i was wondering if its even possible now to breastfeed my babe now that its been a month? my milk is gone now, is it possible to get a pump and start trying to make them lactate again?? and if so can i just pump it into a container or do i have to try to feed him? i dont think hed grasp it now that hes used to a bottle........
i think you can do that. i bet you could even get him to take the nipple too. Brighid will know. . . .
Ohh yeah It is absolutly possible. You would need a really good electric pump. A hospital grade is best. These can be rented from many medical supply stores. You would have to pump for 20 mins or so every 2 to 3 hours. Also I would start to try to get your child to breast. You may not have any milk yet, but his sucking will also help your milk come back in. You could get ahold of a local chapter of LLL or see an LC, and they can help you with getting your baby latched on. It is possible, I have herd of babies three mths old, and just learning how to breastfeed. I can tell you know that there are going to be some really hard times. But if you can acomplish this it would be really great for your baby.
yes, you can definitely still lactate!! even women who adopt kids can breastfeed them and some MEN lactate. absolutely call your local la leche league. i bet they'll bend over backwards to help you. ~~happy milky baby vibes~~
PLEASE, you NEED to have someone who knows what they are doing help you. Some LLL leaders could do it, some could be able to. Your best bet is to hire a Private Practice Lactation Consultant to help you relactate. DO NOT call the nurse at the hospital, they have horrible track records with any thing like this. You will have to pay for the LC, but an LC visit will probably cost you less than a few weeks of formula. It is worth every penny. And when you do, do what she says. You will probably need a HOSPITAL QUALITY breast pump (a Medela Lactina or Symphony) or a Ameda Egnell Lact-E. Battery pumps (ESPECIALLY the Gerber or the Evenflo, blech) and even the ubiquits Pump In Style is not meant for this type of pumping. Don't wait too long, the sooner you start, the better your results. Places you can find an LC. www.breastfeeding.com www.iblce.org www.medela.com or you can call La Leche League (most LLL leaders are NOT Professional Board Certified Lactation Consultants, but a few may be able to help you relactate, if you DO talk to a LLL, make sure she has successfully helped many other moms relactate.) 1 800 LALECHE or 1 847 519- 7730 or Medela, where you can find an IBCLC AND a hospital quality pump at 1 800 TELLYOU. As for men lactating: It is VERY rare. Milk ducts develop and more are made in puberty in girls, they do NOT in boys. Females have piuitary glands which produce the neccsary prolactin and the huge amount of oxytocin needed. Men do NOT make these hormones in sufficent quantities (and they cannot be supplied by supplements or drugs) The only men who can actuallly lactate are men who have a bizzare condition called "Gynemastia" (otherwise known, in slang as "man tits") which effects about 2 or so percent of the male pop, and only 10% of men with Gynecomastia actually have DUCTAL STRUCTURE, the rest only have fat, which cannot make milk. So we are looking at 10% of 2% of the males who could actually even think about milk production, and even in womyn, a LOT of stimulation is needed to produce milk, with the benefit of pregnancy, men do not have this benefit, so actually seeing a man who can lactate is almost unheard of. I've been in Lactation for many years and I have yet to actually SEE a man who can lactate. I've heard all stories about "my uncle in Europe who nursed his baby when his wife died in childbirth" but it is rarely if ever seen in real life. I PMed you with ALL the IBCLCs in MN. It took THREE PMs as there were so many. (You are lucky there are a LOT of LCs in your state.) Please check your PMs and print out the PMs so you can call someone to help you. HELP IS AVAILABLE!!!! YOU CAN DO IT.
Mike, I don't beleive most men can lactate. A few can, but they are few and far between and rarely even get the chance, much less try. Testosterone blocks the production and usage of even the small amount of prolactin men make. Male lactation is, for the most part, a folk myth. Lactation is a female action, not a male one. It is hard enough for womyn who haven't been pregnant, or given birth in the last few years to lactate (say in an adoptoin situation, many who try do not succeed, even with the right equipment and hormones) the idea that men can easily lactate, when nature has deemed it totally unneccesary, is a myth. Nimh, I appreciate your enthusiasm, though. You would be hard pressed to find a man who could lactate, and even then, hard pressed to find one who would go through the ordeal of stimulating lactation. In many cases it is hard enough for a womyn who has just had a baby, and has all the right things in the right place.
Oh, I must have been editing. I wanted to add some stuff. Nothing personal, nimh, you know I love your posts. Just trying to be physiologically and anatonomically correct. Ain't no thing........ Hugs, Maggie
lol, poor skye, her thread has really gone off topic!! i hope things work out for you! sorry 'bout the weird thread highjacking.
