I don't have anything definitive, but do have a few thoughts. First of all,
I am amazed that this mom would have been put on such a whopping dose! I
take the drug, for severe fibromyalgia, and have for about 8 years.
However, I take much less, 35 mgs, total, per day. Even at that dose, every
time I have not gotten my prescription for some reason and have had to go
even one day without it, I have started going through withdrawal. I would
think that this mom's poor baby would have had a pretty miserable time for a
while. IMO, a lower dose and some other treatment for pain, like massage,
chiropractic, lidocaine injections or patches, acupuncture, etc., would have
made alot more sense for this mom. Hopefully, the pain clinic she is going
to now will offer her something besides massive doses of narcotics. Perhaps
something like that could be considered while she is still waiting for the
surgery. If she could be weaned off of the huge dose of oxycodone
beforehand, perhaps it, or a different narcotic pain med, would work better
for her after the surgery. Also, I would think that it would take some time
to wean her off of such a huge dose, and have her still be able to function
at all.
As for breastfeeding, I would suggest that she plan to relactate whenever
she is able to get off the drug or at least greatly reduce the dose, rather
than trying to keep a supply by pumping and dumping all that time. Or, she
could keep doing a little pumping, just to keep something going, and then
plan to start trying to dramatically increase her supply, for the baby, when
it is safe to do so. When it is safe for the baby to start breastfeeding, I
would suggest that she get the Lact-Aid and start feeding at the breast
full-time. That would be certain to give her a milk supply, if she does
nothing else but that, and also provide the nurturing benefits to both baby
and mother. She may need to keep supplementing to some extent, over the
long-term, or may be able to wean off of supplementation quickly. She can
add domperidone, herbs, etc., to help increase her supply faster, but
nursing with the Lact-Aid is, IMO, the single most beneficial use of her
time. With two older children, a new baby, and having had back surgery, I
am sure that she will need to manage the time she spends as well as
possible. Trying to get a milk supply by pumping, while bottle feeding the
baby, is no where near as time-efficient as getting better breast
stimulation and feeding and nurturing the baby, all at the same time.
Another issue is trying to help make it as easy as possible for the baby to
make the transition from bottle to breast. At the age he will be, he may
take to the breast immediately, need a little help, or need alot of help.
There are several things that can be done to maintain breastfeeding
behaviors, and minimize the possible hurdles that need to be gone through.
One of the most difficult things for older adopted babies, is being
comfortable being held facing into the breast. If the baby will not accept
being put in that position, latching onto the breast isn't possible. Bottle
feeding in as close to breastfeeding position can be helpful, but isn't
always enough. The only way to hold a baby facing into the breast, as for
breastfeeding, is to eliminate the bottle. The way I figured out to do this
was to thread the feeding tube from a Lact-Aid or SNS through the hole of a
bottle nipple. This has to be done with a nipple that has only one hole,
and where the hole is small enough to hold the very end of the tube in
place, so that no air will be sucked in around it. The baby can feed from
the bottle nipple this way, while in the exact position for breastfeeding.
Mom can expose her breast and arrange her clothing around the baby's face,
just as if the baby was feeding directly from the breast. It is also
important to switch sides during feedings. In this particular case, I would
also suggest that Dad, or whoever else will be carring for the baby, while
Mom is gone, could also feed the baby with the nipple up against his chest,
too. This may sound complicated, but it really isn't that bad. Actually,
having the baby feeding from the bottle nipple positioned on Mom's chest
eliminates the need to hold a bottle, and makes it easier for her to rest,
which would be especially important for this mom. It is important, however,
to have a supplementer ready, filled with formula, with a nipple attached,
before the baby needs it. I found it worked well to leave the tube attached
to the bottle nipple and clean it together, rather than trying to rethread
the tube through each time.
I also wonder if the baby might be able to be given a small amount of the
milk, say four to six ounces a day, in order to provide antibodies and give
the mom some satisfaction, that way. It might be worth checking into.
Anyway, I don't know if any of that is helpful, but a few ideas for an
atypical case! I wish this mom and her baby the best in getting through
this challenge!
Darillyn
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