Once again, I am awake on my night off while the rest of the world sleeps. I have worked night shift for years without having this problem, but ever since I returned to work from bedrest and recovery. I have been unable to sleep at night. I thik this is because before, I would have my premed classes demanding me to keep a normal schedule as often as possible.
Anywho...
Several days ago, after getting the sinking feeling that my supply was starting to drop, I reverted to keeping a log of my pumping sessions and milk production, and it turned out that I was correct. So after puming like crazy again, with no effect, I went on another course of Reglan. This time, instead of going to the Breastfeeding medicine doc, I just cornered my family doc in the halls at work and picked up the called-in script the next day. Only this time, instead of gradually increasing my dose over the span of a week, I just started the full dose from the word "go". The results have been much different this time. During the first course, I didn't see or feel any results or side effects until about 4 days after reaching the full dose. Not so this time. I have been taking it for 2.5 days and as of yesterday morning, I noticed a big difference. It started with me not really pumping any more than before, but about every 2 to 3 hours, I would feel like I was completely engorged, which I have not felt since Zach was a newborn. I would think the milk fairy had left me the motherload only to pump about 3.5 to 4 ounces. Usually that is the amount I get every 4 hours or so, and when I pump more frequently, I get lower amounts. Well, yesterday, I got that every 2 to 3 hours. (Keep in mind I haven't really been to bed yet, and my yesterday is really 2 days ago!) So today, after a busy night at work and limiting chances to pump, followed by the need to stop at the grocery store on the way home after a damned-near blizzard outside, I was pretty uncomfortable and so when I finally sat down to pump, I got over 6 ounces. I haven't done that since day 1! (I know it isn't exactly record-breaking, but this is a big deal for me!)
So today, I was off, and I have been feeling engorged every 2 hours. Again. And this is just the beginning. The start of day 3 of the Reglan. I probably won't reach peak until I've been on it for a week or so. Holy Milk, Batman!
Showing posts with label Reglan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reglan. Show all posts
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Pump It, Baby!
No, this isn't an obscene post. It is more misadventures in breastfeeding.
I don't know if I've talked about pumps before, but I purchased a Medela Pump in Style while still pregnant. It was supposed to be the gold standard in pumps for working moms, so Iwas pleased. I used the Medela Symphony while in the hospital, when Zach was barely nursing, and my milk came in in full force, then tapered off. And so the drama started. I thought it may be my pump. So I bought a Medela Freestyle, also the gold standard, but with more bells and whistles. No improvement. There was a great increase in the amount I could pump that was mainly due to other things: consuming lactogenic foods, increased nursing/ pumping, taking galactogogues (Reglan, Fenugreek, Flaxseed, etc.). The Symphony is also the pump they use in the lactation room at the hospital where I work. I noticed a huge increase in what I can pump while there. At first I thought this was due to the fact that I have no choice but to go longer in between pumping breaks. It just isn't feasible to pump every 2 hours there. Another therapist has to hold my pager, my patients have to be all tucked in and in need of none of my services, and more. The most I can do is 3 breaks in a 12-hour shift. But I have tried to duplicate the pattern here at home and still get about half the amount I do at work. There is only one solution in my mind: I need to get my hands on a Symphony at home. Bring on the rental!
Well, around here, one can rent the Medela Symphony for about $110 per month. With Zach's latch issues and voracious appetite, I will need one for the duration I will be breastfeeding--at least one year. I want to give extended nursing a try but am creeped out by an older toddler reaching for my boob, so if I do it, it will only be with pumped milk. With that in mind, I would need the pump even longer. So if you do the math, it would be roughly $1.4 K to rent a pump for the next year. If I give up and go straight to formula feeding, it would be even more. So I made some phone calls, and the hospital for which I work has a Women's Wellness Boutique that carries or can order anything a nursing mother needs. And they can special order me a Medela Symphony. They even give me a 20% discount on purchases. So for about the cost of renting a Symphony, I can just buy my own. And they do payroll deduction, busting purchases up into 3 payments if desired. But this pump is costly, and it would equal about $500 per paycheck. Nah. So I called and called. I made my plea as to why I need this pump (preemie, latch issues, last resort), and they agreed to break it up into 8 payments just for me. Yay.
