Breastfeeding - Cortez,CO

First off, what a great gift to give to an adopted baby! My younger sister was adopted and had a milk allergy, so it probably would have worked perfectly for her if my mom had known back then that it was possible.

Here's a link that might help...
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/adopt/index.html

There's also a really helpful site w/info about galactagogues and other tips for increasing supply...
www.mobimotherhood.org (they also have a group on Yahoo).

Best of luck to you or whomever it is that's thinking of doing this!

You can breastfeed any baby as long as you are lactating, and even if you aren't there are contraptions that will mimick this process with tubes. Dr. Sears covers these in his baby book.

Yes, it's possible, and no, I've never read anything about an adopted baby being allergic to her mother's milk- ever.
A good book is Breastfeeding the Adopted Baby.
Your milk supply is determined in part by whether you've had another baby before. Most moms can bring in some milk, but it is common to also use formula. Babies can breastfeed, getting mom's milk, while receiving a supplement at the breast. Often a lactaid or supplemental nursing system is used. In my experience, these tubes clog easily with formula. Find a lactation consultant www.ilca.org and see if she can help you get a 5 or 7 french feeding tube. It can be lowered into a bottle of supplement, and used to feed at the breast. They are super easy to clean with a syringe. (and cheap!)
La Leche League is a great source for more info, too.
Good luck!
A.

I know it can be done! You can take hormones and pump to get your supply going. Call La Leche League and they can be sure support you or point you in the right direction! What an amazing gift that will be for your child! Best wishes

Hi! I think already received the advice you need from the other post, but I just wanted to add that I do have a freind who adopted and breastfeed. I don't have specific details, but she kept her milk supply going from her first (biological) child. I know that might not be possible, but she also got lots of advice/support from La Leche League...I think they are an excellent resource! Good luck!

It absolutely is possible to breastfeed an adopted baby. If you are in the Colorado/Wyoming area, follow the directions for finding the Utah leader mentioned below, just change the location. Any leader will be able to assist you and find other mothers who have relactated to help support you. You can also call the 800 # to find a leader.

It does take some work and some planning in advance, so the sooner you think you might be doing this, the sooner you need to get accurate information to get started. La Leche League is going to be you best resource for support and information. I know of one mom who is still nursing her adopted daughter - 22 months later. It IS possible!

You could also call a lactation consultant if you wanted. Make sure that she is IBCLC certified, though, before spending the money.

Good luck to you and your new baby!
H.

Here is a page I found on kellymom.com that should help. http://www.kellymom.com/newman/23bf_your_adopted_baby.html

Make it a GREAT day!

S.

I know this one! You can breastfeed an adopted child. There was a TLC baby story on it a few years back. It takes a lot of work to make your body produce milk-pumping like crazy. The mom was able to (if I remember correctly) actually breastfeed normally like a biomom when the baby came. They make a bottle that hangs from a string between your breasts that has a tube you attach to your nipple & baby can nurse & bottle feed to get enough. I can't find a picture of it now for the life of me, sorry!
I've never heard of a baby being allergic to mom's milk, just things that mom was eating that were allergens to baby.

I don't know anyone personally, but my Aunt, who is very reliable had a friend who adopted a baby and breastfed that by with the help of marshmallow root. I believe she breastfed for at least the first year. Something to look into anyways...Good luck.

check out mothering.com, the website for the magazine. i have read several articles on the topic over the years. good luck.

Hi there! YES...IT CAN BE DONE! My cousin is nursing her adopted baby (now 5 months). She uses an SNS (Supplemental Nursing System) for at-breast formula supplementing at each feeding. She also takes a few galactagogues that increase or kick-start milk production. There are many herbal galactagogues, but I see Reglan was mentioned in a previous post. There is actually a drug called Domperidone (Motillium) which is more recommended than Reglan for inreasing milk-supply. It is also supposed to be for gastro issues, and has the same effect on milk-production, without the negative side-effects that Reglan has. There are may forums and websites devoted to info on this issue if you Google it.
Good luck to you!
J.

Here is a great resource on inducting lactation (scroll down to Adoptive Breastfeeding):
http://www.asklenore.com/breastfeeding/abindex.html

I would also suggest that you contact a lactation consultant (IBCLC) for advice on your particular situation. They can also help you rent a high-quality pump.

