Hi Barbara,
What a trying time for this mom. I'm not an LC, and have never worked with
other moms in that sort of capacity (except a little bit with friends), but
I've had supply issues with both of my kids - the first one, just for
pumping output while I was working, and the second, due to a disorganized
suck (which wasn't dx'd until she was 12 days old) and subsequent off-and-on
issues possibly related to poor suckling in the early days (which continue,
to some degree, even now, at 9 months).
I have, at various times, consulted with LC's (both in person and online)
for these problems. With my son, although my supply was sufficient for him
while nursing, I was only pumping ~2 oz per session while at work. I was
given a rather impressive list of herbs and supplements to take to increase
my supply, along with the advice to pump more frequently (after my son went
to bed, early in the morning, etc.) and to use a Classic instead of the PIS
I had been using. So, I began taking fenugreek and blessed thistle (for me,
also overweight, I took 4 caps each, 3x a day, of each of these), red
raspberry leaves capsules (2 caps, 3x a day), flaxseed oil (800 mg caps, 2
each, 3x a day), evening primrose oil (500 mg caps, 2 each, 3x a day) and
brewers yeast tablets (6 each, 3x a day). By taking those, and by using a
Classic (even at work), my output went from the 2 oz to 10-12 oz per
session. I was pumping for a 4 month old by then.
For my daughter, I began taking domperidone first, which helped
tremendously. I did order it from the NZ pharmacy, which has worked well
for me; I continue to take it and will until my daughter is 12 months old.
At one point, I ran out before my new order arrived, and I noticed a huge
drop in supply; I began taking the herbs/supplements in the previous
paragraph (minus the brewers yeast, since I've read recently that it may not
help with supply) and things began to regulate. I've taken all of that as
well, until recently - I'm now only on domperidone, fenugreek and BT, which
I plan to continue taking until my daughter is 12 months. Because my
daughter stops nursing after the flow slows, I also pump after every time
she nurses; I use a Classic for this; if I experience a supply drop, I will
double-pump more frequently, but otherwise, I only pump on the side my
daughter has nursed from (she won't ever take both sides, even when my
supply is very low).
I have also noticed that my supply can suffer if I haven't been eating
enough calories. As much as I'd like to lose weight, I've put off worrying
about this for now. There's a great article by a layperson about "more
milk"; the LC from which I rented my Classic advised me to eat foods high in
fat (of course!) - personally, I've noticed that when I eat things like ham
or when I eat well (like when someone else is doing the cooking and
cleaning!), I see an improvement. The article is found at
http://bf.marie.org/myarticles/boosters.html ; this article can be found at
http://bf.marie.org .
I also have a friend whose twins were born at 27 weeks; she pumped with a
Classic every *2* hours, going 3 hours at bedtime. Her twins have been home
for several months now, and are doing beautifully. What I mean is, her
schedule assured a plentiful supply - once they were nursing, she began
pumping 15-19 oz. Does this NICU mom have a Classic at home? If not, I
would think that a dr could write a prescription for one so that it is
covered by insurance; she shouldn't have to go to the hospital to pump (not
sure if that's what you were saying).
Is there any way this NICU mom could put her baby to her breast? It seems
to me that as much as we look forward to having a baby, they don't seem
quite "real" until we can hold them and connect with them physically. I
think someone else mentioned kangaroo care - is that a possibility?
Lastly, I will recommend (again) the Pump List - if this mom has access to
the internet and if she'd like to connect with other moms who may be dealing
with this, it can be a terrific resource! You can point her to it at
http://www.pumpingmoms.org ; she can find more info on the Listserv under
the "About Us" section. This list is very high volume (more so than even
Lactnet!) but she can introduce herself and get from it what she needs.
I think that's it, and my dd is calling, so I hope that helps a bit.
--
"Just a mom" Natalie Bullock ([log in to unmask])
mom to James, 1.25.99 and Molly, 5.11.01
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