First Induced Lactation Check-In 3/20/14

healz413

Welcome all!

This is the first check-in for folks who are doing or considering induced lactation. If you're currently breastfeeding as a result of induced lactation, are currently working to induce lactation, are planning to induce lactation, or are considering induced lactation, this is the check-in for you.

This check-in is hosted on the LGBTParenting board but all LGBT-friendly folks are welcome to join, as we know many folks (including those using gestational carriers and adopting) induce lactation.

Demand will determine how often this check-in is posted, but I'm currently thinking every 2 weeks.

To get us started this week, you're invited to introduce yourself and tell us what's going on in your world in relation to induced lactation, future or current newborns/infants, etc.

QOTW: What is one goal/hope you have in relation to induced lactation and one fear?

healz413

My partner, @Manada, is 8w1d pregnant with our twins. I'd been hoping/planning to induce lactation before I'd known we were having twins, but now that we're having twins, it seems even more valuable/important/beneficial to me.

I've been interested in the idea of induced lactation ever since I found out it was a possibility 7 or 8 years ago. I love the idea of having that intimate bonding time with our babies. If I'm able to produce enough milk to actually help sustain (or soothe) them, then that would be really excellent.

Our midwife was going to refer us to the Newman breastfeeding clinic here in Toronto after the first trimester, but since twins often come early, I've asked her to do that referral sooner. I look forward to having that meeting and actually getting started with stuff. Apparently (according to m love) we have a drug in Canada called domperidone that isn't used in the U.S. (or for this in the U.S.), so my protocol will likely be different than that of some others.

QOTW: I would love to be able to produce enough breast milk to help us get through night time feedings without M having to do the majority of the feeding. My fear is that I will hate pumping so much that I won't actually get enough of a supply going before the babies come.

ticktock0903

Guess Im first up! I am new to the site. My wife and I just decided to pursue children about 2 months ago, though we are waiting until the end of the year to begin IUI. I will be carrying and we will be using a sperm donor. I initially was just looking for a way for her to feed the baby my milk on her breast through a supplemental device and in my research, I stumbled onto induced lactation. My goal is to give my wife a way to bond with our child since she will not be carrying. I don't have any fears as of yet, since I am still in research phase.

healz413

@jalara48-- Yes! Twins! We found this out at our first ultrasound at 6w1d and they were still looking good a week later. I didn't do a separate post on TPR (just put it in the weekly checkin) but I did post on PAIF and LGBTParenting. We're so excited and feel so lucky. We also feel overwhelmed. Our next ultrasound is in a week.

I don't envy you doubling up on BCPs! I don't know what my protocol will be. I'm eager to have my consultation.

We have at least one person (maybe more?) on this board who induced lactation and is currently breastfeeding the twins her partnered carried. I hope she'll join us. I also imagine there are some people in the wood works.

Also as @ticktock0903 mentioned, some people don't even know it's an option, so our presence with this check-in may expose more people to the idea if it's something they're interested in.

AmandaG47

I am excited to be joining the check-in! I apologize in advance because this may be really long!

We just had our twins at the end of Feb, and they are 3.5 week old girls. I am currently splitting breastfeeding with them nearly 50/50.

My story so far:

To get going, I also followed the Newman-Goldforb protocol.  I started BCP and Domeridone (my doc did not recommend Dom but I decided to use it and ordered it online) at the beginning of the second trimester.  Their due date was March 7, but of course we expected them earlier. I did notice the breast changes that they say to look for, and even could express a drop or two of milk before I started pumping. I had very little expectation for it to work, because I thought I had insufficient breast tissue (due to shape, not necessarily size). So my first goal was to nurse at least for comfort and use an at breast supplementer to feed my wife's milk.  I started pumping the week of Christmas when I stopped the BCP and started taking More Milk Plus and pumped 4-6 times per day up until their birth.  Because I knew I was about to be sleep deprived, I never woke up in the middle of the night to pump, but I do know they strongly recommend that you do.  I started out getting just a few drops per pumping session but slowly, each day, the amount increased. Right before they were born I was producing 16 oz a day and had a few hundred ounces in the freezer. I was obviously super super excited that it appeared to be working!

During J's labor, I hand expressed and used a manual pump a little bit but not as much as I usually did at that point.  One moment I will never forget is when I was with Baby B in the nursery after birth (getting looked at for grunting noises), I started leaking milk all over when she started crying. It was the first time that ever happened and I had the overwhelming feeling that I was so happy gave inducing lactation a try and so happy that I could help nourish them myself.