Since many adoptive mothers cannot produce all the milk their babies need - especially at first - you may want to look into getting donor milk to supplement, rather than formula: http://milkshare.birthingforlife.com/

To answer your question, it is almost unheard of for a baby to be allergic to human milk. Many people will erroneously say that a baby has a milk "allergy" when actually the baby has a sensitivity to cow's milk protein in mom's diet, or some other food that mom is eating. But most babies do just fine; and in any case, human milk will be better than cow's milk formula or soy formula.

IT has been so long since I was in the breast feeding mode, but when I was I learned about breastfeeding an adopted baby. The mother had a sack of formula that was fed through a tube and attached to the breast/nipple. As the baby sucked it stimulated the mother's breast. eventually, milk was produced. Some mother's were able to take the bag of formula off and could depend on her own milk to nourish her baby. Some had to continue with the formula.
For centuries, a midwife was used to nurse babies with apparently no ill effect.

You can also check with your local breast milk bank. If you don't have time, or don't want to put all the work in to get yourself lactating, they do have ways to help you simulate breast feeding without the milk actually coming out of your body.

Congrats on the new baby!! Adoption is a wonderful way to grow your family.

God Bless -
C.

"Childbirth is an act of Nature.
Adoption is an act of God."

Go to La Leche League www.lli.org . Yes, it is possible to nurse when you have not actually been pregnant, but it takes some work on your part.
I don't know anyone who has done it, but check at lli.org. They have everything about nursing.

You sure can! The first resource I would direct you to would be your OB/GYN or if you have an endocrinologist he or she might be able to help better as well. I haven't done exactly this, but I had a baby 3 months before my lil sis brought one home from a hospital pending adoption and I pumped for her for 3 months. It was hard, but the other option was my sis taking hormones, etc and she didn't do well on them and I was lactating anyway!! Good luck. What an honor to be able to adopt. Bittersweet, but an honor none-the-less!! I do see a formidable challenge though. If you are aware of the baby you are hoping to adopt having been chosen by a birth mother and you're just waiting for birth, etc. I don't know how long it takes for the hormones/drugs to kick in for lactation AND how would YOU feel if the adoption falls through (this happens a lot as I'm sure you know) and YOU are lactating?? That wouldn't be MY opinion of a fun time.

Your choice! :) Good luck!
V.

Most of the other responses were correct, except they do not give you hormones, they give you a medication called Reglan. It is actually for intestinal problems, but they found - in the drug trials - that it has the side-effect of causing lactation. This drug in now commonly given to moms of babies in an ICU who are having trouble producing milk because they cannot put baby to breast, only pump milk.
It does take time and patience, and support from those around you. The supplemental feeder takes awhile to become adept at using, so I had to go in my room to nurse because I had to really open up my whole world. LOL It took months for my real supply to come in, but was worth it in the end.
Good Luck!

I was going to say go to the La Leche League website, too. They have a book called "womenly art of breastfeeding" or something and they talked about it is possible to breastfeed adopted child. Good luck!

Yes, breastfeeding an adopted child is very possible.

One of the best sources for questions on breatfeeding is the La Leche League. They are an international organization with the mission to help mothers breastfeed. Their web site is at: http://www.llli.org/

N.

If you go to La Leche League's Web site and click on "Resources" and "Find Local Help," you'll be able to look up the phone number for Amy in Utah. She is experienced in relactation and adoptive nursing and will be able to answer your questions in a helpful, medically accurate way.
Yes, it is very possible, but "success" depends on your goals. Supplementation also dpnds on lots of variables. Many mothers use a Supplementary Nursing System, which is like a little bag of additional milk worn around her neck with a tiny tube taped to her breast. This way, they can feed their baby at the breast, even if baby has latch issues or she has supply issues.
Babies will never be allergic to donor mother's milk, although any baby could be allergic or sensitive to something the mother is eating that is getting into her milk--although this, too, is usually not an issue. There is a very rare problem called galactosemia where the baby cannot process any milk normally, but that's like one in a billion and usually babies thrive on human milk. We have friends who adopted a baby and fed her mother's milk from a milk bank. She had been receiving artificial baby milk, but after she started getting the "real deal," her skin smoothed out and wasn't rashy or rough anymore, and she didn't spit up much. It's definitely the superior infant food and worth the hassle.
Best wishes!