Using Domperidone to Increase Milk Supply

Hi, I where a 38DD bra so I never thought I would have a lactation problem, I did. I am proud of you for hanging in there. I used Regalin, sorry if the spelling is wrong. It is a anti-nausea med. Side effect is milk production also drowsy. The drowsy part is why I stopped. With meds for my horrid delivery and meds for my PUPPS rash I couldn't stand something else that made me sleepy. By its self it might have been ok. My doc prescribed Domperidone, which was better.
I heard about the beer and I wish I had tried but my cop husband was way against. I also wish I found the will power to drink more water. Good luck, I know you will find a resolution that you can be comfortible with. It was taking over my whole day and stressing me out, taking away from the good times with my beautiful new daughter so I stopped and it didn't take long for my milk to dry up. It was sad at first but my husband got to give bottles which he loved that bonding time. I have two very healthy and happy little girls.

I have recently had some issues with milk production and my lactation lady has started me on Goat's Rue which seems to be working very well. It is made by a company named Mother Love. You can find them online. This has worked for me and hope that it works for you too. Good Luck!

This may sound odd to you but I was told by a friend, who did lactation consulting, to drink some beer to increase let down. I hate alcohol of all kinds and don't drink at all but after I had my daughter, I was having difficulty with her latching on and my breasts were just rock hard and the whole thing sucked. I did take her advice and drank some Heineken (YUK YUK YUK! drink something better tasting!) Anyway, I drank about 1/4 - 1/3 of a cup, got in the shower to soften my breasts and as I was toweling off, I was dripping milk everywhere! I put my daughter on my left breast, which was still somewhat hard and she drank it down to nothing! From that point on, I always had let down with plenty of milk supply. I know this is a little different situation, but it might help. As a side note, since I don't know you, if you have an addiction to alcohol and have stopped using, please don't do this. I would hate to be the cause of something bad. My intentions are good. G. A

Since I had acid reflux anyway, I started taking reglan. I would have taken it even if I didn't have it because one of the side effects is hyper lactation, even in men. Yes, it will make men lactate.

It worked and I felt better with the reflux under control. The doctor said it did not pass to the breast milk, so I was fine with it.

Good luck,
Stephanie

I would try taking 3 pills of Fenugreek 4 times a day - that's what my lactation nurse told me to do. It worked well along with eating sweet potatoes, brown rice & apricots. Drink tons of water!!
The fenugreek will make you smell a little like maple syrup!

S.,
I am a first time mom of a one year old and I exclusively breast fed but had a drop in milk supply after a couple of plugged ducts. I also worked with a lactation consultant. I tried the herbs too and they didn't do much for me. I got a Rx for Domperidone from my OB/GYN (he was my backup - I gave birth at home with a midwife). I filled it at a compounding pharmacy since it is not available in the US normally. Be careful of Reglan. It is the only one available in the US (because of politics). Reglan crosses the blood brain barrier where Domperidone does not. Domperidone is used in other countries for GI issues and the side effect is increased milk supply. I assume you read up on it since you are asking. Dr. Jack Newman in Canada uses it regularly. It is safer. A lot of new moms have post partum depression and they don't need a drug messing with their dopamine! The domperidone worked great!! But be careful. It increased my milk and one of my breasts couldn't handle it (my right side always produced a little less). I got repeated painful plugged ducts on that side. Start with a low dose and gradually increase if needed. Use warm compresses and massage your breasts regularly so you don't get plus. I used the drug for about 2 months until my baby was eating more solid foods (from 5-7 months old) then I titrated down off the drug completely. He is 1 and nurses about 3 times per day. I give him lots of calcium rich foods and encourage sippy cup drinking for fluids.
Good Luck! Email me if you have any more questions.
D.

Hi S.! You've received a lot of wonderful advice and that's always good. I got the same kind of advice when I was very low on milk supply at 2 months as well. I went through the whole gammet of 'what's wrong with me?' questions and tried everything literally under the sun to help and saw little improvement without pumping exclusively 7-8 times a day. I simple didn't have that time since I also have a hyper 2 1/2 year old and treasure my few hours of sleep I get anyway so domperidone was an ANSWER to all my problems. I researched it, examined it and questioned it 20 ways til Sunday and am SOOOOO glad I did it!!! I pump only 3 times a day and get anywhere from 10-12 oz or more per pumping session. That's with taking 3-10mg pills of domperidone 3 times a day. It took a few weeks to train my body on this schedule but I made it work. I was very close to losing my supply at one point, that's why I opted for the dom for help and I did not supplement with formula. I fed my baby just the 1 1/2-2 oz per pump every so often as she wanted it until my supply increased. I noticed a huge difference and about 150% increase in just over 24 hours. IT WORKS!!!!