Our original plan was  primarily have my wife breastfeed for the first couple weeks and then I would slowly start to feed as well. We did say however, that if it was the choice between me feeding, and other supplementing, then I would feed them. It turns out my wife was having trouble feeding them, due to her milk coming in a little later, and having inverted nipples (and the babies being small) and the colostrum not being quite enough for two babies. So I started feeding them pretty 50/50 in the hospital.  I have to say I was so glad to have a ton of support from the LC and especially our nurse who thought two moms breastfeeding two babies was pretty much the best thing ever

So that is pretty much where we are now. Sometimes my wife and I each grab one baby, feed on one breast, then switch babies/breasts and other times we take a baby for an entire feeding and switch babies every other feeding. We now each take a baby overnight and stick with that baby for the night and switch every night. We wanted to make sure no baby starts preferring one person over the other, but that hasn't been a problem at all. 

The hardest part for me so far was going back to work.  Now, on work days, I miss two feedings and that makes me sad.  However, my wife brings a baby over lunch for me to do their feeding, and I'm so thankful that has been working for us for now! I am also really glad I hardly ever have to pump anymore, although I do now pump at work. My biggest concern at this point is keeping up with them.  I really hope I can continue to feed a whole baby, or at least almost a whole baby (since I do work some days).  It has been SUCH a rewarding experience so far.  I will say, that if I never reached the supply I have now, I still would have breastfed what I could, and used an at-breast supplementer, and my wife and I agreed on that.  It was important for me to have that bond/responsibility.  Sometimes it feels like all the babies do is eat and I think I would have felt really left out if I couldn't participate in feeding them. 

I'm excited to see you here @jalara48, @ticktock0903, and @healz413! I am happy to share my experience and connect to others doing the same thing

ticktock0903

Did you begin once your wife was pregnant or a few months into the pregnancy. I really want my wife to have the opportunity to do this so I want to gather as much info as possible. Who did you go to to get more in depth information, like is this something that our OB would help us with or through the clinic that does the IUI.

healz413

@AmandaG47, thank you so much for this. Your story about leaking when your baby cried made me cry! Our friend has this happen to her so I know it's real, but she was the pregnant parent, so it's so cool that your body reacted that way! (I mean, I'm sure it's inconvenient, too, but you know what I mean, I think)

kristi&p

Our whole plan was for me to be pregnant and my SO didnt want to induce lactation due to medications that she is on and would not be able to come off. 

Now that our plan has changed and she will be the carrier she has made changes to medications but once the pregnancy is over will be going back to her normal medication routine, so I decided based on that and the fact I truly wanted to breast feed I wanted to induce.

I went to my gyno yesterday for an annual and to ask questions about inducing. She wasnt too familiar with the process but wanted me to reach out to a lactation consultant. I did find a lactation consultant that is familiar with the process so I am planning a meeting with her and keeping my gyno in the loop for medication purposes. I am hoping to do the birth control route along with taking vitamins like fungreek and blessed thistle. My SO is opposed to the domperidone, she has worked in the pharmacy world and doesnt feel that I should attempt it with it not being approved in the US right now. Of course I will have a more definite plan once I meet with the lactation consultant. I am hoping to start the BCP fairly early in the pregnancy so I can hope to freeze some milk if I can get a small supply started before baby would arrive.

I know I need to take things slowly I just want to meet with the lacation consultant to form a plan for when my SO gets pregnant fingers crossed we get pregnant quickly ;-)

QOTW: What is one goal/hope you have in relation to induced lactation and one fear? One goal is to be able to do 50/50 feeding with supplementing with formula. A fear is some in my family wont understand why I am inducing lactation, I already had a family member say why would you do that babies that are formula feed are fine doesnt have to be breast milk. I hated having to do in to detail of why it is important for me emotional and to bond with the baby.

hey_its_jenn

I hope you don't mind me stopping in - My DH and I are adopting and so I am just at the very beginning of the process of inducing lactation.  I have contacted a LC and she recommended the book "Breastfeeding Without Birthing" which I just downloaded this morning.

If anyone has any other books or resources to research, I would appreciate it!  

Goal: To be able to bond with our LO through breastfeeding because we are adopting.
Fear:  I will get too frustrated and give up, even though I know in my heart what's best for the baby.

healz413

@hey_its_jenn, it's great to have you here. Thanks for joining us. I'll have to check out that book.

firstcomeslove2013

Hello! Sorry I'm so late to this party!!! My spouse and I are TTC. Last IUI was 03/21/14. Previous IUI resulted in mc. We are on our 10th IUI (6 with me, 4 with C). We have decided that C will not BF and I will be the sole BF'er OR we will supplement with donor milk if needed.

I have did a little research when we got our last BFP, and I plan to begin the process as soon as we make it to our first u/s (when we get pregnant).

QOTW: What is one goal/hope you have in relation to induced lactation and one fear?

My goal is to produce enough milk to provide for our baby. My fear is that it won't work at all!!!


I'm really looking forward to this journey with you all!