Wish ListAdoptive Breastfeeding-Relactation
Relactation was traditionally referred to as the process of a woman restarting lactation after a break of weeks or months to feed her baby. However, we now consider relactation much more broadly.
Adoptive breastfeeding-relactation can include commencing lactation for a broad range of reasons. You may have had difficulties feeding your baby at birth and now, weeks or months later, want to try again. You may be adopting a baby, expecting a surrogate baby, or being a lesbian parent but not the birth mother. Another is that you may have a sick child who you feel would benefit from breastmilk support. Whatever the reason, the motivation is generally the same – you think breastmilk and breastfeeding are essential for this child.
This section offers articles to support your journey toward adoptive breastfeeding-relactation. In the article Relactation, we explore one woman’s story of relactation after a traumatic birth and illness early in her baby’s life. Induced Lactation Adoptive Breastfeeding we explore how lactation can be induced, with or without having a pregnancy, the potential challenges, and steps you can take to increase your success.
Do you have a story about your experience of adoptive breastfeeding-relactation that you would like to share? We are always looking for new content, and nothing is more supportive than the words of someone who has been there (or is there). If you have a story to share or would like to suggest a topic you’d like to read more about, please email Pregnancy Birth and Beyond.
Read more about Adoptive Breastfeeding-Relactation
Relactation
A personal and challenging story about relactation. Since I was a little girl, as silly as it may sound, my life's goal was to be a mother. Someday I would have a baby whom I would love with all my heart and, naturally, I would breastfeed. My mother was heavily involved with the La Leche League, a Q global breastfeeding organization, and breastfed my brother and I until we were 6 and two and a half, respectively. When she
Induced Lactation Adoptive Breastfeeding
When most of us think of a breastfeeding mother, we automatically link this with pregnancy. After all, in order to breastfeed, don’t you first have to give birth to a baby? The truth is that while conventionally speaking pregnancy and breastfeeding are intrinsically linked. It is possible for a woman to develop a breast milk supply without ever having given birth, or long after she has done so. This is referred at as induced lactation or adoptive breastfeeding. Throughout