[Dea]

Okay I'm posting this here and not on the breastfeeding forum because it's a totally sensitive issue for me.
With Trixie I couldn't breastfeed at all. And I tried, a lot. (I had a breast reduction when I was 19, big mistake for me now)
Anyhow I started leaking colostrum at around 7 mos pregnant this time, and YAY! Now I have my milk coming in, but it's not enough to excusivly feed my wee little Mister, so we supplement, heavily.
I've committed to giving him what I can, and he's getting something. I can hear him swallowing, however when I've weighed him before and after a feeding, he's actually lost weight, but he gains well overall because of the formula. So I'm okay with that.
I want to know more about what's happening in my breasts. I've talked to many LCs, and LLL leaders, doctors etc. I get a mix of answers.
Yes I've read that book, yes I've been to that website. My questions are hard!
So how can I create an oversupply in the sacs that I have access to?
With continued nursing will I continue to grow more ducts?
And I feel some pain, I'm guessing from being engorged, it's not bad, I guess it's what anyone would feel, but is it only to the sacs I have access to? what will happen to the other ones, will they just stop producing?
I know that your supply is established in the first 2 weeks, will it continue to grow though if I keep working at it? Pumping as frequently as I do sucks, it takes time away from both of my children, but if it does anything I'll keep at it.
Any other suggestions? Ideas?

 

[nummies]

I'm not sure mama, but I hope someone has answers for you!

Good luck.

 

[smokeylo]

have you tried domperidone or fenugreek?

are you on livejournal? the breastfeeding comm there is fantastic.

 

[Gray's Mommy]

www.bfar.org

domperidone will be your best bet too! you normally can't get it in the states (at least in TX it is banned unless you have a RX) but many of my friends order it from Canada or Mexico.

http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/d...onewhere.shtml

I know there are other places to order online, but I can't think of a single one right now.

 

[gabeyho]

i would definitely try the fenugreek tea. i'm not sure about pumping to increase supply. i would imagine nursing your lo first before each supplemental feeding will increase your supply much faster. i would also assume the ducts/sacs that can't be emptied will eventually stop producing. your supply will increase and decrease naturally according to how often and how long your lo nurses, as this tells your body naturally how much and how often to produce. this is something pumping can not do for you in the long run, as pumping does not stimulate the same way and does not trigger the hormones that only nursing can.

in short, nurse, nurse, nurse.

good luck!

 

[seaheroine]

I EP'ed with my daughter and increased my supply with only the pump. The trick is to pump until you get no more milk and then for five minutes more. I pumped about 8-10 times a day (and night) in the beginning She wasn't nursing at all and I was able to pump 70+ oz daily for a year...it started decreasing after I had my pp AF return and I started dropping pumps near the year mark.

I'd be concerned about over-stimulating the ducts without being able to drain them all, though, you'd probably have to talk to someone with experience in breast reduction, but it definitely is possible to increase your supply pumping. Maybe since you're nursing too it won't be an issue. I had mastitis twice and countless plugged ducts before my supply regulated, around 4mo pp, since a pump can't drain as well as a baby. I don't know how milk sacs fully work...I did have a lot of issues EP'ing early on, though.

The more I pumped, the better my body responded to it. It seems to have body "memory" too, as I am having a much easier time of it this time around.

I had a tremendous response to fenugreek - it is a great suggestion. I took 3 capsules/3x daily, but 3 capsules alone daily was enough to make me smell like maple syrup. It exacerbated my oversupply, though, so if you start having problems with plugs I'd drop it.

Best of luck, mama!

 

[lilith1]

If you want to increase supply, pumping does help. Ideally a electric double pump is better.
Lucas is a crabby nurser and had I waited for him to establish supply, I would be dry now... We also had to substitute the first 8 days in the hospital and we were dealing with other things as well.
I nurse him, regardless of that I pump after that. Its supply and demand. No demand-no supply. In order to create demand I pump whatever Lucas doesn't get or take. When He sleeps a longer stretch, I pump again, making sure there are never more than 2.5 hours in between pump sessions. A short one is better than none. As time goes on, i get a bit more relaxed about the frequency.
Mothers Milk Tea helps as well. That's my experience on that subject. I had supply issues with my son, now 16 months. Double electric pump is key for me. Also I pump for a few minutes after the last milk came out, sometimes there is a second let down, also it creates more demand.
Google the topic and you get tons of different ideas. Good luck.

 

[Dea]

HI thanks for the answers!
I'm taking fenugreek and domperidone that I had from Trixie's infancy.
I've look on the BFAR site, no help. I have LLL leader friend, they are stumped too.
The problem I'm having is that I'm asking questions that people don't ask. I want to know if I'll end up with mastitis in the sacs that I don't have access too. Apparently the answer is, dunno. I could, or my body could reabsorb the milk that's there.
I want to know how to make the sacs I have access to produce more. I do pump, a lot. (it's old hat to me, pumped 10X a day for 4 months with Trixie despite having nothing)
Sigh. It's just frustrating. I've been searching for answers all through my pregnancy and when Trixie as an infant. There aren't a lot of answers.

 

[gabeyho]

I just want to say, I really admire you ladies! I have never 'needed' to be able to pump, though I did try quite a bit with my first two, and it was so hard!! I could never get anything, even with a decen electric pump. I don't know that if I was in a situation that necessitated extended pumping that I would have the dedication it takes. You moms are awesome!

Dea. I hope you find a solution....those are some tough questions and probably no one really knows the answers, so I hope you can find a way to make it work for you and your lo. Good luck, momma!

 

[akat]

As far as what will happen with your closed off ducts, once you find out you should tell everyone. It's a really good question.

I just wanted to add, the giant pump at the hospital works one million times better than anything you can buy personally, and you can rent them from the hospital. I don't know how much it costs, but if you can afford it, maybe look into it? I think sometimes insurance might even cover it?