# Breastfeeding adopted baby



## cookies81 (Aug 24, 2009)

Hey adoptive mummy's and mummy's to be just a quick question I'm interested in breastfeeding my soon to be adopted baby who will be 4 mths by the time she joins us for religious and bonding reasons , I've read that breast stimulating alone can bring on lactation as I don't want to take any medications ? Anyone had experience on this?


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## Macgyver (Oct 27, 2008)

Hi cookies,


Sorry I don't but did find this article if it is of any help






Technique for inducing lactation without being pregnant.
The technique for inducing lactation without being pregnant is exceptionally simple: physically stimulate the nipple and areola, and the body will respond by making milk! Forget about milk inducing drugs and exotic techniques: all it takes is stimulation!
The best and most reliable way to induce lactation is to dry breast feed your nursing partner for 20 minutes, eight times each day. Don't let your partner suck just on the nipple; make sure he or she is latched on in the same manner as a nursing infant would latch onto it's mother's breast. In the beginning, even without milk, relax and breast feed your partner, just as you would as if you breasts were full of milk. In time, your body will respond to the suckling by producing milk.
If your schedule won't permit eight nursing sessions each day; reduce the number of sessions to what you can comfortably handle. Women have successfully induced lactation with as little as two breast feeding sessions each day; however, the sessions do need to be at least 20 minutes long. Keeping in mind: the closer to eight nursing sessions each day you are able to have, the better the results will be.
If you do not have a willing or reliable nursing partner, you may substitute suckling with hand massage of the breast, and finger stimulation of the nipple and areola. You may use a breast pump if you wish; however, hand expression will work just as well. Eight, 20 minute stimulation sessions each day is still optimum for inducing lactation, even without a reliable nursing partner. If your schedule will not permit eight sessions each day, you may reduce the number of sessions to what you can comfortably handle. But again, the closer to eight nursing sessions each day you are able to have, the better the results will be.
DO NOT OVER COMPLICATE THE TECHNIQUE! Quite simply put: your body will respond to the need for milk by producing milk! It is a mistake to overcomplicate your method of inducing lactation. Keep it simple!
If you are breast feeding your nursing partner to induce lactation, his or her mouth should provide enough lubrication to prevent chaffing of the nipple and areola. If you are inducing lactation by using hand and finger stimulation, you may need to use a lubricant to prevent chaffing. There are several products on the market specifically for lubricating and protecting the nipples and areolas of women who are breast feeding. A warm shower is a good time to stimulate; the water will help lubricate and the warmth will help relax your breasts.
In the beginning, expect your breasts to swell and become sore. To lactate, the lymph system in your breasts have to undergo certain changes; the result is temporary soreness. You may notice soreness particularly around the outer edges of the breasts, near your armpits. Even though the soreness is temporary, the increase in cup size will likely remain as long as you are lactating.
If you have never been pregnant, and never had milk, the process may take a little longer. Even though mammary glands mature during puberty, the glands have to undergo minor changes before they will actually produce milk: this will add time to the process of inducing. Once mammary glands have produced milk for the first time, they never go back to the way they were. Mammary glands of a woman who has breast fed in the past are always be ready to produce milk again. After breast feeding for the first time, some women never completely dry up. It is not unusual for a woman to be able to express a drop or two, even years after she has breast fed.


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## katie c (Jun 15, 2009)

hi, i'm guessing from your signature/other posts you're muslim and in dubai? so i don't know if they have la leche league over there but worth googling. they might be able to put you in touch with a breast feeding counsellor. i must admit that 8 times of 20 minute suckling a day sounds a colossal bore, plus may not be 100% successful so i'd rather get professional advice rather than just trust the internet to be honest.

i've asked on another parenting forum and they've suggesting a couple of links

http://www.greenprophet.com/2013/04/breastfeeding-islam-adoption/

http://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/adoptivebf/

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0976896974

from what they tell me if they've been bottle fed so far, at four months they may have lost their tongue reflex (whatever that is!) so that is something to consider too, other than the lactation part

good luck


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## cookies81 (Aug 24, 2009)

Thank you macgyver   I've read the article and tried it but us Katie said 20 minsx8 wasn't really feasible   although I did get a few droplets after 2 sessions 
Katie yes I'm a Muslim that's why I want to induce lactation because giving the baby my breast milk even by bottle  makes him/her religiously my son/daughter  as in Islam we can't name the baby after us I have located a breastfeeding clinic here in Dubai but need to wait after the eid holidays but thank u both so much for taking the time to answer my post


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