Well, I'm done

Last weekend was hectic, and I didn't get to pump as often as I should have. Therefore, my supply went down dramatically. So I decided to give up. I feel like a quitter, but I can't make the time that is necessary to build a good supply.

I know it's possible. And I know if I could spend a few days power pumping  that I could get a supply built up. But with two young children running around, that just hasn't been possible.

I hope this blog has been helpful and that anyone who wants information found what they were looking for.

Day 50

I haven't taken a domperidone in more than 24 hours, and I am noticing a difference in supply. I usually get 1.5, sometimes closer to 2 ounces per side every morning. But this morning, I barely got an ounce from each side.

This makes me sad. But I don't think I will fight it if my supply goes away. I simply cannot afford to continue to be on supplements. I'm doing my best to pump every 3 hours. But my 22-month-old has been quite a handful lately. Her nap strikes keeps me from being able to power pump. So I'll do my best to keep the supply up. But if it disappears, I will be proud of my accomplishment so far.

Day 47

Sorry I haven't posted in a while..

I am averaging about 7.5 ounces a day. That's pumping about 5-6 times daily. And the right side seems to produce a little more than the left side.

I also haven't been taking much domperidone. It's more of a forgetting thing than anything else. I was wondering if my supply would tank without it, but I seem to be doing OK so far. I won't take any tomorrow and will see what happens.

Day 41

According to bobohelper.com, I am getting about 6 ounces a day now.

A new development.. I leaked in bed this morning. That was the first time that has happened.

Day 39

I've decided it was time to start keeping track of output. So I'm using bobohelper.com. If you haven't heard of it, it's really great. It helps you keep track of your pumping schedule, as well as your child's schedule, milestones, etc.

Day 38

I was just whining two days ago about how my supply is slowly increasing. Well, I realized last night that I've been getting about 4-5 ounces a day. That's not bad at all.

And this morning, my first pumping session yielded 2 ounces by itself - 1 ounce per side. I'll need to get more storage bags soon. I'd slowly been filling up those 2 ounce snappies bottles.

Also, I have less than 50 domperidone pills left. So I'm gonna go down on the dosage. I'll take two pills three times daily for now and then go down to one pill three times daily.

Day 36

Still chugging along.. Not much increase in supply. It's a bummer.  Currently now out of Blessed Thistle, but continuing the domperidone.

Day 34

I've been using a Medela Pump in Style Advanced since yesterday. And. I. Love. It!

It has the letdown button, which is awesome!

I'm hoping it helps increase supply, as well. I will try to power pump when possible again.

Day 33

The milk output is still very slowly increasing. My friend is going to let me use her Medela pump until I can get one of my own. I'm hoping to see if it will make a difference. I feel like I cannot get all of the milk out as of right now.

I will be out of supplements by the end of the week. So I am nervous to see if that means my supply will stop or if I'll be able to keep it up with pumping. I think having a pump more suitable for exclusive pumping will help.

I now have 12 ounces of milk in the freezer.

Day 30

Wow... it's been 30 days! It's hard to believe it has been that long.

And 30 days later, I'm pumping about 1 1/2 ounces a day.

Day 29

I have 4 ounces of frozen milk. :-)

And there is another 1 1/2 ounces of milk in the fridge, which was pumped today. Yay for continuing progress!

Day 28

Somehow I skipped writing a blog yesterday. Sorry.

I feel like a broken record saying this, but my supply just continually increases daily. I've been massaging and squeezing while pumping to help get the milk out.

Here is what I pumped first thing this morning. I combined both sides into one bottle.



Almost an ounce!

I am still taking supplements three times a day. I started out taking 10 mg of domperidone four times a day. Then I upped the dose to 20 mg three times a day. Today, I will start taking 30 mg three times daily.

Day 26

Well, it took me three and a half days, but this is what I got:



Really, more milk is coming every pump session. It'll be exciting to fill up a 2-ounce bottle in one session.

Day 25

The supplements are continually helping. Two days ago, I pumped 10 ml total. Yesterday, it was 15 ml. It's a slow increase, but it's an increase.

Day 23

This is from my first pumping session this morning:



It's encouraging. In a dream last night, I got 2 ounces from each side. I can't wait until that is true. It's funny that I am getting so excited over such little milk. Since I was such an overproducer before, 2 ounces would've been nothing.

This is what I got for the entire day.. not quite half an ounce.

