Saturday, September 21, 2013

For those who were curious about induced lactation...


After my post about the pediatrician visit, I had more than five people email or message me about how the heck this whole "breast feeding without being pregnant" thing works exactly.  So I thought I'd write a really quick post about it with a link to more info for anyone who wants more information.  There's a long history of native cultures inducing lactation, including some grandmothers.  It's interesting that you can induce lactation even after menopause. Here's a link to the protocol I followed to make this happen for anyone who wants more info: Newman-Goldfarb protocol.  It isn't exactly a barrel of fun to have to pump every few hours, as any working mother who is breastfeeding will tell you, but it's worth it for these kiddos to be able to hopefully avoid formula.  Although I've been building up a stock of milk in the freezer for our babies, I still wasn't sure if I would be able to produce enough milk to make a meaningful contribution, but then Michelle sent me this picture she found on pinterest and I felt a whole lot better about pumping 8-10oz in a day! I know that there will be challenges with breast feeding, but I'm excited to be able to get to have this experience with our babies when they are ready, which I know might not be right away if they are preemies!
cool visual

The pre-baby milk stash so far...

4 comments:

  1. I think you are doing great! Don't start questioning your parenting abilities until they come home with piercings. :) hee hee

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  2. ...OK OK I am no longer interested in this. GIVE ME BELLY PICs...:) hahah

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  3. Seriously, I wish my freezer had that much milk in it! And 8-10 mL/day will truly make a difference. Pumping sucks - but it's nice you got to get a head start!! And I know Michelle will appreciate not having to be the sole provider for 3 hungry babies...it's difficult in the beginning with the surge of hormones and at times it seems like all you get to do is feed a baby (or 3). Keep it up!! Bri

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  4. 8-10 oz/day is PHENOMENAL, Mari! I was never able to pump more than 2 oz and I only had one kiddo to feed! At least she seemed to get enough directly from the tap. I'm so happy that you'll be able to experience nursing along side Michelle. While there are definitely some not so fun stages, it really is the most amazing thing.

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