I've posted a trusted site that I ordered my supply from. I recommend ordering the $50 300 pill supply since you can trust that it will work. I comes overseas from an island just off of Australia and the product itself is from Australia anyway. I've researched the company and other moms before I did and they've all bought from this company for years. My closest friend will start using it soon since I've recommended it to her as well. I would recommend increasing your Fenugreek by a lot and trying more natural remedies until your domperidone supply comes in...it takes about 10-14 days to get here. Once I took the domperidone, I no longer needed any supplements and have saved myself a ton of money!

Good luck! -J. :)

(Oh and my daughter is happy as a clam-NO side effects!)

http://www.inhousepharmacy.com/general/motilium.html

Drink lots of milk, breastdeed alot, and try some beer. Good luck!

Hi,
Just a thought are you making sure no to consume anything that suppresses milk supply such as sage? Some herbs do an excellent job with that when it is time to dry up. Also you may want to look at your nutritional intake. I'd be happy to help with that if you'd like to contact me. I am a nutritionist & also a homebirth mom of two wonderful and healthy children. They are now 10 & 8. I don't know much about tht drug, but I do know most all drugs cause a nutritional deficiency. So if you do take a medication you will need proper supplementation to correct that.
Blessings,
S. Weckter, Nutritionist, Homeschool mom, wife, etc..
Global Wellness Concepts, Inc.

Giving advice to go cold turkey on the formula is not always the correct answer. That only works if you are truly able to produce enough milk. I had a thyroid problem and my baby had acid reflux. With acid reflux, the babies often teach themselves to eat only in small amounts so it won't come up and burn. This can draw down your milk supply unless you are also pumping. If you have a thyroid issue, it can take weeks for your body to adjust to new levels of medication. I did manage to get my son on the breast exclusively for several weeks and he lost a significant amount of weight. If you are having issues with breastfeeding, it is important that you work with a lactaction consultant, your pediatrician and OB or PCP. People can't assume that all women are fully able to produce enough milk and are just taking the easy way out by supplementing with formula.

Hi S., My son was a preemie and I had some supply issues...I'm sure at least partly due to stress. I tried everything the LC suggested - wish I'd heard about beer ;) but no one ever suggested Fenugreek, wish they had. I really didn't do enough research on my own. I pumped 'round the clock, pumped at my son's bedside (something they suggest for preemie moms). But I did finally take Domperidone.

I took the Domperidone for a year and it did work wonders. It took my son a bit to catch on to exclusively breastfeeding, so I pumped until he was a few months old. I never had any side effects and never noticed any in my son either.

I still never produced copious amounts of milk but breastfed until my son was 13 months old and he thrived. I would have kept going but we are trying to get pregnant and weren't having any luck, so I decided to wean.

Good luck in your decision.

S.,
Talk with your OB about getting a prescription for Reglan. I'm not familiar with domperidone but the Reglan worked well for me within a few days.I haven't needed anything since and have an abundance of milk. My lactation consultant had recommended it when I had a low milk supply. My daughter is 10 weeks old and is now exclusively breastfed. Good luck and don't give up, it's well worth it.
C. N.

I tried using Domperidone for a few weeks and it did help get my milk supply up. It didn't work wonders for me, but I got to the point where I was pumping somewhere between 28-32oz. per day when my baby was exclusively bottle feeding. I also tried "More Milk Plus," but it didn't work that well for me. One of the biggest things that worked for me was to drop my middle of the night pumping sessions and SLEEP! My milk supply went up so much with rest. I understand your desire to exclusively feed your baby breast milk and I went beyond exhaustion to make sure I had enough milk for my son. When I started easing my son back on to the breast, I also used an SNS, but with the help of a wonderful Lactation Specialist. I would recommend feeding with the SNS and pumping afterwards, especially if the SNS tube is empty after the feeding. I think some babies can figure out how to drain the SNS, but still not get too much from the breast. You may be inadvertently reducing your supply if your baby still hasn't learned to remove milk from the breast. Also, if you don't have one already, seek the advice of a knowledgeable professional. I never had great success with the nurses through my pediatrician's office and I hired an independent consultant. She was wonderful and helped me with the mechanics of feeding and the emotional aspect of breast feeding. Please feel free to message me with further questions or if you just need some more support. I know what you're going through and it isn't easy!

