Breastfeeding Relactation

Yes it is possible to start again. Part of it is hormonal, so stimulation and latching the baby on to try can re boot the system as it were. Also: very important to visualize the milk coming down, the baby nursing, etc to help things along. I am sure there will be lots of advice for you about lactation teas, and stuff. I just wanted to encourage you to give it a try again and to honor yourself for trying what ever the outcome. Stressing makes it harder to bring milk... ironic but true, so just love yourself for trying and let it flow!

yes totally ..i stopped a few times for over a month and was able to start up again..i stopped at 15 months for a month then my son wanted to bf again..i stopped nursing when he was 3...and that was last March..i still have milk..if u have trouble w/ your supply google "Motilium" aka "DOM" u can order it online..take 2 a day at different times..for 2 weeks your supply will really boost up..it's an antacid med and for some reason it makes bm supply build up..i used it when my son was 9 months b/c when i'd pump i started to only get an ounce...i could tell a difference w/in 72 hours!

Hi S..

I see you have a lot of people giving you great advise. I think all of these things can and will work with time. There's also a hormone shot that can be given to you by your Doctor (of course) that can get your milk supply to come in full blast like it was right after giving birth. I don't know the name of it but, your Doctor or maybe your OBGYN should. It's a fact that it's out there! I'll try finding some more info on this for you.

I would probably go this rout only because it's faster. Please talk to your Doctor and let them tell you the pros and the cons to doing this and then decide if it's something for you.

Hope this helps, M.

In short YES you can start breastfeeding your son again! Two reccomendations I have is that you contact your local LLL (La Leche League) organization for ongoing support and advice and that you pick up the book "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding". The sooner you get to begin again the better for you and your son.

Call the Pump Station in Santa Monica ###-###-####) or Hollywood ###-###-####) and speak to Corky or Wendy, the lactation consultants, for advice. They are life savers! Good luck and congratulations on your little one!

This will be a pretty big undertaking so if you are really dedicated it can work. I still have a bit of milk after 4 months. Basically you need to pump and nurse him. You'll have to supplement him with the formula until your milk comes in obviously. There is probably still milk there, but just not nearly enough. Im sure you will get a lot of great advice from those who have done it, so I dont know exactly how much/often you should pump. But my guess is that you should pump quite often, perhaps every 2 hours? Good luck!

Dear S.:

Debra is right. It can be done and it is best for the two of you. Be patient with yourself as you work at this. Keep him at breast as much as possible to get things going sooner.

Best wishes,
M.

Absolutely! I highly recommend you contact a local La Leche League leader/group or another lactation consultant (maybe through a local hospital or natural childbirth/parenting class). Also, I found LLL's book: The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding very informative and helpful with my nursing issues. I remember they have a section that specifically talks about relactation. Good luck!

*I would not recommend a shot to help, unless you try natural methods first and they don't work. Your body is not that far removed from having the baby, so should be able to readjust to the supply/demand effect of nursing!

Yes! I relactated, but I only had a 4 week window of not breastfeeding. You should still be able to do it (and it is definitely worth it!), but it will take some time and effort. It's supposed to take about the same amount of time that you haven't been breastfeeding to get your supply back up to full (it did take me about 5 weeks, but I also slacked off a bit at night). My suggestions for you, based on what I did:
- Get a nursing supplementer, I had the Medela SNS. That way your baby is stimulating your supply, and still getting formula. It might also help with gas, since he'll be eating much more slowly than on the bottle.
- Nurse (using the supplementer), every two hours, 3 at night (this is where I slacked - if you need the sleep, don't wake him up for this, you can go 4 hours, I would actually let my husband feed him once during the night while I pumped (I had some severe nipple pain, some people do, hopefully you won't - it only lasts a few weeks normally). Try to have your son on a total of 30 minutes or more when you first start nursing, even if he is done. More is great, and it will be less once you get your supply back up.
- Keep track of your feedings (there are charts, I can't find the one I used). You want to have what time you started, how many ounces of formula you fed using the supplementer, how long he fed. This is nice to have to make sure you are feeding your baby at least 8 times during a 24 hour period (I often had to count a pumping from the middle of the night to get that), and you can see the amount of formula eaten as well. I noticed that he was drinking less formula for the first week or two, then we stayed at the same place for a while (which was depressing), but then the last week we went from 10 ounces to 2 ounces a day (when I stopped using the supplementer) in like 5 days.
- Pump if you want, but only after you have fed your son. I noticed that short bursts of pumping helped me more than long ones, like 5 minutes, and then another 5 minutes 30 minutes later.
- Make sure you eat and drink enough, preferably more than now. You can take fenugreek and blessed thistle to help with your supply, do it one at a time to see which, if either actually helps you. Eat oatmeal (not instant) a few times a week, and check out other galactogues on the kellymom.com site.
- See if you can find some sort of support, a friend who has breastfed, lactation consultant, LLL, anyone that will say you're doing great and help you if you need it.
- Spend a lot of time with your son, obviously you will do this feeding him, and appreciate that time. I get so much reading done (especially while relactating) when I nurse, I love that.