Day 22

I am seeing more milk today. After I pump, the milk almost covers the bottom of the bottle.

I feel exhausted lately. I'm tired all day long. And my boobs and nipples are sore. They appear to be growing slowly, too. The boobs, that is.

Day 21

The supplements seem to really be helping. At my last pumping session yesterday, all of the milk that I pumped for the day made a ring around the bottom of the bottles. I let my daughter take a drink of the milk I pumped first thing in the morning. She smiled and then wanted to carry the bottle around, pretending to drink from it. lol

I've been taking 10 mg of domperidone four times a day, two capsules of Blessed Thistle three times a day and drinking Mother's Milk Tea two to three times a day.

Now that more milk is coming out, I'm making more of an effort to wake up at 2 a.m. to pump.

This morning, I was making a mental list of things I will need soon: a Medela sleep bra, nursing bras for during the day, nursing pads, breast milk storage bags and eventually a Medela pump (this Evenflo pump is not recommended for exclusive pumping).

Day 20

I started the supplements yesterday. This is how much I got during my morning pump:



It's a change from yesterday. I seem to be feeling more fullness lately, too.

And TMI info, but I've had some breakthrough bleeding. So I guess the hormones are the cause for that.

Day 19

Today I start supplements... Blessed Thistle, domperidone and Mother's Milk Tea.

Day 18

Yesterday was much the same as the day before.

This morning, I had more drops... Enough to halfway fill the little piece that empties into the bottle. But not enough to make that little piece actually empty into the bottle.

It's been more than 2 weeks. Now I'm curious to see what supplements would do. I had some delicious lactation cookies two days ago. I haven't noticed a considerable difference, but they were good! ;-)

Day 16

Sorry I missed posting yesterday. It was a little hectic. I remember right as I was going to bed, but was too tired to stop and write.

Yesterday was similar to the day before... Little bit of milk coming out during pumping sessions.

My husband did say that my boobs seem a little bigger. ;-)

Day 14

And this would be a drop of milk inside the bottle:



I think my boobs may be swelling today. They felt a little full after I ran some errands today. Not near engorgement phase, but there is a feeling of fullness.

It'll be interesting to see what each new day brings.

Day 13

See that white stuff?



Yeah, that's milk. ;-)

Day 12

More drops after pumping. It's definitely encouraging. And my nipples are sooo sore/sensitive when I first start pumping. OUCH...

Day 11

I'm still seeing some progress. It's slow, but I'm happy about it.

This morning after I pumped, I actually had some milk drip out onto my belly. Before, it was just at the end of my nipple. There still isn't any milk falling into the bottle while pumping, but I'm optimistic about that happening by this time next week.

Day 10: More progress

After my power pumping session today, I was able to actually get a drop of milk onto my finger. Definitely progress! It's very encouraging.

Day 9

There has been some progress today. After pumping, I am seeing liquid coming out of the nipples. Still no drops in the bottle. But I am thrilled at the progress. 

I have been power pumping at least twice a day, and I think that has been helping a lot. 

The nausea isn't around much anymore, so that's nice. The boobs are still the same size, so no swelling there. 

It seems like I am feeling something similar to letdown while pumping. It's about 1/5 the intensity of real letdown. And maybe I am wrong. But it kinda feels like letdown.

Day 8

I was successful at pumping during the night, so I'm happy about that. I also power pumped throughout the day yesterday.

I think I need to come to the realization that this may take a while. Since I was such a super pumper with both of my kids, I kinda figured this would be easier for me. Maybe my body will just pick it up easily and quickly? I also keep thinking that once I start getting milk, I'm sure it'll be easy to get my supply up.

But I probably should stop thinking that way and realize that this is a long process. Nothing is easy about it. It takes dedication, and I don't like to be a quitter. So if anything, this will be a way to prove to myself that I am capable of seeing things through.

As far as progress, I did see a drop on my right nipple yesterday. So that gave me some hope. I can imagine how happy I will be to finally see milk drop into the bottle, even if it's just a drop. Never did I think I'd look forward to seeing milk stream out in large amounts. LOL

I am disappointed that the boobs don't seem to be getting any bigger. No swelling or anything. I figure once that starts happening, I'll know that the milk ducts are getting ready. Nothing yet. I will try power pumping as much as possible again today.

Day 7

I had a dream last night that I pumped half an ounce from each side. Of course, when I woke up from that dream, it was 5:45. I had slept through my 2 a.m. alarm. Sigh...

