Hello Everyone,

I need your help. I am a longtime Lactnetter. I don't post very often,
however I need you guys now. My husband and I are adopting a little baby
girl from Korea. She is half Vietnamese and is now 5 months old (DOB 3/8/06.
We expect her to come home to us in early October (making her around 7
months old). We have 3 bio kids (boy 7, girl 5, and boy almost 3). The
almost 3 year old is nursing 1-4 times a day (the rare day, 10 times...  :-)
). Anyway, WHAT should I do? There are a few ways to go here, I know.....
and here are my ideas...

First thing to do is to try to replicate what the foster mother has done. I
don't know yet if Lily is co-sleeping with her fostermom, but we will most
likely find out when she comes (not that it matters - if she likes it, we
will!)... we will know what bottle nipples she uses and formula she drinks
(of course I am hoping to get donor milk). I wont change her out of her
outfit for "awhile" and wont wash whatever blanket or clothes she has (and
put them next to her to comfort her)...

I am thinking that I should start on Domperidone in Sept. and start pumping
with a hospital grade pump 4-6 times a day, and if I am lucky enough to get
anything from the pump I can stash it. I last pumped with a Pump in Style
almost 2 years ago. Whatever I can find time to do I should do - pumping
whenever Mitchell wants to nurse on "the other side"....

We will do skin to skin and gradually transition to.... what??

I have seen an article about an adoptive mom with recently weaned 3 year old
using a Lactaid with a bottle nipple placed over her nipple and supplement
flowing through a Lactaid tube  threaded through bottle nipple, then using
just the Lactaid, then "just" the breast -- Our IBCLC pediatrician thinks we
can get my supply up and just use a nipple shield as I have been known to
have an oversupply. Now my boobies are pretty soft. When I am thinking of
Lily I sometimes can feel the tingling of "let down", though my milk doesn't
squirt out like it sometimes did when I had little tiny nurslings cry out. 

I can picture myself offering my breast regardless of how much milk I have
"whenever", since that is how I am used to parenting...

Maybe I will post this again after Labor Day since many of our fellow
Lactetters may be "no mail' right now and on vacation. 

Thank you.

Love to you all,

Laura Beth Gilman
LLL Leader
Katonah, NY 

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