So this time next week, I will own my very own hospital-grade Medela Symphony Preemie Edition (It has a computer software card that, when inserted, will mimic the way Zach sucks). I'm excited, as I know it is just a effective as nursing a baby is. And the beauty is that she quoted me a price of $1500 on the phone, then when she ordered it with the preemie software, found out it is almost $2K, but she felt bad so is only charging me the $1500.
In the meantime, our trip pretty much did in the progress I was making on the supply issue. I was just too self-conscious about pumping and nursing. The business of it all had me forgetting doses of my supplements and medication. And I completely forgot my Fenugreek, and thus stopped it abruptly which can be detrimental. Between the three, I am almost back to square one. So I have to pull myself up by the bootstraps and go back to the pump-every-hour routine, which makes me want to cry. But at least I now know it can be done. Having the hospital-grade pump will certainly help in the next week or so.
All of this makes me think of the trip to B&N today. I was perusing the parenting section in search of a new copy of LLL's The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding when I saw this title: Breastfeeding Sucks: What to Do When Your Mammaries Make You Miserable. Seriously, I about died laughing. And the cover is even better! (See right.) There was a whole line of "Sucks" books: Pregnancy Sucks, etc. Hilarious. I didn't buy any of them. They seemed entertaining, but I was there for more informative reading today. Now I am thinking about ordering it online.
So anyway, here we go. Again. The Misadventures of Ol' Bessie, the Milk Maker. Mooooooo!
I don't know if I've talked about pumps before, but I purchased a Medela Pump in Style while still pregnant. It was supposed to be the gold standard in pumps for working moms, so Iwas pleased. I used the Medela Symphony while in the hospital, when Zach was barely nursing, and my milk came in in full force, then tapered off. And so the drama started. I thought it may be my pump. So I bought a Medela Freestyle, also the gold standard, but with more bells and whistles. No improvement. There was a great increase in the amount I could pump that was mainly due to other things: consuming lactogenic foods, increased nursing/ pumping, taking galactogogues (Reglan, Fenugreek, Flaxseed, etc.). The Symphony is also the pump they use in the lactation room at the hospital where I work. I noticed a huge increase in what I can pump while there. At first I thought this was due to the fact that I have no choice but to go longer in between pumping breaks. It just isn't feasible to pump every 2 hours there. Another therapist has to hold my pager, my patients have to be all tucked in and in need of none of my services, and more. The most I can do is 3 breaks in a 12-hour shift. But I have tried to duplicate the pattern here at home and still get about half the amount I do at work. There is only one solution in my mind: I need to get my hands on a Symphony at home. Bring on the rental!
Well, around here, one can rent the Medela Symphony for about $110 per month. With Zach's latch issues and voracious appetite, I will need one for the duration I will be breastfeeding--at least one year. I want to give extended nursing a try but am creeped out by an older toddler reaching for my boob, so if I do it, it will only be with pumped milk. With that in mind, I would need the pump even longer. So if you do the math, it would be roughly $1.4 K to rent a pump for the next year. If I give up and go straight to formula feeding, it would be even more. So I made some phone calls, and the hospital for which I work has a Women's Wellness Boutique that carries or can order anything a nursing mother needs. And they can special order me a Medela Symphony. They even give me a 20% discount on purchases. So for about the cost of renting a Symphony, I can just buy my own. And they do payroll deduction, busting purchases up into 3 payments if desired. But this pump is costly, and it would equal about $500 per paycheck. Nah. So I called and called. I made my plea as to why I need this pump (preemie, latch issues, last resort), and they agreed to break it up into 8 payments just for me. Yay.
So this time next week, I will own my very own hospital-grade Medela Symphony Preemie Edition (It has a computer software card that, when inserted, will mimic the way Zach sucks). I'm excited, as I know it is just a effective as nursing a baby is. And the beauty is that she quoted me a price of $1500 on the phone, then when she ordered it with the preemie software, found out it is almost $2K, but she felt bad so is only charging me the $1500.
In the meantime, our trip pretty much did in the progress I was making on the supply issue. I was just too self-conscious about pumping and nursing. The business of it all had me forgetting doses of my supplements and medication. And I completely forgot my Fenugreek, and thus stopped it abruptly which can be detrimental. Between the three, I am almost back to square one. So I have to pull myself up by the bootstraps and go back to the pump-every-hour routine, which makes me want to cry. But at least I now know it can be done. Having the hospital-grade pump will certainly help in the next week or so.