The plan today is to power pump when possible. I will wear my amber necklace in hopes that it will help with any nipple pain. So far, the pain/soreness has been tolerable, but it has gotten pretty annoying. Also, I am still experiencing some nausea in the evenings.

I got the "Do you think it's really possible?" question again from my husband last night. I was very close to snapping at him. As nicely as I could, I told him to please stop asking me that. And when I finished pumping, I saw a droplet of wetness on my right nipple and proudly showed it to him. He said "well, keep going!"

I'm trying to remember all of the foods that are suppose to aid in keeping a healthy supply. I'm adding oatmeal to my diet. But I can't remember if there are anything else. I know I've heard of some moms drinking a beer every night, but most probably will not go in that direction. For one, I hate beer. And two, alcohol digests the same as sugar. So that's probably not the best idea with my hypoglycemia.

I need to get my son up for school in 30 minutes, but there's still plenty of time to pump again. So off I go to pump for the second time this morning.

Day 6

As I was pumping in the middle of the night, I decided to do a search for "relactation project." I wanted to see if this blog could be easily found by those looking for this kind of information.

I also came across this blog: http://thehumanmilkproject.blogspot.com/2007/08/relactation.html

I got a little excited at first. I thought I would be able to read similar experiences or find encouragement in a step-by-step account of the process. However, this mom didn't stick to the project. If she did, she didn't continue to blog about it. There are only six blog entries.

So as I was thinking "I want to go back to sleep" while pumping at 3 a.m., coming across this blog made me want to commit to the process even more. I'd hate for anyone desperately seeking information to be let down because I didn't see it through.

It's 3 a.m. and I'm pumping...

Yawwwwwnnn.....

I set my alarm for 2, but somehow didn't hear it and woke up at 2:45ish instead. Oops. Oh well. At least I'm getting some middle-of-the-night pumping done.

Day 5

I haven't had any milk yet. But I can tell there are some hormonal changes happening. 

I find my body temp running warmer sometimes. And I have felt some nausea here and there. Also, it's been harder to manage my blood sugar. So I'll have to start eating more often.

Tonight I will start pumping during the night. I know it's crucial to making this happen, and I should've been doing it from the beginning. So we'll see what progress this brings.

Nightly update

Still no progress. Today, I pumped every 1-2 hours. My nipples are itching like crazy.

And again tonight, I am feeling some nausea. I'm not sure if it's related to me trying to relactate, but I figure it's best to document everything going on.

My husband asked me if I were getting anything yet. When I told him no, he asked if relactation is possible. And then suggested I make "some of those cookies" my friend made. He was referring to lactation cookies.

Speaking of lactation cookies, I ran across this store that sells them online. The store name is Cookies, Then Milk. I thought that was brilliant and funny. They also sell muffins, pancake/waffle mix and brownie mix. AND they sell sugar-free and gluten-free products, which I think is very cool. That has nothing to do with the project, but I still thought it was neat.

Anyway, my husband's question (and doubt) really makes me want to prove that it is possible.

Day 4

Still no progress. I didn't get to pump as much yesterday as I had hoped. But today is a rainy day. We have nothing to do and nowhere to go. So hopefully I will be able to pump a lot.

I can't decide if I should pump every hour or power pump a few times. Any thoughts?

Last night, I had some nausea/upset stomach before bed. I worried it was that dreaded stomach virus going around, but it wasn't. (Thank God!) So now I'm wondering if it was hormone-related.

Also, a friend let me borrow a hands-free pumping bra. So that makes me very happy.

Day 3

I have no update to report as of yet. Although I have decided to try to pump every hour, when possible, today. Tomorrow will be a rainy day here, so I plan to do that all day then. We have no plans, so that's a great day to do it.

Day 2

During the first pump of the morning, I again had some milk (wetness) on my left nipple again. But when I pumped just now, there was none.

That's the only update I have today.

End of Day 1

I pumped four times today, 15 minutes each time. I just finished the last pumping session. I should've pumped around 5ish, but we had to get ready for church. So I decided to just wait until we got home and the kids were in bed.

At the end of day one, I can tell that something is happening. By the time we got back home this evening, I felt like my boobs were swollen or sore feeling. And when I pumped just now, something came out of the left one. That nipple seems to be hurting a lot more. And it's red and swollen after pumping. The right nipple isn't like that. 

