Anyone Adoptive Breastfed?

I don't know about you, but my milk is still there and my youngest is 7. I think with a lot of pumping in preparation, it could be done.

M.

I work as an adoption worker and a doula - I have a book somewhere that talks about this and will locate the reference info for you - would love to hear about your experience as I've known many adoptive couples of infants but at the time I never knew this was possible and no one ever asked or talked about trying - I suspect b/c they didn;t realize it is possible. anyway, I'll get back to you. I'm very excited for you!

Rene'

Hi M.:

Hope all is well. I have never been able to have children after trying for 10 years to concieve. We adopted our son 6 yrs. ago when he was just 2 weeks old. I have never had the experience of breastfeeding a baby. Whenever my son Nicholas would wake up in the night or whenever I would feed him I would hold him and rock him in a rocking chair and give him his bottle. I would sometimes sing softly to him as well. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world. I do not feel as though I missed out by not breastfeeding. My son is now 6 yrs. old and I thank God for him every single day. I cannot imagine loving him more had I given birth to him and breastfed him. I can't speak for anyone else but I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about this. I think that you can still bond with your child without breastfeeding. I certainly did. I am truly blesed. Good luck to you M..

Hi M.,

During the time I breastfed my child, I received alot of support from a woman named Becky Ulky. She was working with the Allegheny Health Department or WIC. I know that she is a serious advocate about children being breastfed. If my memory serves me right, she wished that she could have breastfed her grandchild.

I hope you're able to contact her. She was really a great support for me and I probably wouldn't have breastfed if it weren't for her.

Hi M.,
Where are you in your adoption journey?
I'm just waking up, but when I saw your post I just had to respond- if I am a little hazy, forgive me.
How long ago did your son wean? That you successfully breastfed in the past will help tremendously with your adoptive child. Do you have a pump? If you don't already, I would suggest renting a hospital grade pump. Just like when you were breastfeeding, it's important to have a healthy diet and to stay well hydrated. You can try "Mother's Milk Tea", which I know is available at Shaws & Hannaford. Blessed thistle, and stinging nettle are two herbs associated with increasing milk supply. Steel cut oats, and believe it or not beer also seem to increase supply. There are other foods & herbs that can help too, but those are the ones I recall off the top of my head. My suggestion would be to start using a pump as soon as possible, short sessions in the beginning- you don't want to overdo it & hurt your breasts. You may not get anything for some time or you may find it comes back quickly. Don't stress about the amount. Shoot for a few pumping sessions a day, and try hard to do it at about the same time each day.When you start getting milk, freeze it for future use.Depending on how old your adoptive child is when he/she comes home, it may take awhile to accustom them to the breast. Any breastmilk you have stored will be a great benifit to their little immune system.
If anyone in your family or circle of friends has a newborn; spend time around them. I remember when my nephew was born,(about 5 years after my daughter had weaned) I visited them in the hospital and left with my shirt damp from all the babies crying while we were in the hospital.
Twenty years ago, my aunt attempted to breastfeed her adopted son. At the time she found a support group for advice & ideas.She had some success, but her son was 5 months old when he came to their family.
LaLeche will probably be able to help too.
I am currently in midwifery school and I have over a decades experience with breastfeeding.
Best of luck.
Peace
D.

M.,

I think it's great you want to provide a nursing relationship to an adopted baby. I've not done it myself, but had a breast reduction years ago and in researching breastfeeding options for myself have come across this link. . .
http://www.fourfriends.com/abrw/
A great resource, I hope it helps!

M.,
God bless you. May you succeed.

I didn't personally but a good friend did for awhile. She said she had to take a certain pill everyday for a couple of months to get things going. The pill cost about $8 a pill. She did not have a chance to pump for months ahead of time like some do to get the milk flowing because their adoptive son was suddenly premature. Sorry I can't be more help but I wanted to respond because I think you should GO for IT!!!!!

Wow, M.!

How awesome is that? I don't have any practical advice as I know about as much as you do about adoptive breastfeeding, but I think it's fantastic that you want to pursue this!

:D

Hi M.!
I haven't adopted, but I do host a few bulletin boards on BabyCenter (February 2005 babies, Cooking For Your Family, and Baby Worries and Complaints) so I'm familiar with many of the boards there. We have a board for Adoptive Families that may be able to help you. Here's the link: http://boards.babycenter.com/bcus68729

I would also try the Breastfeeding: Special Circumstances board where they address issues such as breastfeeding an adopted child. http://boards.babycenter.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=bcus...

One more very helpful board is simply "Breastfeeding Your Baby." http://boards.babycenter.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=bcus...

There's a process called "relactation" that can help mothers who stopped breastfeeding for one reason or another, but decided to try to breastfeed again. It's very difficult and doesn't always work, but it's worth googling the term and talking to a lactation consultant about it.

