When adopting a baby, does the adoption agency encourage the adoptive mother to induce lactation?
As an adoptee and former lactation consultant, my answer would be I most certainly hope not. It would be best for the child’s natural mother to breastfeed the baby until the baby is a year old. The most beneficial milk from a mother is “colostrum” which is produced just before and after childbirth. Thats where most of the mother’s immunities come from. It is IMPOSSIBLE, even with artificial hormonally induced lactation, for a woman to produce this unless she has just given birth. Breastfeeding an adoptive child is for the benefits of the adoptive mother, NOT the adopted child. Inducing lactation artificially is just that- artificial and full of synthetic hormones. Yuck. A non childbirth giving mother will never be able to produce enough milk for a baby…even with hormones. She would have to supplement her artificially synthetic created milk with formula. Adoptive mothers want to do this for the bonding aspect…well, that baby KNOWS she is not his or her natural mother. You cannot foo