Anyway, the left nipple was wet after pumping. My husband asked if it was sweat. LOL I said if it was, then I don't know why the right one wasn't sweating, as well. There wasn't anything in the bottle, but there was definitely something coming out. 

I'm anxious to see how tomorrow will go! 

So the project begins..

I received a free pump from a friend two days ago, and now the project can begin. It is an Evenflo Simply Go double electric breast pump. The instruction booklet says it is not recommended for exclusive pumping, but I will still make a go of it.

I used a single Evenflo pump the first few months I exclusively pumped for my son. It worked just fine, and I never had supply issues (it handled my oversupply just fine). The pump was loud, but that was four years ago. I hoped that this newer Evenflo pump would be much quieter. It is not AS loud, but it still is not a quiet pump.

Last night, I dreamed that I got a half ounce the first time I pumped. That did not happen. I just pumped for the first time for 15 minutes. The funny thing is that I kept waiting for letdown, even though I knew it wasn't going to happen. On a side note, I feel the need to mention that Aunt Flo showed up last night. So I'm not sure how, if at all, this will affect the beginning process.

I have decided to forego the supplements for now and just see how things go with pumping. I plan to pump every 2-3 hours during the day. And even though I know night pumping will really help boost supply, I haven't decided yet if I will start doing that.

I already miss my hands-free pumping bra. I couldn't surf the Web while holding both pump horns in place.

Right now, I plan to update in the mornings and at night. Of course, if there is any progress in between in the following days, that will warrant another update.

I am not looking forward to the nipple pain that is to come. I wonder if baltic amber helps with that? ;-)

The "no update" update

There really isn't anything new to update so far.
I'm still taking the prenatals, Vitamin C and drinking lots of water.
I still don't have a pump. Two friends have offered pumps. One friend said I could borrow her Avent Isis. And another friend offered a double Evenflo electric.
I've never used an Avent, but I've read good things about them. I have used a single Evenflo. In fact, four years ago, that's what I started off with. My sister gave it to me. She has used it when her daughter was in NICU 9 months before. I was single pumping for my son for a few months before I got an Ameda pump. But I've never used the double, and I'm sure it's been updated some in the past five years.
So once I get a pump, I'll start torturing my nipples. ;-) Fun times..

The Relactation Project

I call this blog The Relactation Project. It will serve as a historian to the days, weeks and probably months of trying to induce (re)lacation. You could call it an experiment.

A little back story.. I have two children and exclusively pumped for both of them. As an overproducer, I pumped at most 60 ounces a day. I have been milk-free for around seven months now. During my pumping months, I was able to enjoy the benefits of a smaller waisteline and a huge appetite. It was a win-win situation, right?

Of course, in the months since I weaned, the weight has returned. And well, it sucks. I've made jokes about using my weight loss machine again - the breast pump. And then I started to think "well, why not?" I could donate milk again. It is a selfish motive on my part, but somebody else could benefit from it, as well.

And so I brought the idea up to my closest friends, thinking that someone would surely tell me this is a ridiculous idea. Nope, not the case. They were encouraging. I think they are curious to see how it works out. My husband laughed and said it wasn't possible. I explained that even adopting moms can lactate without ever having done so. That made me want to prove to him that it is possible. I decided to just go for it.

The pros:

* Weight loss

* Being able to eat whatever I want (well, healthy stuff), whenever I want and however much I want

* No pressure. My child is not depending on me to keep up a supply to sustain her life.

* Bigger boobs (who doesn't want that?)

* My cycle could possibly stop for a short period of time.
* Breast feeding reduces the risk for breast cancer.

The cons:

* Engorgement

* Sore nipples

* Hormones 

So, here is how the process will go. I have started back on prenatal vitamins again, as well as chewable Vitamin C. Lots more drinking of water has been added to my day.

I've thought about trying supplements, but still haven't decided on that. I've read Fenugreek can lower blood sugar. I have reactive hypoglycemia, so I really am not interested in dealing with low(er) blood sugar. Pumping will already cause me to use more energy/calories than normal, which I will spend all day replenishing.

I will probably start with pumping first to see what kind of results that yields. If need be (or if supplements are just thrown into my lap at no cost LOL), I may try supplements.

Since it's been 7-8 months since I weaned, I am curious to see how it will go. Keeping a supply has never been a problem for me. So it will be interesting to see if relactating comes easy or if it will be work. I will put an honest effort into making it work, but I won't stress about how much milk is pumped each day.