Success with Domperidone?

[@llli*olivia]

Hi! I have a son who has just turned 2 weeks (he was born 5 weeks early), and on the advice of a LC I'm going to start taking Domperidone tomorrow. I am wondering about the success of others who have not been able to establish an adequate supply from the beginning and then started taking this drug.

A little background - My son has not been latching and I have been FF from the beginning. We are working on latching, but I was told by the LCs that it may take a while as he is pre term. I have been pumping (first with a Medela Symphony in the hospital and now with a Pump In Style). I pump an average of 15ml (double pumping) at least 8 times per day (something is better than nothing). I sometimes have been able to pump as much as 2 oz at a time, but this happens randomly, maybe once every day and a half. I supplement the rest of my son's needs with formula.

I have been taking Fenugreek and drinking various teas like a mad person. I also have been trying heat pads, skin to skin, massage/compression.

I am pretty sad and depressed that I'm not making enough to feed my son exclusively with breastmilk. I was even more distraught (scary), but looking around on this forum has made me feel like I'm not the only one having problems. I've read that Domperidone is less effective for women who have never been able to establish a good supply. I'm hoping someone on here can share their experience with me.

Thank you.

[@llli*henrys.mama]

It sounds like you are doing a lot of things right. I took domperidone for several months. When I first started taking it, I was pumping three times a day and getting a TOTAL of 3 oz. I took my first pills on a Friday afternoon and Monday at work I pumped a total of 9oz from those same three pumping sessions. I was so happy. I peaked at pumping about 20oz total for the day. So for me it worked great.

What dose did the LC recommend?

Goodluck, I hope it works for you!

[@llli*sixyearplan]

What dose of domperidone are you going to take?

Look into getting a Lactaid to supplement at the breast to increase supply and supplement at the same time. Since latching is tough right now, it may take a little time to get there on the Lactaid, but it is a helpful tool.

I think it is helpful to try and make bottle-feeding as much like breastfeeding as possible. Use a slow flow nipple. I think with a rate of a drip per second. Feed skin to skin by the breast and pace the bottle-feeding, stopping to burp frequently and just taking a lot of time so that it's not gulped down.

When my DD was reluctant to nurse it was very helpful to sleep skin to skin and she would root and latch on for comfort. My milk would let down being so near to her and prolactin levels peak at night, which was a bonus.

[@llli*nolies.mama]

Hi mama. Congrats on your baby!

I think, as the mama of a preemie, that before you resort to the Dom there are other things that you can try first. It is true that preemies can take a while longer to get the hang of latching and feeding at the breast, and it can be frustrating in the meantime, but they DO get there.

So your baby is 7 weeks now, 2 weeks past due date? Is that right? Like Beth above me suggested, if I were in your shoes (and I was!) I would get the slowest drip nipples possible, which for us were the BreastFlow bottles. I did kangaroo care all the time, I wore my baby topless, I showered with him, I had him on my chest and breast as much as I could. We attempted breastfeeding every feeding, but if he couldn't do it, then I pumped. I had a Medela Lactina double hospital grade pump which is crucial in establishing a supply. A PIS might just not be enough pump for you. You should check into your insurance or your hospital because a lot of times they will cover the rental for a pump, especially for preemies.

The thing about Domperidone is that it can be hard to come off of it once you are established. I started using it much later (after about a year and a half) and I was not able to cut back on my dose without seeing a drop in supply. I would hate to see you have to start taking something now at 2 weeks that might be hard to wean off of if there are other things that might work in the meantime.

Have you had a chance to check out the preemie forum yet? You should read some of those threads too. A lot of what is there might help you as well.

Good luck mama! You can do this!!!

[@llli*olivia]

Thanks all for your advice and encouragement! I am going to start at 30mg of Dom per day and increase as necessary. However, I may put it off a couple more days and see if I can give other methods one more chance.

Right now he is still a couple weeks away from the original due date of Jan 25.

I am curious about getting another pump because I use the one I have on a pretty low setting. Should I maybe try turning the one I have up before looking for a different one?

By the way, I forgot to mention in my original post that almost all of the milk I am producing is from my right breast - the left RARELY gets over a few drops.

[@llli*nolies.mama]

Thanks all for your advice and encouragement! I am going to start at 30mg of Dom per day and increase as necessary. However, I may put it off a couple more days and see if I can give other methods one more chance.

Right now he is still a couple weeks away from the original due date of Jan 25.

I am curious about getting another pump because I use the one I have on a pretty low setting. Should I maybe try turning the one I have up before looking for a different one?

By the way, I forgot to mention in my original post that almost all of the milk I am producing is from my right breast - the left RARELY gets over a few drops.

As far as the pump goes, the suction rating on a hospital grade is different than the PIS. So you could try turning it up, but a hospital grade will have better suction regardless. It might be worth looking into.

If your LO is not yet at his due date, it is not "surprising" that he hasn't gotten the magic of latching yet. It was the strangest thing...they kept telling me that my son would get it around his dude date, and we tried and tried to that point, and then right after his due date he just latched on one day and was like "what's up mama...I'm breastfeeding!" like he had been doing it forever!

I do know that some mamas can have a majority of production from only one breast. That can be normal. Once baby is breastfeeding regularly, your milk in that one breast (if that is how it continues) will regulate itself to make enough for your baby.

[@llli*aidansmama]

Did you ever notice change after taking the Dom?

[@llli*melissawoods]

Dom worked wonders for me. I started taking it for very low supply due to PCOS when my son was two weeks old. We were having to supplement with formula at that time. Within 48 hours I had a full supply, and within a week way more milk than he needed. I will say that dose sounds too low- I did 80 mg a day, and have just now reduced it to 30. My son is 5 weeks and we have been off formula for almost 3 weeks now!