domperidone/reglan to increase breast milk supply

[Braedley]

Hi IC Moms
I just had my 2nd little one a month ago, a little girl, and have had a really rough start to breast feeding again this time around-ended up w/mastitis really bad on day 4, got over that and continued pumping/expressing my milk and bottle feeding her.
everything was going great until yesterday, and my milk supply has gone down suddenly - a friend of mine said she is taking domperidone on her doctor's rec. to increase her milk supply, but I'm nervous that it will affect my IC..
any moms on here take domperidone(Cdn) or reglan (US) for breast milk supply increase?

[lq78]

Fenugreek

I have been taking Fenugreek, a natural herb to increase my supply. It has worked well and has had no effect on my IC. It does make me smell like maple syrup though. Breastfeeding has been rough for me also!

[Braedley]

haha, I heard that Fenugreek does that, it could be worse, at least it's not the smell of the DMSO treatments (like a pulp mill)
did your doc rec. the fenugreek or did you just research it yourself? only reason I ask is b/c I take other meds for the IC that are safe for use in pregnancy/breastfeeding but worry about potential interactions..

[stacey79]

Congratulations on your baby!

I exclusively pumped milk for my daughter for 10 months and gave her my milk for 13. It was hard work indeed! I'd suggest maybe trying some other things to increase your milk first. Make sure you are pumping on a regular schedule. Your supply isn't established until around week 12. In order to build my supply (and be able to stop supplementing with formula), I pumped every two hours for the first 12 weeks and made sure to do at least one pump in the middle of the night. I also used a hands-free pumping bra that saved my sanity completely allowing me to do other things with my hands while I pumped.

Oatmeal is supposed to help increase milk production and should be IC friendly as well.

Another thing I did periodically to bump up my supply was do a power pump which simulates a growth spurt. You pump for an entire hour. First for 20 minutes, rest for 10, pump for 10, rest for 10 until you complete an hour.

A great resource for milk production and pumping (even if you aren't exclusively pumping) is http://community.babycenter.com/groups/a4592405. These ladies can tell you all sorts of things. They won't be able to tell you if meds will affect your IC. That's so tricky.

Good luck! Feel free to PM if you want to talk about pumping.

[lq78]

I just did some research on my own and I also spoke with a lactation consultant. I am not sure how it would react with your other medicatiions. I am not taking anything fir my IC right now...

[Braedley]

a huge thank you ladies
I eat oatmeal every morning, perhaps that does help! I had 2 days of less production but seem to be going back on track now that I've incorporated massage with my pumping, it seems to help some..
exclusively pumping is hard but it allows me to leave her with other people if I have to, and it also allows me to include my husband more in her care

[kuntrygurl78]

Another thing to remember is to drink LOTS of water. I have found that when my water intake is good, so is my milk production. I am breastfeeding when Im home/pumping while Im at work.

I had supply issues when Kaleb was first born. The suggestions by the others are good: oatmeal, fenugreek, and lots of pumping/feeding. Kaleb was born Oct 25 and I wasnt able to stop supplementing with formula until the beginning of December.

Ive also had mastitis twice! OUCH!

Good luck and congratulations!

[Braedley]

thanks to you all ladies
I'm noticing that my milk supply is great if I eat well and keep hydrated..I haven't supplemented her at all, she had formula in hospital and 2 days at home at the start until my supply came in, and since then we've been good to go!
I eat oatmeal every day, and drink tons of water, so hopefully that will help too
I was worried when they put me on meds for my high BP last week that it would cut my milk supply but no problems thankfully! I've been super lucky this time around, minus the mastitis..I had no real supply with my first child, this more than makes up for it!

[stacey79]

I'm glad your supply has stayed up and all is going well!

[mrsaridings]

I know Im late on this thread(hadnt been here in awhile), but I used marshmallow root when I couldnt produce enough milk with my last two babies, and it was wonderful for getting rid of IC flares too. Also very safe for baby. I will say though, it did produce A LOT of milk Good Luck