You are right, Skye is having a hard time. Let's light a candle and hope she and her baby are more comfortable in the coming days. It is hard to go without any sleep and have a cranky baby. (((((((skye))))))))
I know this guy, and he can squeeze his nipple at any given time and this hard cheesy stuff will come out. Seriously. It's really gross. I wouldn't call it lactating.... more like cheesing...
yes! you can bring your milk back - women have been doing it forever, there's quite a lot of historical situations where for some reason the mother died/got sick/left/was sold and some other woman took over the nursing - including grandmothers. no offense, maggie, but that was all in the dark ages before lactation consultants. when women just figured it would work, so it did. and sometimes they used horse milk...
from http://www.pregnancy.org/article.php?sid=819 In one survey of 366 women who relactated, most of the mothers surveyed established a full milk supply within a month. The best way to relactate is to begin putting baby to breast as many times per day as possible. Eight to ten times per day is ideal. Some mothers use a device called a nursing supplementer to provide formula at the breast while they're bringing back their milk, so they don't have to feed their baby again after nursing. This device has a container that holds the formula and thin tubing that the mother tapes to her nipple, so that when the baby latches on he gets the supplement as well as any milk the mothers is producing. Sucking at the breast releases the hormones that stimulate milk supply. There are also herbal and prescribed medications that can increase milk supply. Taking three capsules of fenugreek (at least 500 mg) three times per day (nine per day total) is one popular way to boost milk supply. Prescription medications, such as metoclopramide (Reglan) have also been found to increase milk supply. If you are interested in using a prescribed medication, talk to your doctor (not the baby's doctor). personally, i would be a little sceptical about lactogogues (defined by WHO as: "Drugs which cause milk secretion are called lactogogues (or galactogogues). The term lactogogue is also sometimes used for herbal preparations which are believed to increase the production of milk, whether or not a pharmacological effect has been demonstrated.") and this entirely too long report by the World Health Organization - but it covers everything... http://www.who.int/child-adolescent-health/New_Publications/NUTRITION/Relactation_EN.html#11.%20Practical%20recommendations%20for%20relactation other articles: http://www.artofbreastfeeding.com/relact.html http://www.cdhd.org/Wic/relactation.asp - "Breastfeeding is a team sport."
As for galatogouges, like fenugreek and pharmaceutical lactation aids like Reglan and Domperidone, they have been found, in many studies (and in my own practice) to be VERY effective. Both Fenugreek and Domperidone raise prolactin levels significantly. However, they do need to be used with help from a specialist. In days of old, womyn had little other options that to breastfeed, in ours, there are so many options in formula, that the majority of those who try to relactate on their own give up in a few days. I've seen it. Those who get professional help and good support are about 60% to 90% more successful. I've been in lactation for nearly two decades, seen just about everything. Yes, you COULD relactate on your own, but WHY? You chances of success (and sticking with the program as well as getting help that you just can't get from reading a book or an internet article) are much better. If skye wants to relactate, she will have a much better chance if she has someone who knows what they are doing and has helped many womyn before her help her. For the Record, I have only seen a couple of womyn who were successful with an SNS without instruction from someone who is familiar with the device. It is a difficult piece of equipment to use (sounds easy, but it isn't, particularly if you have never used one or even seen one before.) and not only instruction, but careful weighing and keeping an eye on the situation is really neccesary for success. THAT is one of the reasons I didn't post the "instructions" for relactation here, it is usually something that one really has to have help with. It sounds very straightforward in print, but actually doing it is very tricky, and having a trained professional helping you is really the best option. Most mothers who relactate need a minimum of three visits, not including regular weighings, or the rental of an electronic scale which can detect small enough amounts to tell how much is taken in a feeding. (Most scales cannot do this, you need a specialty scale.) I sent Skye the entire list of LCs in her state, she will be able to find someone to help her, luckily Minnisota has a very active LLL and a lot of LCs at her disposal. Good luck, Skye, the first week or so will be rough, (maybe) but with the right help, I know you will be able to do it.
cuz sum of us po' folk can't afford the $$$$$ for a visit from a professional lc. i recently had to increase my milk flow - i was down to about 9-10 oz a day. i was almost dried up from working out of the home at a very stressful, time-consuming job. i did manage to get back to full production without contraptions, drugs or professional advise. and i've always been a do it yerself kinda person, i really don't ask for much help when i can research something. and i mostly can get by on my own. it's empowering to be able to take care of myself. back to the subject at hand though.... good luck skye, keep us posted!
So yest i spent most the day making apts and talking with peds about Kadens gas and upset belly. I have apts next wk with the le leche, and lactation consultant from methodist for a pump. The reason why its next wk is because i talked with a diff peds about him and the kind of formula hes on and she thinks that in by the end of this wknd his gas will start to diminish, and now that his stool has turned normal once we switched him to this kind, she thinks the formula we chos is a good choice and that i might be jumping the gun. Told me to keep my apts and see how this wk turns out, wich i might have to agree with her the last couple of nights have been good, hes only been up for his feeding and fallen back to sleep again, and i havent seen him have any gas aches like before. she did agree with me about breast milk being best for all babies, but also stated it will be alot of work and he may never latch on like he would have in the beginning. Theres alot to it, and alot of time with my le leche (spelling?)person as well to make sure i am healthy and that im doing everything right. so i guess we'll see what the wknd brings. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR KINDNESS, AND GREAT SUPPORT!!! I REALLY DO APPRECIATE IT! MUCH LOVE, SKYE
Try www.kellymom.com i checked out the website. its very good. I had problem with my daughter latch since day one. now shes 10 weeks old and doing well. I hope you will be able to do it. Good Luck. Smiley
A tea made of 3 parts blessed thistle and 1 part raspberry is known to stimulate milk production even when a woman has not borne a child, so i'm thinking it would most definetly work in your case. I would drink as much of it as you can for a 2-3 days.
