Welcoming a Baby Through Surrogacy or Adoption? You Can Breastfeed Too!
Welcoming a Baby Through Surrogacy or Adoption? You Can Breastfeed Too!
Induced Lactation - It sounds odd, right? Who needs to induce lactation? Many people don’t realize, but it’s possible to do so in women who have adopted a baby or who have had a surrogate carry their child. Despite not having carried the child themselves, some women want to be able to have that bond and/or offer the health benefits of breastfeeding to these children. Inducing lactation is a long process that requires a huge time commitment and you’ll need to know a few things going in!
Support!
After you research induced lactation and understand the time commitment, it’s huge to make sure you have support from the friends and family in your life. This decision you’ve made to breastfeed will take up a lot of your previously “free” time - grocery shopping, taking care of older children, visiting with friends - and the baby might not even be here yet! Along with that understanding, help with your other responsibilities will be huge. Because you’ll be pumping every 3 hours for at least 6 weeks, you’ll need more help with tasks you normally do at home.
How Do I Start?
There are several protocols that may be followed, including the most popular: the Newman-Goldfarb protocols. Dr. Newman is pediatrician who partnered up with Ms. Goldfarb, a lactation consultant. The exact instructions range based on the time you may have before the baby’s arrival. For example a mother expecting a child via a surrogate may know about a child’s arrival before a mother who is adopting. Either way, a combination of birth control pills, medications such as oral domperidone, and other methods are timed to allow the body to be sort of tricked into expecting a baby.
What’s Next?
Six weeks before the baby is expected, you will stop taking the birth control pills and also begin pumping at least every 3 hours. This teaches your body that there is a demand and it will start increasing supply! Don’t forget to start that freezer stash. You’re creating liquid gold here! Once your supply is established and sufficient, it may be possible to wean off the domperidone. It may not happen until after the baby arrives or it’s possible that you’d need the domperidone to maintain your supply until you’re ready to wean the baby. Your doctor can help you determine this.
Will It Work?
According to one study on the Newman-Goldfarb protocols, women who followed the protocol for 6 months or more before the child arrived in their care were able to produce 50-100% of their baby’s dietary needs. For those who had less time to prepare, they were able to produce anywhere from 25-50% of the dietary needs for their child.
What Else Can I Do?
Following these protocols means using medications for induced lactation and to trick your body a little. In addition to that, the use of herbal remedies, such as fenugreek or blessed thistle, have been used for generations to boost milk supply in lactating women. There are many options, such as supplements, cookie mixes, or drink mixes that can help women with induced lactation and boost their supply in a convenient method!