Or, Breastfeeding After Reduction Surgery–Part 2. In case you missed it, part 1 found here.
My primary sources for choosing my milk-making plan are the books Defining Your Own Success, Mother Food, and The Breastfeeding Mother’s Guide to Making More Milk. Please note: this is MY plan. It is not to be interpreted as advice to others. Some of these herbs and medications are controversial and not without risk.
During Pregnancy
I’ve added Alfalfa to my diet. Yep, the same thing farmers give to cows to increase production.
Beginning in week 37, I will add Goat’s Rue tincture. 10-15 drops 3x daily. Thank you Carey for sharing your homemade tinctures!
Beginning in week 38, I will take 1 Chasteberry supplement daily–ending on Birth day.
Just before due date: I’ll pick up a hospital grade pump so I’ll be set to go.
Postpartum
I’ve ordered Domperidone from Italy (where it is available over the counter). Because of lots of FDA/big pharma politics, it is not available in the US except in compounding pharmacies.
My babe will be skin-to-skin as much as possible. If you’re visiting me postpartum, be prepared! The Moby and My Baby Nest will be close friends.
I’ll begin pumping as I can. Hey, I remember the postpartum whirlwind, so I’m giving myself some leeway on this one.
I have a huge stash of Mother’s Milk Tea which I’ll mix with my nettles, caraway, and oatstraw. I grew to love the taste of MM tea when Norah was itty.
The trusty fenugreek and blessed thistle will make an appearance. The sweet smell of maple syrup will be in the air. And I’m toying with the idea of Shatavari. Some sources suggest it might duplicate the work of domperidone. Others say it does something different. Maybe I’ll hold off.
I will continue the alfalfa, my prenatals (containing spirulina), goat’s rue, and cal-mag.
Food
If I can tolerate it, I’ll add blackstrap molassas to my mother’s milk tea. I’ve been trying it for iron this week and it is a tough flavor to swallow.
I’d like to find a coffee-substitute made with chicory, malt, and barley (all lactogenic). Anyone? I’ve heard the brand names CARO, Roma, Caffix, Pero or Dandy Blend. But I don’t know where they might be sold.
Barley water is on the menu along with oatmeal, tahini, and pesto (for the basil and garlic). I’d like to explore some ways to add millet to the diet but I haven’t worked with that grain much. Ideas?
Oh, and a sweet friend donated 200 oz of her breastmilk in case supplementation (hopefully) temporary is needed. What a gift!!
Acupressure
I’ve looked at two points that might help with milk supply. Cassandra, I’ll look to you for a lesson! The points are Absolute Yin Meridian of the arm-Point 1 and Meridian of the Spleen- Point 12.
Hypnosis
I completed my Hypnobabies training last weekend and will use some of these techniques including their breastfeeding hypnosis CD.
Sounds overwhelming, yes? Well, I have a small window to build a milk supply. A short-term madness. As a BFAR mama, I have one shot. So, I’ll give it everything and then slowly back away from things as I evaluate success. Scott is 100% certain and 100% supportive. He understands that my only task for the first few weeks is building a milk supply. And I have amazing friends and family who will surround me with love (and food!).
Inexplicable Ways 
Wow! That is a serious plan. If you do all these things and get your supply up in the first few weeks, can you then stop most of them once it’s established and have a good milk supply for the rest of the nursing relationship? I ask because I feel like I did some stupid things during Suzi’s first days/weeks and my supply never bounced back. (I also think part of it was that Suzi is petite and wasn’t gaining weight at the rate “they like to see.”) This time everything will be different, and I’m staying at home with Ivey so I think things will go much better.
found Pero at the vermont country store emailed link. Goodluck!
You are an amazingly dedicated momma!!
I’ve played around a bit with millet – made this yummy granola a cpl times:
2 1/2 cups of rolled oats
1 cup uncooked millet
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
2 tbsp water
at 250 roast the oats and millet on a baking sheet for 1 hr.
on the stove warm the tahini, sweetner and water until combined well. Pour over the roasted oats, millet, add the seeds and spread on the baking sheet and roast for an additional 30 min at 275, let cool. Serve over yogurt – mmmm!!
You can also use millet flour (buy it or run it through the mill/coffee grinder) in most recipes – I’ve done muffins that turned out well.
Jenny, the latest I’ve been reading suggests that you have about a 3 week window to set your supply. I’ll probably give myself a month of shooting for as high a calibration as possible, then evaluate and slowly back down on one thing at a time. Pumping will be the first to go. The domperidone will likely be the last I wean off of (if I’m able to at all).
Denise, thanks!!!
Erin, that looks yummy! I’ll be trying that one.
Many thoughts and prayers going up for you! How sweet of your friend to donate her milk:)
my fave coffee-like replacement is celestial seasonings Roastaroma tea. my mom would serve it to me in my tween years. yummy!
I found Roma at Amazing Savings yesterday. The ingredients are roasted barley and chicory–perfect! It was the only one they had so I went ahead and snatched it up. I remember drinking chicory coffee in college when I couldn’t afford anything else. I didn’t think it tasted bad at all.
What a plan! Perhaps an easier way to ingest some of the things you list is by taking an herbal supplement for increasing milk. I tried Lactiful Capsules and had really great success. They have in them: Fenugreek, Alfalfa, Nettle, Blessed Thistle, Aniseed, Fennel, and Marshmallow Root – see more at http://lactiful.com
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