Is it possible to breastfeed without giving birth

Babies are hardwired to breastfeed at birth. If you are able to put your baby to the breast right away then the procedures you will follow will be the same as if you had given birth to your baby, like those described in Baby-Led Latch: How to awaken your baby's breastfeeding instincts. If your baby has a strong preference for bottles, it is still possible to teach him to breastfeed. When you are working to teach your baby to take your breast, it is important to be patient and relax.

The older your baby is, the more time it may take for him to be comfortable being skin-to-skin with you. A child who has experienced neglect or abuse will need time building trust and attachment before he will be ready to breastfeed Gribble, There are many ways to get to know your baby and become comfortable being in the close physical contact required of breastfeeding:.

Perhaps you have been preparing and inducing lactation for several months, or maybe you started when you met your baby. Either way, the key to establishing breastfeeding with your baby is time together. Research shows that adoptive mothers in developing countries are more successful at producing more milk than mothers in the West.

These mothers in may have higher milk production due to cultural differences that are conducive to breastfeeding such as frequent breastfeeding and remaining in close physical contact with their babies. Their cultures may be more supportive of breastfeeding as well. Emulating the mothering styles of women in developing countries, and creating a support network for breastfeeding may help to maximize your milk production Gribble, The more your breasts are stimulated, and the more milk you remove, the more milk your body will produce.

Be patient; the first milk you may notice will be a few drops, and the increase is very gradual. Nursing as much as possible is the best way to increase production and decrease the need for supplements. If at all possible, feed only at the breast using an at-breast supplementer.

Offer both breasts twice at every feeding, and use breast compressions to maximize the amount of milk removed. Encourage comfort nursing between feedings.

Offering the breast without supplemental milk flowing provides more stimulation to your breasts and keeps the baby interested and comfortable with nursing at a breast with less milk flow. If baby is unable or unwilling to nurse without the supplementer, consider expressing milk between feedings. As you are able to produce more milk, you can decrease the amount of supplemental milk your child is receiving. One technique for decreasing supplements that can work well is to start by eliminating supplements in the morning, when milk flow is usually highest.

Try not supplementing after the first morning feeding. Each time your baby finishes nursing on one side, offer the other side. Keep offering the other breast until baby seems satisfied or falls asleep.

Gradually delay the first supplement later and later. When your baby begins to eat solid foods, let the solids begin to replace supplemental milk, not time at the breast. Finally, make sure you have built a support system. Read as much as you can about adoptive breastfeeding and induced lactation. The resources below will give you a place to start. My Adoptive Breastfeeding Story.

Breastfeeding My Adopted Child. We Are Breastfeeding. My Adoptive Breastfeeding Journey. Becoming Nana. Websites and online articles. Breastfeeding Outside the Box Podcasts. Buckley, K. International Breastfeeding Journal Gribble, K. Breastfeeding Review; The more often a baby suckles at your breast, the more likely your breasts will make milk.

As a first step, try putting your baby to the breast to see if they are happy to suck. There are many other things you can try to help your baby to breastfeed:. Making any bottle feeds more like breastfeeding by holding your baby close and using a slow flow bottle teat.

Using a breastfeeding supplementer can help to keep your baby sucking, as it gives them extra milk while they breastfeed. Putting a bottle teat filled with milk over your nipple to help get your baby used to taking milk in this way. Triggering your let-down reflex if you already have some milk before offering your baby a breastfeed. Once your baby is breastfeeding, there are many things you can do to encourage your baby to breastfeed often:.

Sleeping close to your baby makes it easier to feed at night. Night feeds are very helpful for building a milk supply. Avoid anything that makes your baby suck less, such as a dummy. Instead, offer a breastfeed as a way to help settle them.

Women vary greatly in how they respond to pumping. It is a good idea to pump at least six to eight times a day. Many find that this amount of expressing is enough to start them making milk. It may be helpful to pump even more often than this, including at least once during the night. It is better to pump more often, for shorter periods, than less often for longer periods.

Start out slowly, pumping only for 5—10 minutes on low suction to begin with. Gradually increase the length of each expressing session up to about 15—20 minutes. Using an electric pump with a double kit is best. This takes milk from both breasts at once. Not only does it save you time, but pumping both breasts at once results in higher prolactin levels, more let-downs and milk with a higher energy content than pumping one breast at a time.

Make sure that your pump is working well and is suited to long-term use. Some of the smaller pumps, like those that take batteries or that only allow you to pump one breast at a time, are not designed for constant use and may lose their suction with time and just not work properly. The ABA booklet Breastfeeding : expressing and storing breastmilk has information about expressing, handling, storing and cleaning procedures.

The website article Expressing and storing breastmilk contains helpful information too. Some women use hand expressing only to build their milk supply. If you have been only pumping and find that your milk supply is not increasing, try doing some hand expressing after pumping or between pumping times. This may help to encourage your breasts to increase the amount of milk they make.

The emptier the breasts, the stronger the message they get to make more milk. Healthy Lifestyle Infant and toddler health. Products and services. Free E-newsletter Subscribe to Housecall Our general interest e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.

Sign up now. I'm adopting a newborn, and I'd like to breastfeed the baby when I bring him home. Can I produce breast milk if I haven't been pregnant? Answer From Melissa A. Kurke, R. With Melissa A. Show references Lawrence RA, et al. Induced lactation and relactation including nursing an adopted baby and cross-nursing. Elsevier: Accessed May 20, Wambach K, et al. Women's health across the childbearing years.

In: Breastfeeding and Human Lactation. Jones and Bartlett Learning; Campbell SH, et al. Induced lactation and relactation. Jones and Bartlett Publishers;