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 isnot 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.
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 Breastmilk
One of the most frequently expressed concerns among all nursing mothers is whether or not they are able to produce enough breastmilk.
A lactation aid is a device used to deliver a supplement to breastmilk through a tube that runs down the breast to the nipple. The baby nurses as usual, getting the benefit of breastmilk and close intimacy, and the volume to satisfy her hunger. Adoptive mothers may never need a supplementer, but some use one at some point during the nursing period, and others the entire time they nurse. Two commercial supplementers are Lact-Aid and Medela SNS
There are many online communities - chat rooms, message forums, email lists - for nursing mothers are filled with pregnancy-related discussions which can be uncomfortable for adoptive mothers.
Thankfully, advocates are a gregarious and outspoken lot, and advocates of adoptive breastfeeding are no different. Here are several resources gathered from around the Net, and please feel free to submit a site you think should be added to this list. Again, a note that the general breastfeeding information combined with the adoption-specific resources will give you the broadest base of knowledge.
Web Sites
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