Breastfeeding Without Birthing: Latching An Adopted Newborn

January 29th, 2015   3 comments  

When Pittsburgher Danielle Edwards found out she would be unable to have children biologically, she says she felt totally fine with the idea of adoption. What made her upset was the idea of losing out on the opportunity to breastfeed.

“Breastfeeding was always something I imagined myself doing,” she says, “It was just part of . . . → Read More: Breastfeeding Without Birthing: Latching An Adopted Newborn

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Ask Judy: Breastfeeding An Adopted Baby

June 16th, 2009   4 comments  

Dear Judy, I noticed that your signature says you are a doctor and since your blog is about breast feeding do you mind if I pick your brain a little? I was wondering if you had any info on starting to nurse a baby at four months old – we are adopting and expect the baby to come home at about four months old since I had an oversupply when my daughter was born I have worked at keeping it up and know i have enough milk but I wonder how easy/difficult it will be for the new baby to latch and nurse. Do you have any thoughts?

Thanks for writing to Mommy News & Views! How exciting that you will be getting an adopted baby and how wonderful that you will be able to breastfeed him. Most of the difficulties that moms have with adopted babies is getting their milk supply established – so you already have that one figured out. I would suggest calling your local LLL or a lactation consultant for tips on getting the baby to latch on. Since he will be 4 months old, he is going to be used to taking a bottle and it may be difficult for him to latch. I would recommend the following tricks:

      1) The taste of breastmilk is going to be different than formula, so he may not like it at first. Try giving it to him in a bottle first to see if he minds the taste at all. If he does, you may have to gradually get him used to it by mixing it 50-50 with formula and then slowly lowering the amount of formula and increasing the amount of breastmilk.
      2) When you feed him with the bottle, hold him close and tilt him toward you so that he gets used to the position he would be in if he were nursing.
      3) Try to get him to latch. He probably won’t know how to. You can start by making sure his lips are flanged well on the bottle and get a good latch there and then try on your body. He may take to the breast without a problem, but it is more likely that he won’t recognize the texture and may not even know to suck. You may need to resort to using a nipple shield (read these two posts for more info: Does My Son Have Nipple Confusion Continue reading Ask Judy: Breastfeeding An Adopted Baby
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Breastfeeding Without Birthing: Changing Plans

February 16th, 2015   Leave a comment  

Christine Barker was still nursing her third biological child, a toddler, when her family began looking to adopt a fourth child. Barker had had no issues nursing her first three children and was serving as a La Leche League leader. She felt well-informed, committed to breastfeeding, and it never occurred to her that her . . . → Read More: Breastfeeding Without Birthing: Changing Plans

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What Is Domperidone, Anyway?

February 9th, 2015   Leave a comment  

In the past few weeks, we’ve been blogging about mothers who have induced lactation and used Domperdione to help do so (see here and here). Other mothers we’ve been in contact with have used Domperidone to help boost their own milk supply, while still others have been asking us what the heck this Domperidone . . . → Read More: What Is Domperidone, Anyway?

Increasing & Maintaining Breastmilk Supply   , , , ,  

Breastfeeding Without Birthing: Exclusive Pumping

February 5th, 2015   One comment  

Angela Soo Hoo gave birth to her eldest sons, Nicolas (11) and Landon (7), and breastfed them without issue. She and her husband, Luke, planned to adopt a third child. For Angela, breastfeeding is beyond the “best” choice for a baby–she feels very passionately that breastmilk is the optimal food for babies. Since she . . . → Read More: Breastfeeding Without Birthing: Exclusive Pumping

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Progress for Working Moms: Breastfeeding Stations in Philippines Workplaces

February 6th, 2014   3 comments  

The Filipino Department of Labor and Employment recently announced they’d like to install breastfeeding stations at more workplaces, according to an article from GMA News.

DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz discussed research showing how supporting breastfeeding not only makes financial sense for businesses, but also helps to boost employee morale. She discussed how she wants . . . → Read More: Progress for Working Moms: Breastfeeding Stations in Philippines Workplaces

Breastfeeding In The News, Working and Breastfeeding   , , ,  

Why is the APP Endorsing Formula Bags at Hospitals?

January 13th, 2014   2 comments  

Recently, Women’s eNews revealed that the American Academy of Pediatrics logo is featured both inside and outside formula bags hospitals are giving for free to new mothers. According to the article (and happily, I can’t verify in person because my local hospital stopped giving out formula bags over a year ago!), the bags feature . . . → Read More: Why is the APP Endorsing Formula Bags at Hospitals?

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