Boosting Milk Supply
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Boosting Milk Supply
June 2003
I am planning on taking domperidone to boost my milk supply. I'm
wondering if anyone out there has any advice about taking it.
Also, if you have extra that you will not be using, I would love
to buy it from you. I haven't been able to find a place where I
can get it quickly.
Thanks!
I took Domperidome to increase my milk supply, and did find that
it was the only thing that had a positive impact (as opposed to
little to no impact from fenugreek, tinctures, pumping round the
clock, drinking tons of water & milk, brewer's yeast...). I took
it for four weeks (tapering off at the end) and experienced a
very slight (if any) drop when I stopped using it. There is a
pharmacy in Hayward that compounds it. It only took him a day.
Also, it was much cheaper to get him to make up pills with the
full dosage (20mg?). The way my prescription was originally
written had me taking 2 (10mg?) pills each time and it cost
almost twice as much to get it compounded that way. Here's the
pharmacy info
Medicine Chest Pharmacy, 925 B Street Hayward, CA 510-538-
9711. The pharmacist & owner is James Cohen, R.Ph.
Julie
I started taking domperidone when my daughter was 5 or 6 weeks
old. I was desperate to increase my milk supply. I had already
been trying (and continued) lots of other tactics, such as
breast compressions and masage, More Milk Plus, fenugreek,
brewers yeast, accupuncture, etc. Honestly, I didn't notice any
increase in supply from using it. I was hoping it would be my
miracle, but it wasn't. The bad news -- despite all my actions,
my milk supply was never sufficient, and I began supplementing
when she was 3.5 months old. The good news -- we're still
nursing a lot, and my daughter is so much healthier and happier
now. (I was taking the full dose -- 20 mg 4 times a day. I
stopped taking it when the 700 pills I'd purchased ran out,
after about 3 months of use.) My advice about taking it is as
follows try it -- lots of people notice a boost in supply.
But, if it isn't working, it's okay!
Medicine Chest Pharmacy in Hayward is a compounding pharmacy,
and they will make domperidone for you. All you need is a
prescription from a physician or CNM. It usually takes a couple
of hours to make it, plus the 30 min drive to Hayward from
Berkeley, of course. Here's the contact information (510) 538-
9711 925 B St, Hayward CA, 94541 I got my first bottle
there, and then ordered the rest from New Zealand, where I got
it for about a third the price. I think it took around ten days
to receive it from New Zealand.
Tamar
I have breastfed my adoptive son since he was born, and have
used Domperidone to increase my milk supply. See
http//www.breastfeedingonline.com/domperidonewhere.shtml for
information about where to obtain domperidone. Links within this
web site also provide more information about domperidone.
I found the cheapest place was the one listed under New Zealand
on this web site. They take orders by e-mail or telephone and do
not require a prescription. The web site indicates it takes 10-
14 days to get it, but I think my last order actually arrived in
less than a week.
If you want more information about my experience, please feel
free to contact me.
sally
Nov. 1998
a few things that have worked for me and for the moms on the breastfeeding
list I subscribe to:
Fenugreek capsules: apparently you can take up to 3 caps. 3x per day, but
I only take one or two--experiment and see what works for you. also, mothers
milk tea works really well for me. and really, really drink lots of
water--its makes a difference long term. one note: all of these options
usually take 3-4 days to work, so don't get discouraged. if you stick with
it, you should see a difference. good luck!
Ann
I breastfed my two sons for more than a year each.
Instead of water try the following. Herbtea-blend from these plants:
fennel, aniseed, carawayseed and stinging nettel one teaspoon of
each (slightly crushed in a mortar) for one quarter of boiling water.
Let stand for 10 minutes. Drink at least two quarts a day. Or try
lots of alcohol-free beer. Never drink peppermint tea or sage (salvia
officinalis). This would reduce milk supply.
a mother
What works for me is making sure I get lots of liquid (and I mean lots -- over
a gallon) a day. Also, I drink Mother's Milk Tea (available at Berkeley Bowl,
Andronico's, or Whole Foods) almost every day. Try drinking a strong brew of
the stuff, then pumping 3 hours later. I understand switching breasts during a
feeding helps (because it stimulates production on both breasts), but you have
to be careful that your baby does not get a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. Rest,
rest, rest. It is possible, also, that your baby is going through a growth
spurt and is simply nursing a lot to boost up the supply. FWIW, I am not as
successful a pumper as you are: 2 1/2 ounces a session is good for me. I have
also noticed that by the end of the day, my baby wants to nurse contantly. He
doesn't have a regular sleeping pattern yet, though he tends to sleep through
the night one night and wake up every two hours the next (if you want to call
that a pattern). It's possible that your body is still recovering from the
flu,
so try not to panic just yet. I would suggest you call a lactation consultant
to have a more focused approach to what's going on. Also, there are two
newsgroups with tons of knowledgeable, experienced, women who can offer you
other suggestions: alt.support.breastfeeding and misc.kids.breastfeeding. Good
luck!
