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From Bottle to Breast – The Remaking of Mother's Milk
by Alisa Ikeda
Perhaps you left the hospital intending to feed your baby formula, but you now long to breastfeed, or your little one's system has proven intolerant to formula. Maybe you've been apart from your newborn due to hospitalization and
your milk has already "dried up." Perhaps you got off to a poor breastfeeding start because you had an unusually difficult time healing after a c-section, or your baby "weaned" far earlier than you'd hoped.
Maybe you're adopting and would love the chance to breastfeed. Read on! With a little know-how and lot of patience, you can indeed make—or remake—mother's milk.
Relactation and Induced Lactation Relactation, the rebuilding of one's milk supply weeks or even months after lactation has stopped, or induced lactation, the production of milk from where there was none (as may be the case
with adoptive moms), are both viable options for any woman eager to breastfeed. But under these circumstances, the making of milk is a time-consuming undertaking likely to be fraught with moments of heartbreak, frustration, and
worry How it Works Ideally, a woman's pregnancy prepares her body to produce milk, the experience of birth gets the milk "flowing," and her baby's suckling provides the demand that keeps the milk supply up. Though
this may not have been the case in your particular situation, that doesn't mean you can't now make milk. Prolactin and oxytocin, the milk-making and milk-releasing hormones, are pituitary (not ovarian) hormones. That means even
a woman who's never been pregnant may be able to lactate, as may a woman who has had a hysterectomy. Both prolactin and oxytocin are produced in direct response to nipple stimulation by massage, breast pump, and baby's nursing.
Most effective in stimulating your milk supply, of course, is your baby. So nurse as frequently as possible. Next to your baby, an efficient hospital-grade double-electric pump, used frequently (every two to three hours) for about
15 minutes a session, may be your ace in the hole. How Much Milk Will You Get and When? Be patient, as your milk may be painfully slow in coming. Don't be discouraged by mere drops after weeks of effort Don't fall prey to performance anxiety, as it will only hinder milk production. Rest assured that
most all mothers are able to produce at least some milk, though the amount varies considerably from woman to woman. If you view supplementation as your ally in this process, you'll be much happier, more relaxed, and pleasantly
surprised by all that you do make. Remind yourself that any amount of mother's milk will benefit your baby. It's impossible to determine how long it will take to build your supply. It is known that the hormone level is naturally
highest in mothers who delivered a baby within three months. So if you're a mom trying relactation within that 3-month window, you're chances for success are especially high. Breast Over Bottle It will, of course, be
easier to "train" a 10-day-old newborn to take the breast over a bottle than it will a 5-month-old baby. A baby must work harder at the breast than at a bottle, so many babies habituated to bottle feedings may initially
be reluctant to nurse. Make the transition a gradual and gentle one. Start by bottle-feeding the baby in nursing position, keeping her cheek close to your bare breast, and positioning her such that she must turn in toward you to
take the bottle. Offer the breast frequently, and always before the bottle, but don't fret if she doesn't readily suckle. She will in time. Many relactating or induced lactating women opt for a supplemental feeding system like
Medela's Supplemental Nursing System (SNS) and the Lact-Aid Nursing Trainer, which can help you to nourish your baby at the breast whether or not you're yet producing milk. A hidden pouch holds supplemental milk or formula, and a
small, discreet tube is taped to your breast to extend just beyond your nipple. At once, baby is rewarded for suckling your breast, she gets enough nourishment, and she stimulates your own milk production. As your milk comes in,
you'll find yourself able to gradually lessen the amount of supplementation needed to satiate her. Note: Be sure to have your baby's weight gain closely monitored by a supportive pediatrician. More Milk, Please With
these supply boosters up your sleeve, your milk-making success is even more likely:
Just Rewards Breastfeeding For Further Support:
—not because you think you should but because you truly
want to experience the unparalleled closeness of breastfeeding.
La Leche League
International Lactation Consultant Association http://www.ilca.org
Alisa Ikeda is a
writer and editor in Marin County, California, with a B.A. in sociology and a background in book publishing. She loves the sweet—and wild—ride of
motherhood and is utterly smitten with the two most charming men in her life: her April 1999 baby Sawyer and her husband Mike. At The Baby Corner, she enjoys writing about that which is nearest and dearest to her new-mom heart
Frog illustrations by Clare Mackie
Recently modified: Wednesday, April 06, 2005
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