Mellanie, it sounds like the adoptive mom is doing well, and you are doing a
good job of supporting her.  There have also been some excellent posts
written already!

I would really expect this mom to be producing some amount milk, by now, but
she may not be able to tell, especially if she is trying to pump.  It took
me months to learn to let down even a drop to a pump, even after I could
hand express a little and knew from my baby's stools and the fact that he
had been growing normally, without taking anymore supplement than when we
started nursing (with no advance preparation).  I would keep giving her
encouragement to keep nursing.  Some moms do OK with pumping, but alot get
hooked on the pump and the time they spend pumping starts to take the place
of time spent nursing.  Like Kerri said, nursing with the Lact-Aid takes up
alot of time, and it often isn't reasonable to try to take on pumping in
addition to that.  As long as the baby is spending a great deal of time at
the breast, the nurturing benefits are all there, as well as stimulation to
produce milk. Also, stressing the relationship as being the number one
important thing is the best way to assure that this nursing pair will keep
nursing for along time.  Too much emphasis on milk production can result in
the early demise of the nursing experience.

If she would like to try domperidone, I think that would be a reasonable
thing to do.  Some moms get a little help from it, and others get alot.
There is no way to know but to try it and see!  The herbs can help alot too.
  More Milk, which has been discussed today on Lactnet, is one good option,
as far as herbs.  Fenugreek is the single most commonly used herb among
adoptive moms.  Most moms use capsules, but I made tea from the seeds.  I
used a rounded teaspoonful of seeds per cup of boiled water, steeped for 3-5
minutes.  You can also wash the seeds down whole, like little pills, or eat
the softened seeds that have been steeped for tea.  Overall, I feel the best
thing to do, as far as milk production, is to keep nursing regularly and
decide on a few things to do on a regular basis, but then pretty much avoid
worrying about it, most of the time.  I think it is good to not try to count
the number of ounces the baby is taking more than once a week or so, and
just relax and enjoy the experience in between.

It has been six years now since the last of my six adopted children weaned.
The more time goes by, the more I appreciate the relationship that we had
through nursing.  I would counsel this mom to enjoy every minute of it!

Best Wishes,
Darillyn



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