I stopped breastfeeding my son at 2 weeks, and started relactating at 6 weeks. He is now over a year old and still going strong (I am not stopping anytime soon after all of the hard work I did). I can't imagine it any other way. Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions. I would love to hear how it's going if you do decide to relactate, and can offer more help or support if you ever need it.

Hi , It takes time but also try to pump one hour after you feed him. That might work as well. That will help to increase supply as well. Good Luck.

Here are some great tips for increasing milk supply -- they might help with the re-lactation process.

http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/galact.asp

My other thought is that if you maybe have a close friend or relative who is lactating, would it be possible for her to help you? I only thought of this because my best friend and I are both lactating at the same time. You might need a good suckler to help get you going again -- maybe she could spend a day or two with you and let her baby nurse at your breast and vice versa. Your son might get frustrated at your breast since there is no reward.

Also, you should co-sleep and offer your son your breast whenever he stirs in the night. Spend lots of time skin-to-skin.

Is your husband or partner able to help you? Basically, you need tons of nipple stimulation and he could help with some of that...

Best of luck! Please post with your success!

Hi S.,
You sound like a very good and concerned mom. YES, it is possible for you to relactate - especially after only 9 weeks! I have a few questions for you: Will your baby still latch-on to your breasts? Have you tried placing your baby skin-to-skin (tummy to mommy)? I would love to help you relactate - that is my specialty. Please visit my website at: VirtualBreastfeedingHelp.com I help moms via SKYPE. S., I believe you could build up a full milk supply in a matter of weeks.

L., IBCLC

although i suffered the breastfeeding through my infections, i am so glad that you are restarting to breastfeed!! good for you and your baby! go momma!

it looks like most moms said the right thing already so i will just give you moral support!

you are a good mom and will be doing your baby a great service by breastfeeding him!
<3 peace <3

yes its very possible :) good job on wanting to breastfeed again... just be patient it will take some time also you might want to talk to your ob/gyn he/she may be able to help you... call the loving support breastfeeding help line... with the formula i know its hard having an irritable baby my son was formula fed and breast now he gets formula at night before bed time(incase i eat something that doesnt agree with his tummy he wont be in pain) he was on enfamil lipil and it took me about 10 weeks to figure out it was the formula that was bothering his tummy becides rulling out what i was eating...he is now on gentlease and its a life saver! Good luck with relactation i know you can do it :) :) :)

my cousin was successful in re-lactating after not breast-feeding for about 5 weeks. She had nursed for about 2 months, then had to stop because of a breast tumor, once they got it under control, she was able to re-lactate on one side only (because baby was miserable on formula). It only took a few days of constant puting him on the breast every hour, then after about 2 weeks she cut out the formula completely, he was a much happier baby and they are still enjoying the bond of breast-feeding (one side only) and he's now 9 months. She worked closely with a lactation consultant and was very determined. It CAN be done, just not easy!

Yes, I did after 8 months. It was a slow process that requires patience on your part but it can be done. After a month or so of re-learing, my baby was going full-speed... and continued for a long time. Good luck!

Yes, you can!! It will be a little work though. Call you local La Leche League or the Kailua-Kona, HI LLL their # is ###-###-####
R.

I know that it IS possible, but I don't know HOW... so try calling La Leche League for more answers! Good luck to you, and good for you for wanting to put in the extra effort for your little guy!

How old is your son? Find a Le Leche League group nearby, go to their web site or find a lactation consultant through your hospital. However, if you pump as often as possible and offer the breast as often as possible, you should be able to get it back. There are meds they can give you to help too. I have a friend that had never had a baby and adopted a baby, she was able to get a milk supply. Good nutrition and lots of fluids help as well. Good luck and great job thinking of your child!