S.,

I also did everything you are doing with my first child. I used Fenugreek, then saw a lactation consultant and UC Davis who recomended Domperidone (or Motilium). Since it is hard to get in the US (there are a couple pharmacy's here that you can get it at if you are willing to pay the high cost)you have to get it on the internet. She also prescribed Reglan (which I am on now with my 2nd son). She preferred Domperdone because she says there are less side affects. I honestly am not noticing much of a difference between the two medications. However, they both seem to work really well.

I have been told that the risks of domperidone far outweigh any benefits. It is important to take into account both your needs and your baby. Part of being a good mother is taking care of yourself. Though you desire to breast-feed exclusively, your body may have a different idea of what is best.
You might also consider seeing a good homeopathic physician.

This may sound unconventional, but I have several friends whos doctor's prescribed 2 beers with lunch. It totally worked for them!

I was concerned with my first child, becasue she seemed to stay latched for hours upon end, so I consulted a lactation specialist who supplied me with Fenugreek and a Blessed Thistle Tincture. Those seemed to help, but it was more just a phase that the little one was going thru. I nursed both my kids for about 14 months. Having said that, if I did have true issues with my milk supply, I would probably exhaust all natural remedies and wives tales before I turned to prescriptions. We have to be so careful about what we put into our babies, especially if we don't know long term effects or risk involved.

Remember any amount of Breast Milk is better than none at all ; )

Good Luck!

One of the biggest decreasers of milk supply is stress, as unfair as that is! A friend of mine, just couldn't get the supply going with her 4Th so she went the prescription route. It worked wonders for her, but most prescriptions on the market are newer and the long term effects are unknown. I would do that only if you are not producing enough for 25% of the babies feedings. As long as your baby is getting some breastmilk, she is getting most of the immunilogical bennefits of breastfeeding- as are you. If you need to suppliment that with formula to get the weight gain, it is not the end of the world. And if you give yourself permission to go that route, your stress level may go down and your milksupply will go up. I work in a lactation clinic and I've seen it a hundred times. Make sure you are taking enough fenugreek to smell the maple scent in your sweat, and give yourself a break. Being a mom is hard enough without having to medicate yourself, or stress over your supply. Hang in there!

Hi S.-

I don't know if this will help you or not, but due to my daughter's health she was unable to actually nurse. I still wanted to breast feed so I pumped exclusively- for 21 months :-) Around 12 months in, my milk supply began to decrease significantly. My daughter's G.I. dr. prescribed reglan for me (the generic is metecarpeline). Reglan is used for people who have reflux and is generally extremely benign (also safe for babies to ingest in milk- it is commonly used for children with reflux). It's most common side effect is that increases milk supply :-)
It was extremely effective and allowed me to continue to feed my daughter exclusively by breast milk (and still donate too!_ for another year.

Good luck! I don't personally think that breast feeding makes for a better mommy, but I was very grateful for the experience . Congratulations and best wishes.

C.

I would recommend visiting www.asklenore.com - there's a ton of great advice for you there.

The question "How do you know you aren't making enough milk?' is really important.
When I started nursing, I thought I wasn't, but my kid was doing fine, gaining weight properly -- which is to say, you don't necessarily know.
But if you really want to be nursing long-term, the formula has got to go.
If you supplement with formula, you will decrease your own supply, which sets off a vicious cycle.

I would suggest spending two days going cold-turkey on the formula and all bottle feeding, even your own pumped supplies.
Just nurse the baby on demand, as long as it takes, as often as it takes.
One thing to remember is that baby's stomach is tiny, and breast milk digests quickly.
There were days when basically my kid must have been nursing every twenty minutes or so.
But if the baby needs to nurse again immediately, that doesn't mean you were lacking milk, it just means you need to nurse it again.
(Eventually, these spaces between nursings do stretch out. Honest.)