Laurel
I had the same problem and was told to drink one can of beer a day.
The yeast in the beer does a lot to boost the mild supply. Good luck!
I have found two things to be useful for helping to keep up my supply
of milk while pumping at work (I am in my ninth month of pumping, and
will probably continue for some time as my son is allergic to cow's milk):
1: double pump with a hospital-grade pump (I have a Pump-in-Style),
2. make sure I pump for a minimum of 10 minutes (this would be per breast
on those rare days I actually forget my pump and have to hand express),
increasing to 15 minutes if I've been sick and my milk supply is low.
3. use either fenugreek or Mother's Milk Tea to increase milk supply.
(to make the tea, steep 1 tsp. fenugreek for 5 minutes and drink 3 times
a day -there are also capsules.) after I've been sick and supply is low.
I've found the fenugreek to work incredibly well (I don't think it works
for everyone)
within 24-48 hours.
After being sick, I find my supply takes 3-5 days to get back to normal.
I have gotten the above information from the book "The Nursing Mother's
Companion" by Kathleen Huggins, and also from the wonderful breastfeeding
support board at www.parentsplace.com. They have a general board
with links at the top to good breastfeeding sites, and they also have
specific boards for working and pumping, etc. Questions posted to the
general breastfeeding board are usually answered within hours (if not
minutes). I want to note that some of the sites mentioned in the
breastfeeding
board have more information on foods and herbs that increase milk supply.
Pia
I read with interest the advice for boosting milk supply. The original
poster had been ill and was trying to recover previous lactation levels. The
advice for using Fenugreek, Water, Mother's Milk Tea, Water, Dark Beer,
Non-Alcoholic Beer, Water and rest was all very good and these practices do
work for many mothers. However, I wanted to mention on behalf of new moms
out there struggling with their milk supply that sometimes, no matter what
you do and what you swallow, you produce the amount of milk that you
produce. I am talking about new moms who are just starting to nurse. It took
me a long time, but I finally had to accept that my breasts produced only on
demand while my daughter was nursing, and I had to nurse her every 2 hours.
I had allowed myself to agonize over the fact that my breasts did not leak
and hardly filled up between nursing. I had seen women who were flowing with
abundant milk and I kept thinking that something was wrong with me. (My
sister-in-law could have watered the lawn and actually had enough to donate
to a Milk Bank.) I have size DD cups, so size has nothing to do with it. It
seemed that most of the advice for breast-feeding was directed towards moms
with engorgement problems, and anyone who did not leak was supposed to be
grateful. I finally stopped worrying, noticed all of my daughter's poopy and
wet diapers and weight gain, and relaxed. I made a gallant effort to pump
and only got 2 to 3 ounces each time with a double pump while co-workers
were filling large bottles with one sitting. My husband was very supportive
the entire time and cheered me on no matter how much I pumped each day. Now
my daughter is 3 and I still make enough to have a night-night nurse right
before brushing teeth and going to bed. So love your breasts and enjoy
breastfeeding!
I too had a hard time with my milk supply. There are many reasons that it
might have been so One thing to be mindful of is that the mini-pill, in
*some* women (about 5%) can reduce your milk supply. Another to check is
what kind of breast pump you are using. I was told by a La Leche League
leader that the hospital-grade pumps that you rent are better for
maintaining supply, because they have a more natural cycling action. I was
using a Medela Pump-In-Style that you can buy. Evidently, it has been
known to happen that, using the Pump-In-Style or other for-purchase pumps,
you will start out pumping just fine, and gradually the amount you pump
will decrease. So if it's not too late to bother with (as it was in my
case), you might try a different pump for a month, just to see if it helps.
Something to try (in addition to carrying around water all the time and
drinking till your kidneys float!) is Fenugreek. This is an herbal product
that you can get at many health-food stores (I bought mine at Whole Foods,
mostly). You start with two or three a day, and increase to six or eight
capsules a day, say two at a time at mealtimes. Try to take it with food,
since it can upset your stomach in these quantities (though I never had
trouble with this). It evidently stimulates the milk production, because
it stimulates production from the sweat glands (milk ducts are modified
sweat glands). The idea is to get your dose up to enough that your sweat
smells slightly of licorice--that means you are taking enough. I know that
when I managed to take my Fenugreek religiously, and drink like a fish, my
milk supply went way up. So I think that it worked for me.
I would also recommend that you contact La Leche League. Tricia Jalbert is
one of several Leaders in the Berkeley/Oakland area; her phone number is
530-2645. She can give you information on meetings and other leaders'
phone numbers. The next evening meeting is Thursday, November 19 (this
week!) at the Zion church on Park in Oakland, at 7 pm. (I am planning to
be there this month, so maybe you and I can meet.)
Dawn
Good luck!
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