New to here, but not new to lactation. Been poking around for a few days. Reading and absorbing all I can. Such a wealth of information here! I thought I knew all I could about inducing and lactation, but I have learned stuff I didn't even know. 🙂

About Me ... I am 50 yrs, I am a housewife (no kids at home anymore), which allows me more flexibility to do what is necessary to lactate. I am unsure if am in menopause as some of my health issues mimic it, which I have been dealing with since I was a teen. I last gave birth in 2003, tried to breastfeed but didn't work out and quit after a couple weeks. Last time I induced and got milk was 2021 ... I got interested in lactation in 2018 when I met my hushand who introduced me to the pleasures of the breast. He is not interested in an ANR or suckling but is interested in the process and the results, and fully supports me in my journey. I got into lactation at first for us, however my reason has evolved over the years ... Since starting my lactation journey in 2018 I have stopped and started several times since then. My first inducing (no dom - journey lasted a year) I was only able to get small drops after a few months that didn't amount to much. My second time (with dom - journey lasted half a year) was able to produce about an ounce a day until I had to stop after a few months due to life. My third time (no dom) lasted only a few months as we made a major move in our life and couldn't keep up with it during that stressful time. I didn't see anything behind the initial normal liquid that time.

My Current Journey ... I am 23 days in since starting. The reason I started again was because I want to substitute the milk we currently use (which isn't much - roughly 5-8 ounces in a day) with my breastmilk. Other reasons include to see how my breastmilk will help my own health, give more structure to my day, give me something else to focus on other than stress about life, and gives me a sense of purpose to my day outside my normal day.

Medication/Supplements ... I am not using dom this time due my age and medical history. I am using herbal supplements. Am working on a supply from LengendairyMilk of Sunflower Lecithin, Liquid Gold and Cash Cow. When those run out I will be switching to individual herbs of Shatavari, Goats Rue, Moringa, and Blessed Thistle. I plan to keep using Sunflower Lecithin but will get it elsewhere for cheaper. I have had success with those particular herbs in the past where I saw breast growth and increased drops. The Sunflower Lecithin is essential in my journey as my milk seems to be more "thick" and doesn't want to come out easily. Hand expression I have to really encourage it to come out.

Methods ... I started with an Avent Philips manual pump, which I intend to keep on hand just in case. I got a Spectra S1 as I found previously that was the most comfortable pump for me. I have purchased a Freemie Liberty II for easier portability (waiting for it to arrive) than the Spectra S1. Hand expression and manual pumping is hard for me due to arthritis, so I don't do either often anymore after the first week.

Flanges ... One breast deals with elasticity while the other doesn't. 19mm fits both at nipple base, though it hurts on both to use. The elasticity one I use a 21mm as it expands to fit the flange no matter the size. On the other breast I am figuring out what size between 21-24mm is best. I have tried Lacteck flanges, though I feel this time around even the 21mm on the elasticity one draws in more areola than needed. I also can't go higher in suction than a 3-5 this current journey as higher causes more pain and discomfort, even with the Lacteck flanges which need a higher suction to work properly. I did have milk success with the Freemie cups with inserts, so will be trying that. I purchased (waiting for them to arrive) LegendairyMilk's cups which have really good reviews.

Schedule ... I pump from 5-7 am to 9-11 pm depending on my sleeping. I don't do night pumping as I need my sleep for health reasons. I started pumping 5 mins every hours for the first week or so. Then switched to 10 mins every 2 hours. I am currently doing 10-15 mins every 2 hours. I use coconut oil for lubrication. I read here that someone mentioned using their own saliva, so am trying that too. I plan to keep this schedule until milk comes in, then I will switch to 15-20 mins every 3 hours. With eventually moving to every 4 hours when established my milk supply. If I end up getting up during the night I do pump for 10-15 mins before going back to sleep.

Current Results ... after a week my breasts were feeling fuller, pins and needles happening, and they were aching to be pumped just before my next session. Via hand expression I was able to get out a drop or two on one side and a few drops on the other. Both green and clear liquid. I am currently still seeing green/clear liquid from one side, and white milky from the other when hand expression. Those drops are not dripping down. Via the pump, a few days ago I started seeing a little bit of liquid pool on both.

I aim to be in this for the long haul, as I have goals I want to achieve and my life isn't as stressful now as it was the last few times I tried.

Am looking forward to getting to know everyone here and hoping to make friends around my age who are passionate about lactation as much as I am.

A big shout out to all who have contributed so much information to help others. The knowledge here is abundant and SO much appreciated. It's hard to find info that isn't focused on infant breastfeeding.