"Do you think that this has to do with the fact that they are taking the
shot so early in milk production?  This is even contraindicated according
to the manufacturer.  They reccomend not take before 6 weeks post partum."

JP, I have wondered this too.  I think there is also a possibility that,
since someone in the postpartum period has a much different hormonal balance
than someone who hasn't even been pregnant, that the result could be quite
different than in someone who is trying to produce milk without a recent
pregnancy.

I know that depo provera had a definite positive effect on milk production
for me.  I only wish I had done it sooner.  I did not get on it until my
last adopted child, Joanna, was nearly a year old.  I hadn't produced as
much for her as I had for my others.  Where I had managed 12-16 ounces a day
with the others that I nursed from the time they were newborns, with Joanna
I was lucky to get 8.  I think this was from stress, as well as, possibly,
from the fact that my heart was in a weakened state at that time.  After the
depo, I didn't notice a change for a several weeks, but then went for about
five months where my milk supply was definitely much better than it had
been.  Joanna moved the Lact-Aid tube from my breast before she latched on,
one day, and never used it again.  Interestingly, when I asked Joanna, who
is now 8 and remembers breastfeeding, what she would tell other people about
the experience she said, "I would say that when my mom nursed me, it was
tasty!".  I wouldn't have expected her to remember the taste of the milk so
much, had she not been getting a significant amount.  Also, when I let the
depo wear off, my milk supply definitely dropped drastically, almost
overnight.  So, I am convinced that, at least for me, it caused a very
definite improvement in milk production.

The question is whether or not it would be likely enough to help others, to
merit suggesting it on a wide scale basis.  Since one is stuck with the
results for several months, I haven't really recommended it to anyone.
However, there are reports in the medical literature about its use in
inducing lactation.  Karleen knows more about that.

I also can't help but wonder what would have happened if I had taken
domperidone along with the depo.  I did not have access to domperidone at
the time my kids were still nursing.  I am actually considering getting a
depo shot again, for the same reason I got the first one, which was to
control PMS, and then do an experiment of domperidone and pumping, just to
see what happens.  I think that, if we could determine that it was likely to
help adoptive mothers, who want to use medication, it could turn out to be a
tremendous advantage.  This could be especially true with domestic adoption
situations, where timing is so hard to predict, making timing of the
currently popular induced lactation protocol so difficult.  I am sure you
know that many moms don't have a chance to be on the protocol long enough
for it to be of any benefit to them and that, even for someone who has an
estimated time for placement of an infant, months ahead of time, there is a
definite possibility that they will not end up with the baby.  I have been
in contact with many moms who have ended up with milk and no baby anywhere
in sight, which is a difficult situation to be in.  Also, I wonder if the
depo might work better for those moms who have taken dom, or done the
extended protocol and pumped and pumped, and only seen very little milk.  In
general, I think it is a good idea to at least do a trial of pumping and
domperidone, if possible, before deciding to add anymore drugs to the mix.
Somewhere around a third of adoptive moms who just use dom and breast
stimulation are able to provide all the milk their babies need, and I think
it is prudent to try to screen out those moms and then avoid exposing them
to the possible adverse effects of anything more.  Some people have
suggested  a two week trial of this.  Since it is preferable to work up to
the recommended 80 mgs a day of dom, rather than start it all at once, and
it takes up to two weeks for it to take effect, it would be impossible to
make a judgement after only two weeks.  However, I think a one month trial
should be long enough to at least get an idea of what a woman's response
might be.  I've only known of a couple moms who had a "full" milk supply
after just a month, but we have seen quite a few moms who were producing
several ounces a day, and increasing steadily, after that time, who went on
to a full milk supply over the next couple months.  For those who do not see
much response from just dom and pumping or nursing, there is a benefit to
depo, over the protocol which uses birth control pills in that, where the
BCPs would dry up whatever milk was already being produced, the depo would
not.  Again, it would just depend on what the situation was with that
individual mom.

The problem is that I am not a medical professional, and don't want to be
trying to prescribe medicine.  I can only suggest that people talk to their
doctors about it, even though their doctors are very unlikely to know
anything about induced lactation.  I used to have my own private OB/GYN to
collaborate with, but we are divorced, and not on speaking terms, now.  If
anyone who is licensed to practice medicine has an interest in trying this
with an adoptive mom, I would love to hear about it!

Darillyn

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