All of this makes me think of the trip to B&N today. I was perusing the parenting section in search of a new copy of LLL's The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding when I saw this title: Breastfeeding Sucks: What to Do When Your Mammaries Make You Miserable. Seriously, I about died laughing. And the cover is even better! (See right.) There was a whole line of "Sucks" books: Pregnancy Sucks, etc. Hilarious. I didn't buy any of them. They seemed entertaining, but I was there for more informative reading today. Now I am thinking about ordering it online.
So anyway, here we go. Again. The Misadventures of Ol' Bessie, the Milk Maker. Mooooooo!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Advice from a True Expert
So I saw the breastfeedng medicine doc yesterday. She examined both Zach and I. Zach is tongue-tied. His frenulum is thin in the front, so they would usually just snip it in the office, but his gets thicker as it goes back, so she wasn't comfortable. She said he had a great, strong, coordinated suck and all is well there, so if was worried about it, I could follow up with an ENT doc, but she didn't think it would impact breastfeeding at all.
In her opinion, my reduced supply is due to many little things. Stress: notice I didn't have any supply issues until the spina bifida scare. Sleep deprivation: the issue got worse when he started going through his little growth spurts and I started getting less and less sleep. And when I started to take action to increase my supply, myefforts were useless because I started taking progesterone birth control pills, getting even less sleep and more stress because of work. So I have a plan.
Continue the Fenugreek. We don't seem to be having any side effects from it. It's safe, so why stop?
Stop the birth control pills. For now, John will have to revert back to behaving like a pimply-faced teen nervously asking for Trojans that are behind the pharmacy counter.
Continue nursing and pumping as often as I can.
Add a daily bowl of outmeal to my diet.
More sleep.
Back to yoga. It is the only thing that has ever been able to relax my high-strung self. And daily walks.
And the last part? Well, this is a little worrisome. She prescribed Reglan. Designed for reflux, it was found to have the side effect of increasing Prolactin secretion in the body, which is the hormone needed to make milk. Thus increasing supply in most all who use it. It has even been used to induce lactation in adoptive mothers. But it has some nasty neurological side effects severe enough that the FDA has made the manufacturer put a black box warning on the label. These are seen more with longer periods of use, and she is only having me use it for one month, during which they will call and check on me often. The risks also increase with a history of certain medical conditions, of which I have none. So I am gambling a bit with my brain, but the risk is calculated and most all of the side effects (if experienced, even) reverse when treatment is stopped.
So that is the plan. Let's see if it works.
In her opinion, my reduced supply is due to many little things. Stress: notice I didn't have any supply issues until the spina bifida scare. Sleep deprivation: the issue got worse when he started going through his little growth spurts and I started getting less and less sleep. And when I started to take action to increase my supply, myefforts were useless because I started taking progesterone birth control pills, getting even less sleep and more stress because of work. So I have a plan.
Continue the Fenugreek. We don't seem to be having any side effects from it. It's safe, so why stop?
Stop the birth control pills. For now, John will have to revert back to behaving like a pimply-faced teen nervously asking for Trojans that are behind the pharmacy counter.
Continue nursing and pumping as often as I can.
Add a daily bowl of outmeal to my diet.
More sleep.
Back to yoga. It is the only thing that has ever been able to relax my high-strung self. And daily walks.
And the last part? Well, this is a little worrisome. She prescribed Reglan. Designed for reflux, it was found to have the side effect of increasing Prolactin secretion in the body, which is the hormone needed to make milk. Thus increasing supply in most all who use it. It has even been used to induce lactation in adoptive mothers. But it has some nasty neurological side effects severe enough that the FDA has made the manufacturer put a black box warning on the label. These are seen more with longer periods of use, and she is only having me use it for one month, during which they will call and check on me often. The risks also increase with a history of certain medical conditions, of which I have none. So I am gambling a bit with my brain, but the risk is calculated and most all of the side effects (if experienced, even) reverse when treatment is stopped.
So that is the plan. Let's see if it works.
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