I wanted to write and share some exciting news with you.

While I was gone I ran into an acquaintance.  She has been a foster parent
for years trying to have another baby and since there has been no luck she
was hoping to find a child to adopt.  Her prayers were answered.  She got a
baby girl Claire when she was 3 days old.  First she was just to be the
foster parent but she found out  a little over a week ago that she could
adopt her.

The birth mother was a prostitute for her boyfriend so they could make money
for drugs.  The mother tested positive at birth for the following: alcohol,
marijuana, cocaine, herroin, and valium.  Baby born at 6' 13" tested
positive for cocaine and valium.  Baby almost died around 5-6 days.  Baby
has gone through withdrawal and is doing well.

When I saw Joy - adopted mother - she was excited to learn that it was
possible to breastfeed.  Baby was 7 weeks old.  She nursed two children
previously.  With her children she apparantely had overactive let-down -
didn't know there was a way to manage.  I got the SNS and we put baby to
breast for the first time on Thursday.  The baby is also tongue tied - she
is getting it clipped this week.  Unbelievably this baby latched right on -
we are working on the tongue to improve it but I was shocked.  I thought it
would certainly take longer than that.  Isn't that terrific.  Joy was
elated!  She is excited about the health benefits this baby may receive -
she certainly needs all the help she can get.

In your experiences - how long do you think it would take for her to start
seeing milk production and to get built up - I know this is just an educated
guess but would like to know of other's experiences.  She is not going to
pump but will use the SNS at every feeding.

By the way she doesn't like hooking it up each time so she hooks the tubing
up and leaves it.  She unscrews the bottle and rinses the tubing out with
soapy and clear water while wearing it.  She leans over the seek.  Never
heard of any one doing that - have you?  For her it made it easier.  I know
that some people do consider it a hassle.

Love to hear comments
Rose Marie Straeter, IBCLC