at anytime, though, that may choose us.

These are my questions:
1. should I expect any more breast, areola, nipple changes the longer I am on the protocol or did all of the changes that I should see happen already?

2. When I get off of the Yasmin and continue with the dom and start pumping what should I expect as far as breast changes, feelings etc.

3. Knowing that we may not have a child until February, when should I get off of the Yasmin?

4. What if we get a call within the next month or so and I am still on the Yasmin? If I only have a 2 day notice, will I have to use the lactaid? If I have to use the lactaid, how long before my own supply is sufficient?

As with every other mother (I'm sure) my goal is to have my own full supply right when we get our baby. I don't want to have to pump for a year with no baby and I don't want to get a baby and have to use a supplementer...I have this feeling that y'all are all rolling your eyes thinking, "this woman is sooo clueless!"

Is there any hope? What would you do?

Thank you!!!
Kalli

Kalli, the norm is that you go off the Yasmin and start pumping when there is a baby in site. Now, there are so many variables with adoption that all your best laid plans can be totally not what ends up happening. Let me just say that you need to look at the supplementer as your friend. a helper if you need it. I didn't even know about the protocol when we got our daughter I used the supplementer for 7-8 months before I was able to give it up for some of the feeds.(I did the accelerated protocol at 15 mos) I have been pg and nursed before so everyone is different. I would get the lact-aid to have if you need it. You can always sell it later I did mine .
As for changes I think what you have seen so far on the protocol will be it for now. When you switch to just dom add the herbs and start pumping you should begin to see some different changes like feeling full, maybe feeling a pins and needles feeling in your breasts when you pump known as letdown. Some women feel it some don't. It is normal either way.
If you have to use the lactaid with short notice placement you immediately stop the Yasmin, start herbs and begin pumping. When the baby arrives you use the lactaid for feeds and pump after. The nice thing about having a baby at the breast is that they are so much more effective than the pump. As for time frame on when you will start seeing milk someone else will have to answer that. Again I think we are all different and it will probably depend on how long you were on the protocol. But one thing I will say is don't stress about it. You will do fine and stress does not help your milk supply.
Lastly, none of us here are rolling our eyes. There are no stupid questions and no rule about how many times a question can be asked. Feel free to come here and ask anything anytime.
Welcome to the Board.

Okay her is my 2 cents worth.
We contracted with an agency last Nov. and were told we should have a baby within a year probably within a few months. I started pumping did the dom etc.... after several months and no milk really and no baby, I sort of slacked off. Then we were chosen by a mom and had a couple of months before the baby so I started again. The mom disappeared so still no baby. So I slacked off again. Then I decided to do the protocol and after a month we were matched and baby was due in 6 weeks. I started the dom and pumping and this time I did get a couple drops of real live milk! The baby came and the adoption failed, the birth father's family took her. I stopped pumping and closed up the nursery.
Now we are waiting to hear about a special needs baby that may be ours. She can't eat at all right now so I don't know if I will ever be able to nurse her. I am looking into donor milk for her and if we can get her to nurse great.

In my opinion if I were to start all over again, knowing what I know now. I would not do anything much before getting a baby in my arms. Or my advice to you is just continue to take the Yasmin and as soon as a baby comes stop the Yasmin and start the dom and nurse with the supplementer until your milk comes in. A baby will do the job so much better than the pump, and you and your baby will have the benefits of nursing with or without a full supply of milk.
I hope I am not sounding negative here, but I had no idea how long the adoption journey would take and how hard it is to pump on and off for a whole year and still not have a baby to nurse.

No one is rolling their eyes, I have learned so much here, these women are wonderful and so helpful. We all want a full milk supply and to nurse our babies without a supplementer just like birth mothers do, but in reality that doesn't happen all that often. So don't set yourself up for failure. Be happy with your baby and the bonding and other benefits of nursing and don't worry so much about where the milk comes from.
Best of luck to you.
Joni <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Joni, you said that its not all that often that women on the protocol end up with a full milk supply. What is a guess as to how many do? Just curious to know from your experience since I"m so new to the board.

Beth

Kally,

My advice to you is to stay on the protocol as long as you can, With adoption you just never no how long things could take. We have been waiting now for over a year and a half since we were approved to adopt. Since February we have had three possibilities come our way ang all three have gone awry. I did the protocol and pumped for 10 1/2 months with the hopes of a baby and a baby has not come. For me it truley was like my body was pregnant and it craved to nurse a baby. Month after month I told myself next month but next month came and no baby.

Please proceed with caution and be careful. The protocol is a wonderful thing and it is helping many moms and babies. Be prepared that with adoption things can happen that are beyond our control. Even now i do not know when an adoption will happen for us. At this point I am telling myself that we could be in this for the long haul.

For me stoppping pumping was the right decision for me and for my family. My hormones are where they need to be as we are trying to get pregnant with a little help from our doctor. I don't regret doing what I did but now I understand the cost. When I started out I did not understand the emotions that inducing would bring out. For 10 months I loving ly pumped and stored my milk for my baby and now I do not even know if an adopted baby of mine will get that milk. The consulation in all of this for me is a mom and baby are getting my milk as at this time I am donating much of my freezer stash of milk.

You are doing a great thing but please proceed with caution and stay on the protocol as long as you can. If by a miracle an adoption were to come through for us I would proudly use a supplemntar and let my baby help bring in a milk supply. For me after going through adoption failures I would not prepare until I knew that baby was mine and that they were there to stay.

This is givin in love and I wish you all the best. Hopefully soon your baby will be here.

Take Care,
Bela

Everyone is different and how they respond to the protocol. You could be on the protocol for months and months and still have to supplement. I was on the protocol for just 3months and I am making a full supply. If I were you I would take the yasmine and Domp. When you know of a baby you can wait until you have the baby in your arms get off the Yasmine and just nurse her/him. Use a lact-aid and let the baby take the place of the pump. You may have to only use the lact-aid for a short time or it may become part of your nursing relationship.

What a great group of gals! Thanks so much. Yesterday after reading Joni's response I decided that I would stay on the Yasmin and dom until I was actually picking my baby up and then I would quite the Yasmin, stay on the dom, supplement and nurse my baby. Todays reponses just confirmed what she said and I feel really confident that is what I need to do. I had been praying for an answer and I believe that God used these replies to give me that answer. Thanks so much.

I do have another question now. I do plan on supplementing...probably with formula...(unless I hear that that is totally unexceptable or something)...how will I know that my milk supply is up and when I can stop supplementing?

Thanks!

Kalli <><

Hi,

I've been nursing my adopted dd since her birth and she is now 14 months. Your question about how to know when your supply is up. You may feel differences in your breasts - fuller before a nursing and softer afterward. Also if you are using a lact-aid, it is recommended that you nurse without the supplement on bot)h breasts (if baby is willing) and then go back to the first breast with the supplementer. I did this and as the days and weeks went by my baby was taking less and less from supplementer and was satisfied which showed me that my supply was increasing. It increased to the point where I was able to then drop the supplementer from first the morning feeding (when most women's supply is greatest) then the second feeding of the day and so on until I only used a supplementer at night. I eventually dropped that one after she started solids. All this was with dom and herbs - I didn't do the protocol but I had bf my bio son three years ago and I pumped for six weeks before my adopted daughter's birth.