Adoptive Breastfeeding
Since there is more to breastfeeding than breastmilk, many mothers are happy to be able to breastfeed without expecting to produce all the milk the baby will need. It is the special relationship, the special closeness, the biological attachment of breastfeeding that many mothers are looking for.
- Dr. Jack Newman, Breastfeeding Your Adopted Baby There are almost as many
myths about breastfeeding as there are about adoption.
As a result, many women who arrive at the decision to adopt following infertility not only put behind them their dreams for biological children, but also dreams they may have had of the special bonding that occurs between mother and child during breastfeeding. Others give up the hope of breastfeeding because, although they plan to adopt a baby, she won't be a newborn and may, in fact, be several months old.
According to
Dr. Jack Newman, an internationally acclaimed expert on breastfeeding, and many
adoptive mothers,
both of these assumptions are mistaken. If an adoptive mother wants to breastfeed, even when her child is
not a newborn, even if she isn't sure she can produce enough milk, chances are good she can. It just takes education and preparation.
How it Works
Experts agree that the benefit of
any amount of breastmilk is beneficial to a baby, but the most important aspect of breastfeeding is the physical intimacy, the warmth, the comfort, the bonding. Some women simply put the baby to the breast and let nature take over, and others choose
induced lactation designed to promote lactation before the baby arrives.
Induced Lactation There are two hormones (pituitary, not ovarian hormones) that affect lactation:
- Prolactin, which is the milk-making hormone, and
- Oxytocin, the milk-releasing hormone.
Because these hormones are not dependent on a woman's ability to bear children, stimulating the production and release of breastmilk is possible even for women who have had hysterectomies.
Manual/Mechanical Stimulation: This is one method of inducing lactation, achieved by breast massage, nipple manipulation, and sucking, either by a baby or a hospital grade electric breast pump.
Hormone Therapy: Hormone therapies are also available for increasing milk supply, using prescribed medications, such as
domperidone, or
herbal remedies.
Supplementing BreastmilkOne of the most frequently expressed concerns among
all nursing mothers is whether or not they are able to produce
enough breastmilk.
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