How to breastfeed an adopted infant? This is the most common and preliminary question that is faced by mothers who have opted for adoption. Breast milk production in a woman is a natural process that starts when the pregnant woman reaches the end of second trimester of her pregnancy. The entire process is highly regulated through an orchestrated hormonal network inside the woman's body mainly involving estrogen, progesterone, prolactin and oxytocin. Infertile women or women who are not pregnant do not produce breast milk. However, it is possible to induce lactation or breast milk production in such women.
Lactation can be induced just by making the baby constantly suckle at the breast. Suckling induces production of hormones that play a major role in the development of mammary glands in women. The hormones positively effect the formation of milk in the alveoli sacs.
While some adoptive women have never given birth to a child, there are also adoptive women who have been pregnant once or else might have breast-fed children earlier. In both the cases, women can utilize breast pumps to stimulate the breasts for lactation. This should be in coordination with the time when the adopted baby is expected to arrive home. Apart from this, there are various stimulating devices available commercially in the market.
Formation of breast milk can be determined with the changes in the menstrual cycle. Menstrual cycles are entirely hormone-dependant and change whenever there is any deviation in the hormonal levels inside the body. It is easier to induce lactation while nursing newborn babies. Bottle feed can also be used for feeding when the nursing mother is unable to generate sufficient milk during the initial days of lactation.
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