Home Forums Induced Lactation aka Adoptive Breastfeeding Medical Interventions to Induce Lactation/Increase Milk Supply Relactating

[color:"purple"] [/color] First off let me say "great site"! I am in the process of relactating. My baby is four months old and I had problems bfing in the beginning and i gave in. I have felt nothing but guilt since than. I am trying to relactate and finding that it is very difficult. I am taking dom as recommened and pumping every chance I get. I am just getting drops at the time. Is that a sign of good things to come? When should I see something my daughter can drink? She will not latch and I am using a Medila Lactina. I also have a pump in style. Should I use that? Anything else I can do? Thank you so much.

Hi Jenny,

Congratulations on your new baby and on your decision to relactate. The Lactina and the Pump in Style are both good pumps. Use whatever works best for you.

It's important that you pump at least 8 times in 24 hours, with the suction high enough to produce results without hurting you and medium speed for about 20-30 minutes per pumping session. Drops is great. It takes time to rebuild your milk supply and everyone starts out with drops.

Best,

Hi Jenny!
Have you gone to see a lactation specialist? If not, it might be worth it to try and get your baby to latch on, as the baby will stimulate milk better than a pump. You can also add a supplemental feeder like the Lact-aid to feed her at the breast which will help stimulate your milk. Another thing - I had a baby that wouldn't latch, either. It was so hard to deal with - I felt like I was torturing her trying to make her latch on. Finally the lactation specialist gave me a nipple shield, which worked wonders. She finally figured out how to latch. So - that might be worth a try, too.

Otherwise - like Lenore said - it takes a little bit. So don't give up!

Best of luck!

Thanks so much for the help and support. I have been pumping a lot. Every chance a get 8-10 times a day. I am starting to get some milk at the bottem of the bottel:) Not much but I do see an improvememt. I am still taking the dom and eating oatmel. I tried taking the fenugreek but I seemed to get less that day so, i have stopped that. As of Hannah latching on. I have seen a LS but did not get to far with Hannah. We tried to shild and she would latch for a second not get milk and than just pull off and scream. She gets to mad to get anywhere. I was thinking about trying the aid.

Will the flex shilds help with stimulation?

Will there be some "magical" point where my body say..okay milk time! and I start getting some?

Thanks so much for everyones help. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> [color:"purple"] [/color]

my dd had the same latching problem with the shield. what the lc did was take a syringe and squirt some milk into the shield while it was against my nipple and then latch dd on. therefore she got a big mouth full of milk right away and would start sucking. this worked, but i constantly had to squirt milk into the side of her mouth until my supply came in better. so it got exhausting.

but - you could try the lactaid with the tube inside the shield so that when she latches on, she's sucking on the breast and is getting her milk needs from both you and the aid...

worth a try, maybe? good luck!

Yes it is worth a try. I will try that with the shild. I have not heard of doing that. Great idea. I know it greatly varies on amonth of time it takes to regain milk but, is there an average? Something to look forward to. I will get a little under a half an ounce in a 24hr period.

if the lactaid doesn't work with the shield, let me know. i have another idea that might work from things the lc tried with my dd.

as for how long it will take - i think lenore might have a better idea of a timeframe to expect more milk.

but let me know how it goes!

Just wanted to add a little update. I tried the shild while injecting milk and she would "lick" it but never latch on. I have been taking baths with her and i think that skin to skin contact seems to help. In the bath is the closest I have gotten. I will keep trying though <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

I have still been pumping a lot. I will get a little under a ounce in a 24hr period. I guess that is good consitering just two weeks ago I was just getting drops. It has not increased at all in the last couple of days. I am still taking dom and drinking water and getting as much oatmel as I can handle.

I really like this board just for advice and incouragement. Thanks <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Hi Jenny, a LC I once saw used sugar water on my nipples to get the baby to latch. Interesting trick, but my first daughter was 8 months when I embarked on adoptive breastfeeding and she just wouldn't latch at all. It was frustrating for me and horribly traumatic for her. We just stayed with the bottles, but my youngest daughter is doing great. We got her at 8 weeks and she is a latch on pro!!!!

Good luck with the latch!!!!! Sounds like you're doing all the right stuff.

Jenny I just wanted to encourage you to hang in there. It will be so worth it. I really think a lact-aid or even the medela SNS system would work wonders with getting her to stay on if you do convince her to latch. But keep pumping because the milk will come and at least you can give her that so she has the benefits of breastmilk.