I've breastfed 2 of my daughters, then moved on to formula feeding them. One of my daughters was completely formula fed. Just remember that it's the love your baby will need the most, and in the end, it's not about breastfeeding. I know from doing both that you can bond just as closely if you don't breastfeed. If in the end you're unable to breastfeed, it's NOT a failure on your part. The important thing will be the love and that your baby is fed.

Congratulations!

~J.~

Hi M.,

You absolutely can breastfeed an adopted child if you adopt an infant. There is actually a book on the subject called, appropriately enough, Breastfeeding The Adopted Child. :) Good luck! :)

S.

Hi M.,

I am an adoptive mother to a 5 year old. We adopted our son when he was a newborn. While I didn't attempt breastfeeding, I would be happy to answer any other questions/concerns.

You can probably find some info on adoptive breastfeeding at:
www.inciid.org. Click on 'forums', then 'adoption message board & forums', and then there are several forums you can try - I would start at 'Parenting After Adoption'. You will need to register with the site if you want to post, but it is free. Good luck - I know there are some ladies in the past who successfully breastfed adopted children, but I'm pretty sure all had to supplement at least a little bit.

Good luck with your adoption!

Katy

I am so thrilled to hear you amazing intentions and the commitment and love you already have for this lucky little person that will come into your life. I am a breastfeeding mom of a 2 year old little girl and I am a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator. I have looked up in some of my breastfeeding books (as I became a birth educator to reach moms early enough to be able to help them understand the importance of breastfeeding). La Leche League's The Breastfeeding Answer book sates that it is possible to induce lactation up to a 50 to 100 percent milk supply. It does however take commitment adn palnning. It recommends that you ask yourself what you are mostly looking for from this experience (i.e bonding benefits, or a full milk supply for both bonding and health and other benefits of breastfeeding). Please know when it gets tough that there are parts of the world where babies are solely fed and nurtured on non biological mother's induced milk supply. So it is possible. Talk to your pediatrician about the protocols developed by Canadian pediatrician Dr. Jack Newman (consider getting his book, you can even contact him). He is an unbelievably amazing human being. What he has done for women and the advancement and protection of breatsfeeding is truly remarkable). The website www.asklenore.info describes their protocol. All 3 protocols (women who have 6 months to prepare, accelerated protocol and Menopause Protocol) involve taking some medication (although since you lactated succesfully before the indications for you are different then for a woman who has never lactated before).

Essentially, you will be indicated to take one active oral contraceptive pill (containing 1 to 2 mg of progesterone and no more than 0.035 mg of estrogen) without interruption each day to help grow breast tissue plus a prescribed medicine (domperidone) to help increas milk supply. When the oral cont. is stopped (timing depends on your protocol) this causes a drop in mother's progesterone level while the domperidone, which you continue to take, stimulates an increase in prolactin level,causing your milk supply to come in. It mimics the hormonal changes that anturally occur after birth (at much lower levels). Medicinal herbs are begun once the oral contraceptive pill is stopped and you begin pumping every 3 hrs with an auto pump to bring in your supply.

All of this is found on page 394 of the LLL book. There are other amazing suggestions and sound, evidence-based information. I hope this helps a little. If you want to contact me let me know and I will send you my phone number. Also, contact LLL, while you do not have to adhere to all of their believes and philosophies, they are really serious and committed to breastfeeding and to supporting any mom who wants to do it in any form. Some of their leaders, as an added bonus, are certified lactation consultants. Where do you live? You can go online (La Leche League International) and get your nearest chapter's info.

Best of luck to you and your family,
R.

Here's a great link -
http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/adopt.html

Best wishes!
T.

Hey M., how wonderful it is that you want to try this! It is indeed possible to breastfeed your adopted baby. Get started by contacting your local La Leche League Leader for support and info. Also check the La Leche League website. Good luck!

Hi M.,

It is possible to breastfeed an adopted baby. I personally know of a few families who have done it. Although it does take planning and a lot of work. I suggest the following resources.

http://breast-feeding.adoption.com/
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babybreastfeed/8482...
http://www.medela.com/NEWFILES/faq/adoptedbabybfdg.html
http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/adopt.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/adopt/index.html
http://www.adopting.org/adoptions/factsheet-breastfeeding...
http://adoptionshop.com/adoption_products/breastfeeding-t...
http://user861342.wx7.registeredsite.com/miva/merchant.mv...

These sites include breastfeeding books for adoptive families.

Hope this helps,
M.

I had gotten thrust with my son it hurt really bad so i stopped breast feeding and I really wanted to go back to it so I called the Laleche League ###-###-####. They sent someone out to show me how to relactate and answer all my breast feeding question. I really recommend them, the lady that came out was nice, professional and seemed to know what she was talking about