No milk!

[BabyTooComfyIThink]

Hi
My baby has a cleft lip and palate, so can't bf due to her not having the equipment to latch on (i.e soft palate muscles etc)
I have been expressing but there is hardley any milk - she is mostly on formula, which I hate giving her as it smells funny and is an absolute b to make up all the time. I feel bereft! esp when I see other mums bfing with ease.
Have tried 2 dif kinds of drugs to help milk supply, domperidone and another one, also homeopathy and acupuncture, no joy with any of it. Can you buy breast milk? does anyone know how to increase supply apart from just expressing all day long and having no time for anything else?

[1stMrsF]

Does your local hospital have a breastmilk bank and do you qualify to receive it? I don't know anything about how they work, only that they exist and so might be worth finding out more about?

[thaliablogs]

BTCIT, how much domperidone are you taking? The max dose recommended is 160 mg a day - or 4 pills 4x a day. I'd recommend bumping up to this asap if you haven't already as it's really the most effective galactogogue at your disposal. It can take up to 4 weeks for the effect to be seen, so keep going. You may get a headache when you start it but it will go after a couple of days.

You can also add in fenugreek - take I think 16 capsules a day. If you don't smell of maple syrup by day 3 you're either not taking enough or it's not going to work for you (it doesn't for me). You can try fennel tea - I like the taste but doesn't seem to have a big effect. Also 'more milk' and 'more milk plus' herbal supplements which you can get from www.expressyourselfmums.co.uk .

Re expressing, do get a hands free pumping bra (can get from website above) so that you're not stuck too much while pumping and can feed your dd while you're pumping. Get yourself on a pumping schedule - every 3 hours minimum for the next week or so then you might be able to cut down. Power pumping can help boost supply. Pump for 10 mins, rest for 10, pump for 10, etc. I do this in the evenings so DH can bring me cups of tea etc!

You also don't have to sterilise your equipment every time - just put it back in the fridge in a plastic bag, and wash and sterilise once a day.

You can also get milk from a breast bank if nne of this works. But remember, even a few mls of breastmilk will make a big difference, so it's worth persevering a bit if you can stand it.

I totally understand feeling bereft, I'd give anything to be able to feed DS 'normally', but it's just not going to happen for us, so I do the best I can. If you are feeling low, you might want to join the MOBI (mothers overcoming breastfeeding issues) yahoo group where people really understand what it feels like.

Good luck!

[BabyTooComfyIThink]

Wow thanks so much for your responses, I didn't know you could take so much domperidone, I was doing 3 tablets 3 times a day and stopped after 2 weeks because it wasn't working - I will try it again. I am on the fennel tea but it doesn't seem to do much either.
I was pumping every 3 hours, then I went to every 2 but only for a couple of days as I couldn't keep it up - the baby takes an hour at least to feed and wind, and is quite colicky too at the mo. I have got the hands free bras but its still quite tricky to feed and pump at the same time if she is windy.
I will also try power pumping, and I didn't know about not having to sterilise every time - it takes up loads of time doing that.

All my efforts so far have resulted in a maximum of 20mls per pump, so if I am in the swing she might get 120mls in a day, but its more likely to be about 60-80. I am hoping this is enough to make a difference, but it does seem like a huge effort for not very much.

I have done a bit of research into milk banks but I think they only give it out to premature babies. It would be really good to get hold of some to feed her after the operation as it helps with healing inside the mouth as well.

Will also look at the yahoo group, it sounds like its for me!
Cheers