Induced Lactation to start breastfeeding

Over the past month or so, I have been in contact with three ladies who were starting "induced lactation". It's where you stimulate breasts to produce milk, in the absence of a pregnancy or baby. This is common for women to try if they are planning to breastfeed an adopted baby, having a surrogate baby, or if they had started formula bottle feeding (and milk dried up) but want to start breastfeeding again.

Anyway, the three women that I was speaking to, they were all having surrogate babies.
This just made me stop and think for a moment, these women would have been on such a roller coaster stressful journey in order to have a baby, and what an overwhelming wonderful gift that another was able to carry a baby for them. Makes me appreciate my own 2 children!

I am so proud that these ladies were then starting to prepare for breastfeeding, for when their baby's arrive in a few months time.

They were purchasing breast pumps online from me (the choice was the Medela Swing electric breast pump), maternity bras, and breast pads. That's beside the point though.

I have since heard that all of these women have started to produce breast mik - even though they do not yet have a baby in their arms. So they are "pumping and dumping" all this milk. Even if they saved the breast milk and froze it, it would have expired by the time baby arrives. (See our breast milk storage guides online). Its a shame we don't have a milk bank in New Zealand to save wasting all the boobie juice.

Anyway, huge Thumbs Up to you 3 ladies. If you are reading this blog, just now that I am so inspired and proud of you. (keep me updated!!)

And also I heard recently that a lot of mothers are looking into relactation. Thats when you start breastfeeding again, after you had stopped or after you had weaned your baby. With the contaminated milk in formula, a lot of mothers are looking at relactation to feed their baby naturally again!