# Breastfeeding adopted chidren -discussion



## Arrows (Nov 9, 2008)

A friend sent me a link with regards to breastfeeding adopted children. 
The link she gave me is with regards to feeding a 20mth old child.
I realise this is a sensitive issue but I wondered people's opinions and what LAs/ SWs might think?
For myself, I think the principal, especially for younger children is relatively sound in terms of attachment but not so sure about doing it with a child that much older (though I was positive leaving feedback, that was also cause the3 negative views expressed really wound me up!)

Very interested in people views.

http://www.nancymohrbacher.com/blog/2011/2/8/we-are-breastfeeding.html

/links


----------



## Iman (Oct 11, 2007)

Hi

Like you I think it has good merits at a young age but not sure about older - at a certain age anyway there isnt much goodness they get from the milk that they aren't getting from food so it loses its initial point in that respect (nutritional health of child). Attachment wise - i can see how it help the adoptive mother ...  It is a sensitive subject though - some people are really against it and everyone is entitled to their view. Guess its not for everyone - not all mother breastfeed their own children anyway (whether through choice or other reasons). Will be interested to see the discussion!


----------



## Boggy (Dec 13, 2006)

Interesting topic!

I saw a programme about this years ago when we were starting our adoption journey, I remember it being quite controversial in the media at the time.  Typically it was produced in a sensationalist "freakshow" kind of way, which was a shame.

I think it is quite common in other countries, particularly in America where there is a lot of international adoptions. And of course many women induce lactation when having a baby through surrogacy and many of our members on FF have done so.

I am in the "no way" camp.  Yes I mourned not being able to breast feed, but I fed both of mine bottles and with close contact found that our attachment grew that way.  I think breast feeding would just be one more thing to get stressed out about when there are so many other things going on in early placement.

As for SW/LA, I suspect they would be against it.  Unlike other countries, we can have a child home for many months before they are legally ours so technically you'd be breast feeding another woman's baby who is in the care of the LA and I think this would open up many problems for LA's.

I can see the theory behind it, but it was definitely not for me!

Bx


----------



## keemjay (Jan 19, 2004)

I'm afraid i didnt really like the story at all, i wanted to because i think its a wonderful thing to do if the child is young enough or if its through surrogacy, but it just made me sad. I agree with one of the people who commented..the child was perfectly happy at 20 months and i think she disrupted a possible smooth transistion into her home by being hell bent on starting him on a bottle with a view to it leading on to breastfeeding..the poor little soul clearly didnt really want them at all...if my children had been as unhappy to bond with me at that early satge i would have been very worried and i think so would the SW's..it didnt mention any sort of intros..i would hope that they did some though the story is written in a way that suggests they just went one day and picked them up!
i agree with Boggy.. i'm not sure what LA's in this country would have to say about it  

kj x


----------



## Arrows (Nov 9, 2008)

I  agree Keemjay and Boggy.
It's not something I'd want to do myself I don't think and certainly not with a child that's already at 20mths. I think i'd have probably just given him a dummy and cuddles in the evenings!
I believe this was a case from America and I know they have very different processes and views on things. I know in some LAs they encourage a foster/adoption clearance to put a newborn/ very young child with the hopefully-adoptive parents but I know that my LA certainly don't practice this and usually the youngest children place are around 8-10mths as they have to go through all the court orders and proceedings.

Certainly a topic to make us all think!


----------



## thespouses (Jan 5, 2006)

This is obviously going to be more common in the US where infants are placed very young but in the UK some children do go into foster placements with a high likelihood of adoption, at birth.

I had a look at what had been written on this and discovered that it seemed to be very unlikely - unless you'd just been breastfeeding another child - that you could produce enough milk to actually feed the child, as opposed to just providing a little milk. The drugs involved seem quite severe, too.


----------