Another trick for increasing supply is to just leave the baby nursing on the first side until the breast is really, really emptied.
As long as there is suckling going on you will still produce a little thread of milk, so let the baby nurse as long as it is willing to.
Only switch to the other side if the baby actually stops nursing on the first side and fusses for more milk.
When the baby is done nursing, now pump the second side completely dry, even if the baby did nurse on it.

The purpose here is two-fold.
First, to really make it plain to your body that the baby wants more milk.
Any time you don't get absolutely all the milk out, you are telling your body that the milk supply is adequate.
And suckling itself stimulates milk production too, so let that baby hang out on the breast even if you think you're all done.
Second, the last milk in the breast is hind-milk, and it is richer and more satisfying to the baby than the foremilk.
If you switch sides too soon, you are filling up the baby with the more watery foremilk from both sides, but never getting to the more food-like hindmilk.
This will leave the baby hungry and needing to nurse again sooner, even though you have filled its stomach.

Anyway, it only takes about a day to bump up your supply.
If you keep nursing you will notice the occasional day when your kid has a growth spurt and supply lags demand.
Just keep nursing, even though finally you may be producing only a thread of milk, and your supply will kick in to handle increased demand.

good morning,
from my experience..
once i started using formula my milk supply diminished.
question:
how do you know your baby is not getting enough milk?
i'm asking just cuz it is our biggest "fear" and is it no that easy to tell at times, they go through a quick growth at certain ages and all they want is to feed and feed and feed and easly give the impression you don't have enough to give.
i stopped using formula and with the help of herbs and pumping got back on breast feeding till he was 1.5y.
good luck!

Hi S.,
First of all, hang in there, you already have some great advice here. I am a student midwife and have worked with a lot of women post partum especially around nursing issues. The more you nurse the more milk you will make. Domperidone can be very effective for increasing milk supply, however it has also been linked to heart attack in women so please do your research and be very careful. A very old fashioned remedy for increasing breast milk is beer, it works in two ways; the hops are good for increasing your supply and it will relax you, which also helps a lot. If you are concerned about the alcohol, you can drink it after you nurse. Take care and keep going!

Pumping diminished my supply. When I stopped pumping and just let my son trigger the letdown and supply needs... the amount increased. Try letting your daughter just nurse on demand. I know nothing about the drug you are talking about so I can't help there... sorry.

I strongly suggest using acupuncture and herbal medicine to increase your milk supply. I am an acupuncturist and specialize in women's health and pediatrics and I have seen seriously low milk supply be helped significantly with Chinese Medicine. It also does not carry with it the side effects of western medications. If you can find an acupuncturist in your area that specializes in women's health it would be most helpful. I hope this helps & if you have other questions you are welcome to give me a call.

J. Stevens, L.Ac.
###-###-####
www.yourwholefamilywellness.com

I had this problem as well. Althought I never tried Domperidone, I did try oxitocin spray and nose drops to stimulate my let-down reflex. you can search that info onlone. Here is one article: http://www.lowmilksupply.org/milkejection.shtml

Unfortunatley, it didn't work for me. I found out later that I had a thyroid imbalance as MANY women do after childbirth. It affected my ablility to produce milk and my ability to let down. Another article:
http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/postpartum.htm

Please ask your Dr. to check your thyroid levels. Have him or her check FREE T3 and FREE T4 in addition to the TSH test that is commonly run. i wish I would have had it checked sooner so I could have nursed longer. Good luck!

Yes I have used Domperidone it helped a lot. I had the same issues you did. I used EVERYTHING. I was only able to breast feed for 6 months and then dried up. My 2nd son was so much easier to breast feed but I still had to take all the supplements. Mothers milk tea surpisingly helped alot. Drink it all day long. Good luck!

I don't have experience with Domperidone, but wanted to chime in re supplements. I to had a difficult time with my milk coming in as well. I don't know what type of fenugreek you are using but I found one that seemed to work better that freeze dried and some of the other types. I'm very sorry that I can't remember the brand, but I bought it at Alameda Natural Grocery on Park street in Alameda, and the fenugreek is in an oil form, in capsules. I seemed that the oil extract was stronger than other types. I used these in combination with Mothers Milk tea 3 to 4 times a day (which I see you too are using).

Good luck and hand in there. I know that for me breastfeeding was one of my stressful and sensitive issues when by daughter was a newborn,

H.