Breastfeeding to bond?

hhhhmmmmmmm..... well I am sure there are some books or somthing about that, but as a birth mom I would feel so vialated and angry but I guess it is not my place to say... good luck I am sure there are some people out there who have some info on it...

I don't mean this smart or to start an argument, I would truely like to know the answer to this question, why would you feel angry and violated? I am sure the reason you have decided to place your baby for adoption is for it's own good. Why would you not want the best for your child? Isn't breastfeeding better for a child than formula? Also it wouldn't actually have anything to do with you, just baby and Mom. I had one of each and my breastfed baby was much healthier than my bottle fed baby. Also you are correct about the bonding Kazmum, I bonded much quicker with the breastfed baby. Isn't that the goal? Pat

Yes, it is possible to breastfeed a child you adopted. I believe there's some support groups out on Yahoo! devoted to Adoptive Breastfeeding. It does take some time to get your body to produce milk, but it can be done without hormones, etc. From what I hear, your best resource may be through your local chapter of the LaLeche League - any hospital can give you the local contact information. For those who are committed to it, I have heard that it is very rewarding. Bonding and attachment are long term processes, and this can be an element, though it isn't necessarily. Understand though that there are no immunity-boosting effects, these are only from biological parent to child. I personally am a big advocate of Attachment Parenting (Dr. Sears, read The Baby Book on this). DH and I 'wore' our son 4-6 hours a day every day until he was 5 months and didn't want to be in the sling anymore (sad day for me). He is a calm, happy child who still snuggles with Mommy in the mornings and is generous with his hugs. My 2 1/2 cents. Regina, AMom to Ryan Joshua Thomas

Yes, it is indeed possible. And it doesn't always require hormone shots/pills, either. Some women can begin/continue the process using only a hand pump, some require herbs, and some require hormones or medications. Some women start producing milk right away, others require 3 months or more of preparation before they see results. Some women produce a lot of milk, and some only a trickle. Some do not produce any but choose to feed the baby at the breast anyway. Supplimental feeding tubes are sometimes used, if you want to breastfeed exclusively but don't produce enough milk. Remember all those notes in old books about "wetnurses"? That's what they did - breastfed someone else's baby! It wasn't uncommon at all just a few generations ago. As you've already seen, it's considered a "hot" topic. Just like the idea of adoption is seen as unnatural by some people, the idea of breastfeeding an adopted child is also seen as unnatural by some - sometimes even inside the adoption community. Adoptive mothers who do breastfeed have been accused of such things as "pretending the baby was born to them" or being "unwilling to admit to being the adoptive parent". Others assume the milk "won't be compatible" or in some other way "wrong" or "unnatural" for that child, because it was either "meant for a different type of child" or because it "had to be created with hormone shots". And don't forget the contingent of people who think that any breastfeeding is "icky" and believe "formula is the same anyway". (Breast vs bottle is a hot debate all its own!) Its a rather small percentage of people who fully support adoptive breastfeeding, but you'll find them, and they are on all sides of the triad. Absolutely ask anything you want to know! Just a caution that this is a rather controversial topic, and the answers will NOT always be supportive.

Dear Kazmum... My husband and I are in the very early planning stages of adopting a baby and this was something that I wondered as well...if there are any adoptive moms who were able to breastfeed. I have 3 birth son's of my own and I loved breastfeeding and if this is an option and all goes well, then I would certainly do this. So glad you asked this question!! :)

I am aware that this is a hot topic; therefore, I will try to be gentle. As an "all natural" 15 year vegetarian girl, I would have breastfeed a biological child had I had one. When we began the adoption process more than two years ago, I read voraciously about breastfeeding. While it can be done, most women require hormones; at some point, you must ask, "how natural is that?" If it is very important to you, then go for it. Most certainly, I do not believe that it increases the bond. Our daughter, who is now 13 months old, is a wonderfully loving, sociable (talkative) and precocious gal. Many, many, including the hospital nurses, who we visited on several subsequent occasions, and our doctor and nurses, comment how attached we all seem to be - "much much closer than many biological families." Our daughter drank only ProSobee from a bottle. Bonding is created through touch, time spent, etc. Each feeding was spent quietly with her, holding her, singing, alternating between my husband and myself. I have known many women, who express, who leave the baby to drink a bottle on his own. Don't feel less than if you choose not to breastfeed. To boot, our daughter has never had so much as a cold. Best of luck.

