We live in a society where rumours and thoughts become so
prevalent that everyone naturally starts believing them without any solid
research. One such rumour is that it is impossible to breastfeed an adopted
child. Yes, you have heard the truth you can breastfeed a baby to whom you did
not give birth. You will be astonished to hear that you can breastfeed even if
you were never pregnant or you have reached menopause. This type of lactation
is known as induced lactation. Breastfeeding is very important for a child;
hence it is very advisable for the new mother to breastfeed the child. Breastfeeding is not merely for
nutrition but it has various other benefits some important ones to mention- long term protection from some of the chronic diseases
helps in maintaining the correct weight, increase the bonding and many
other.
It is very much possible to breastfeed an adopted baby with
no preparation. Most of the people in the world think that without actually
giving the birth hormones won't is created but tell the truth, It’s the sucking
of a child that drives the hormones and hence triggers milk production, hence
the more the frequency of breastfeeding the better the better the milk
production. Though it’s a bit more difficult to induce the milk in the mother
who has never been pregnant as pregnancy helps in increase the hormones
estrogen and progesterone which help in enlarging the ducts and alveoli.
However, if you know in advance that a child is coming then it will be better
to be prepared for it. This can be done by manually and by mechanically
stimulating the breasts and nipple by gentle massages and by pumping several
times during each day. One effective method of igniting the milk production is
by lubricating the breast while pumping instead doing that on dry.
Breastfeeding an adopted child can be a bit tedious but it
is very rewarding as this is the time where you can bond with the child. You
shouldn’t be much concerned about the amount of milk that is being produced,
rather you should focus on bonding is increasing between you and your child.
The amount of milk produced is increased eventually. It is believed that for a
good bonding a skin to skin contact is very necessary, which is very well
reached during breastfeeding.
Sometimes it is observed that babies are reluctant to feed
on the breast of the new mother, the reason is that they require some time to
develop trust and attachment with their new mother. This becomes a little
tricky in this situation, the mother should be gentle, respectful and
persistent in offering the breast but a mother should never be very forceful on
the child to breastfeed, it is never advisable.
It is quite natural that all mother may not be able to
produce as much milk as required by their child, hence it is observed that many
mothers use at-breast supplement. At-breast supplements are basically to
overcome the lack of supply of adequate quantity of milk. There are mainly two
brands in the market Lact-Aid Nursing Trainer and the Medela Supplemental
Nursing system (SNS). There are some differences in the way they work
Supplemental Nursing System allows the milk to flow by gravity I.e even when
the baby is not sucking he/she will get the milk, and they also come in various
sizes of tubing merely for faster and slower flow, whereas in the case of
Last-Aid, in this the milk is not passed unless the baby is sucking.
I hope after reading this article some of the misconceptions
regarding this topic must have been cleared. Do share your experience, if you
had any in the comments below.
