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Factsheet: Breastfeeding Your Adopted Baby - adoptive breastfeeding

Continue reading Breastfeeding Your Adopted Baby

This is fascinating to me, and something I had not thought was even possible! There are so many studies that link breast milk and simply the act of breast feeding in general to so many developmental advantages -- physical and emotional -- and I've always thought breast feeding adopted children was not a possibility, which always struck me as another challenge in child rearing for those that need to feel the special bond breast feeding produces, or want to enjoy the health benefits for the adopted child, when it comes to adoption. I do wonder from any adoptive mothers that have decided they wanted to do this however, how difficult it was, whether the baby spent the first few days feeding from his/her biological mother's breast or not breast feeding at all, how challenging it was to get the baby to take to a new experience. I know every baby is different in general anyway, and for some it is harder than others even without the change in breast milk, but I'm curious to know how parents felt about this experience, and if it was worth it in the long run!

I saw this one time on a "Baby Story" show on TLC. This woman adopted a baby and then breastfed it using a breastfeeding aid that also gave the baby formula while suckling at the breast. In this way, the baby was getting some breastmilk, but was also getting the nutrition that it needs. I think that this is an excellent way to bond with your baby and should be encouraged more often. Check with the lactation consultant at the hospital if you adopt a young baby. It may be the best thing that you have ever done!

If you're considering this, I can encourage you. Even though I was my daughter's first mother and made plenty of milk, it was pretty skim milk and so we supplemented. I nursed for ten minutes on each side, if I remember correctly, and then we gave her just a few ounces of formula to build up the fat stores. It was a great solution and a precious time. This went on until she was 8 months old, when she began cruising and figured out the bottle was portable!

Oh, and a lot of people don't realize that men can breastfeed, too. Even though they don't start out with the fat stores of many women (but lots of flat-chested women breastfeed very well), the suckling has the same effect in men as in women. Apparently, throughout our evolution, that comes in handy in times of famine.