I breast feed my bio daugther until she was 1 yo. I produced so much milk I felt like a cow. It took me one year to dry up. I also breastfeed my adaughter until she was 9 months old. My adaughter was 3 weeks old when she arrived. I started to put her to the breast soon there after. I used a supplemental nurser (a bottle that has 2 little tubes attached to the breast and it all hang from your neck). I didn't use a pump, or meds. I stopped nursing her a month later because she had a super bad case of thrush and I got it. It was very painful. At four months, baby started rooting. I desided to give it another try. It was very succesfull and rewarding. My baby got about 50% of her milk from me and 50% from the nurser kit. If I were to adopt another baby, I would definetly nurse again, but this time I would use a medela pump, and meds. If you are wanting to try it, you could call La Leche League. They deffinetly have alot of info to share about this.

I am the mother of four 'natural children' and one adopted. The adopted one is the youngest. She came as a complete surprise when her birth mother rang us 10 weeks before she was due and asked us to take her. I had heard about adoptive breastfeeding, so set about trying to find out as much as posible about it. There are lots of websites out there, some with conflicting ideas about what to do, but here is what worked for me. I was lucky a neighbour gave me an electric breast pump, so I started pumping 8 weeks before baby was due. It is recomended that you pump 5 times a day, but I only managed once or twice. I also took fenugreek and blessed thistle. My doctor prescribed Maxalon, which I didn't take very often as it made me sleepy, (I am too busy to be sleepy). I perchased a suplimentary nursing system too. (a Medella) By the time our baby was born, I was producing a small amount of milk, I was able to put her to the breast within an hour of her birth. I used the suplimentary nursing system with her feeds and was lucky enough to have donated breast milk from my niece ( enough for 6 weeks) Compared to my 'natural' children, the milk production was slower, but it did happen. My advice, - surround yourself with positive people, and people who support your decision. While establishing milk supply, deligate household responsiblities to other members of the family. Relax and enjoy your baby. I only fed our little girl for 6 weeks, but it was well worth it. I think it helped with the bonding to the other children too. They adore her and wouldn't be without her now. She is now delightful six month old baby who is very securely attached to her family. She is truly a little blessing.

Kazmum- As an adoptive mother of a six month old, do I feel breastfeeding is necessary to bond? Absolutely not. I do however agree with Pblair about bonding being much QUICKER when breastfed. I did not bfeed my daughter and I really regret it now. I didn't have much interest because it seemed so unatural. Well, looking back I never really grieved over not being able to carry my daughter through pregnancy. I do grieve that we never shared those special moments associated with bfeeding. When she first came home (at 2 days old) I was in love with the IDEA of being a mom to her, I don't necessarily know if I was in love with HER and she "didn't know me from Adam". I felt like what I was providing her with (bottles, kisses, clean diapers, lullabies, etc) could be provided by virtually anyone. I longed to give her something no one else could...perhaps to "mark" her as mine. I also never felt so physically "broken" as when my daughter, only days old, tried to nuzzle in for milk and I could not provide it. I have/had never felt like less of woman than at that moment. So, I do now have a desire to bfeed my second child (should we be blessed with another one). I am not quite sure if my desires are more selfish than anything, but as everyone here has stated, it is a VERY personal decision that only you can make for yourself. Best of luck. I am sure whatever you decise...you will be a wonderful mommy!

It may be a little late for the OP. But, if anyone else is lurking and wondering, YES you can breastfeed an adopted child. [url]http://www.fourfriends.com/abrw/[/url] [url]http://members.tripod.com/Marimar_1/adoptionlinks.html#link12[/url] [url]http://www.asklenore.info/breastfeeding/induced_lactation/gn_protocols.html[/url]