Can/Should I Re-lactate for 1 Yr Old?

My daughter had some issues with milk. Her ped said try Silk for a while (that stuff is awesome) but pricey and then started going 1% but watered down and when she was okay with that 2% watered down and when she was okay whole milk watered down and then slowly stopped watering it down.. (I think that's the scale, 1,2 and whole is less to more % of milk). I've never heard of someone relactating before, but you never know.

This will probably be an unpopular answer with the la leche league folk:

You probably can, but I don't think that you should. Yes, there are health benefits. But, at this point, the health benefits are relatively minimal. He's probably about to transition to eating mostly solid food, and whatever formula/breastmilk you give him will be supplemental at best. My guess is that the desire to nurse is much more about you than about him. I personally don't think that it's healthy to force an eating pattern on a child that is about the mother's satisfaction more than the child's. I wouldn't think that it was healthy for a 1 year old to have a vegan diet, nor be on the atkins diet for example. I think that you should feed children what they need. Your son no longer needs breastmilk - let him eat a healthy variety of foods and accept that this aspect of your relationship didn't go the way that you wanted it to, mourn the loss, and move on.

Good luck.

You can absolutely try!! Getting him to latch correctly will be an issue after so much time with the bottle. You will probably need support of your local LLL group and IBCLC. They are both wonderful support systems and wells of information and experience.

Benefits of nursing NEVER go away. The amazing species specific proteins, carbs, amino acids and lipids are extremely valuable to ANY age human being... that is why Drs are trying to get goats and cows to produce HUMAN breastmilk thru DNA therapy for cancer and HIV/AIDS patients. The antibodies that are in breastmilk never stop producing either - so both you and child will be healthier overall. Prolactin creates a stronger immune response in Moms to get the germs out quicker.

As for the 20 oz a day... you need to feed more formula because the scant amount of nutrition in them. Breastmilk is ONLY nutrition, which is why most kids nursing didn't have so many poops as those on formula. You will not have to attempt to feed him that much breastmilk, just allow him to nurse on demand once you get going.

If you want more information about re-lactating - please personal message me.

Hi Tat2ed---I should start by saying that I don't have any suggestions about relactating, except to say that if you want to do it then why not. Human breast milk is best for babies.

Don't worry about your little one not doing well on cows milk. His body is trying to tell you something. Cows milk is NOT a healthy food for humans. It is one of the mostly highly allergenic substances for humans. Unfortunately, these allergies are usually not attributed directly to diary AND our wonderful gov't has the USDA, a dept set up to promote American agriculture...good or bad.

But don't take my word for it. Please go to www.pcrm.org and put diary in the search box. Other good source for info are www.thechinastudy.com and www.notmilk.com. I say these things as a reformed milk drinker having quit after taking a series of wellness classes taught by a Naturopath who has her PhD in Nutrition. The science is clear, it's just not well-known. Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional ?'s about any points that I've raised.

And, another thought about relactating...your success will depend, in part, on your diet. Be sure you are eating mostly fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes/beans, nuts and seeds. Supplementation is usually not necessary when you eat this way, but I do think that a high quality WHOLE FOOD supplement is beneficial as nutrition insurance. There are HUGE differences between supplemental food and isolated man-made vitamin supplements. Look for one backed by independent research. Again, I have great info you can use to make an informed decision.

Good luck with whatever you do. Be well, D.

Why the push for cows milk? If he is on hypoallergenic formula you would think cow's milk would be the WRONG direction. We were on a gentle formula and told to make the transition from that to Rice Milk, with our son when he no longer needed formula. Cow's milk is one of the leading causes of food allergies in children I would find something else to give instead.

I think it is probably possible because women who adopt can actually get their bodies to lactate. But, it is a long, hard process. Have you considered raw goat's milk? It is most like breast milk in digestibility and nutrients. Since he will be over a year old, you won't need to add molasses to the milk for the iron. There are other things you would need to add to it also for an infant. But, older babies don't need it if they are eating solids. The raw milk has all the enzymes in it for better nutrition. You might see if there is a dairy goat farm near you, and what your local laws are concerning raw milk. (Pasteurization kills any nutrients a milk has, making it a non-food item.) You can check out the Weston-Price Foundation website for more info. (google will bring it up)

YES to everything! I don't know how long it would take, but you could contact La Leche League and find out! A woman in my area adopted a baby and nursed him! It will take lots of effort, but will be WELL WORTH IT!!!

You probably can. Get in touch with a local La Leche League leader or a lactation consultant for ways to do it. It will probably be work (but maybe not!) but it'll be worth it either way!

Also, Jane is misinformed. The benefits of breastmilk never go away. There's loads of studies about how beneficial it is up until at least the second birthday. The benefits are also more than the milk, they are also the physical closeness. Benefits are for your child and you and there's no shame in that.

I understand the health reasons that support your interest in re-lactating.

But I'm thinking he might not ever take your boob again. My understanding is that adoptive moms who train their bodies to lactate, this is done for newborn babies willing to learn to nurse.

Once a child has learned to take from a bottle, it's very hard to switch them back to the breast. Lactation specialists can tell you all the reasons why. I would think you could still easily re-stimulate your milk production and provide mother's milk in a bottle, but successfully nursing again might be an uphill struggle.

What do you think about offering your nipple as a pacifier at first, to see what his interest level is? I would imagine the first few times he'll be totally confused by this gesture.

I was really sad with my first daughter when my milk started to dry up when she was just 4 months old. And I spent an entire weekend trying to convince her to latch on take my breast without success. I was pretty heart broken. She was hungry and not heartbroken.