Adopting babies is becoming more commonplace especially with the surge of adoptions from overseas countries. Women adopting after having breastfed other children or even those adopting their first child are seeking information on adoptive nursing. A 2005 article in the Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health reported on 32 adopted children who breastfed from their adoptive mothers. Adopted children may have difficulty with attachment development and difficulty expressing grief over the loss of their birth mother. The mothers felt that breastfeeding helped develop a relationship with the child, gave the child comfort and reduced their stress.
Previously, mothers would put their adopted children to the breast, but most were unable to obtain a full milk supply for their babies. In hopes of giving mothers not only the relationship of breastfeeding, but also the health benefits of the milk, Dr. Jack Newman and Lenore Goldfarb, IBCLC developed a protocol to help mothers induce lactation. Ms. Goldfarb’s child was carried by a gestational surrogate. Mom and dad’s egg and sperm were used, but the baby was carried in another woman’s body as Lenore had suffered eight miscarriages. She sought the help of Dr. Newman to develop a plan so her body would make milk. She successfully nursed her son for 8 months.
If you know a mother who plans to adopt and wishes to induce lactation, the BRC can help. The BRC has helped a few mothers with the Newman-Goldfarb protocol and the staff has learned a great deal from each mother they’ve worked with to help them reach their breastfeeding goal
If you wish to learn more about Lenore Goldfarb’s story, please visit www.asklenore.com.
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