How to Induce Lactation for Adoptive Mothers in 3 Steps

by Candace Wohl

Article republished with permission from Adoption.net

Original post written November 21, 2013

Posted to the ABC's of Surrogacy on April 30, 2014

 

Do you want to know who I have a small chick-crush on? If I was into that kind of thing…Selma Hayek. Yes, she is in movies, sickeningly beautiful blah blah blah. It has absolutely nothing to do with what has made her a star. The reason Selma is so incredible is she has huevos. Hard boiled, not over-easy. She made headlines a few years back when she made a good will trip to Sierra Leone. She rocked the Western World newspapers and media of all sorts because she breastfed a starving, malnourished baby that was not her own. GASP!

 

Sierra Leone is a country where they have one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. Partly due to malnutrition and poverty. Hold on, wait a second isn’t breast milk free? Why, yes it is. In some areas of this country it is traditionally unacceptable to have any sexual interactions with a woman who is breastfeeding. (Personally, I know when I hold out on my husband for more than a few days, he is a whiny baby and acts as if the world is going to spin off axis and implode, or maybe that is just what he thinks his man-parts will do.) Either way this sexual pressure from the woman’s partner is persuading the mothers to stop nursing and their milk reserve is drying up as a result. Perhaps it is poor education of anatomy or the inability to abstain. Whichever reason you feel stronger about, babies are perishing in the name of an uneducated tradition. Selma, we could all learn something from your left boob. That one small act of kindness made waves.

 

I shared that story because it inspired me. I do not plan on going to Sierra Leone to breastfeed, but I do have a much different view on nursing. Specifically as it relates to an adoptive baby or one born through surrogacy.

 

So now what? How do I produce milk if my body is not physically going through that specific change? During a pregnancy, lactation is naturally triggered by the “trifecta” of 3 key hormones: estrogen, progesterone, prolactin. In a pregnancy, estrogen and progesterone hormones are elevated and if you have ever gone through fertility procedures you know your RE loves prescribing those specific hormones. When a woman gives birth the estrogen and progesterone levels drop significantly and prolactin increases. The result, lactation. To induce lactation you have to essentially trick your body into replicating the biological process of pregnancy.

 

Step 1.

 

It is important that if you do decide to induce lactation for your adopted child or baby through surrogacy, you have to have your army of resources lined up and contacted.  First on the contact list is your baby’s doctor or your OBGYN about your plans to induce lactation. You may need a script for medication and they will also need to be in the loop to help monitor your production as it relates to your baby getting enough nutrition. Try also considering to reaching out to your local La Leche League Leader and local groups. They have a well-connected support network to help aid you throughout your nursing process and a vast collection of resources for any questions you may come across.  Finally, it could also be beneficial checking with a Lactation Consultant or Nursing Mothers Counselor.

 

Step 2.

 

Decide on whether you want to naturally induce lactation or opt for hormone therapy to help stimulate your lovely lady lumps. It is a personal decision. Naturally inducing lactation requires techniques such as massaging, nipple stimulation and suckling. The first two are fairly straight forward but, suckling? You can use a pump to help with this method or use your partner. Not sure how I feel about my partner “suckling” on my breast to help with natural stimulation, however if my milk did decide to come in during the group effort act it will be interesting to see what the surprised reaction from the male half would be. Hormonally inducting lactation requires guidance from your doctor since they will need to write you a few prescriptions to help trick your body into pregnancy mode. There are different protocols depending on the individual’s health history and provider but some of the regularly prescribed medications doctors use include: birth control pills, Metoclopramide (Reglan), Domperidone (Motilium), and sulpiride (Eglonyl, Dolmatil, Sulfite, Sulparex, and Equemote).  This is one of those situations where step 1 is a good starting point to ask these questions. Especially considering some drugs like Reglan can cause some side effects such as depression and anxiety.

 

Step 3.

 

Pump it up! I will admit when I finally worked up the gall to walk into Baby’s R Us without simultaneously busting out in tears, I was lost. Personally I have spent 7 years trying to build my family, but did not know the first thing about babies, parenting or any of the gadgets that came along with the stroller coaster. If you decided that inducing lactation is for you, picking out the right breast pump is critical. This is definitely one of the situations where you get what you pay for so don’t skimp on it.  Yeah, that other breast pump may be $50 cheaper, but if it doesn’t work right, then it is just a big hunk of useless irritation. What separates each type of pump is:

 

·       Suction power of the pump

 

·       Release and suction cycle control options

 

·       The amount of release and suction cycles in a minute the pump produces

 

There are hand pumps, where you manually pump and electronic pumps which is where you set it and forget it. Generally, the more suction and release cycles per minute the more effective the pump is. Slower cycling can be hard on your nipples, no pun intended. Some of the higher end pumps can cycle around 60 times a minute. Don’t have that kind of money to spend on a higher end pump? Problem solved, you can rent them! Many hospitals, baby stores, and pharmacies offer rental options. No need to get the heebie jeebies now, they are sterilized and are replaced with new tubing, attachments and filters. One other thing to look into if you are looking to save money is that your insurance may now have coverage for breast pumps and supplies. Isn’t that the breast news you have heard all day?