Hi Lucy,

I would say that if she gets the baby to the breast she will almost
certainly get milk. It is extremely common for women not to get any milk
prior from pumping. The changes in her breast are a very positive sign.

With the hormonal protocol. I would guess that it is Jack Newman's one that
you have seen. There have never been any controlled trials with any
protocols for induction of lactation and I doubt that there ever will be so
that sort of evidence you are looking for doesn't exist. However, from what
I have heard it does seem to help. There are other drugs that can be used
for shorter term. In Papua New Guinea the drugs used include 50 ug
ethinyloestradiol 3x per day for a week or 100 mg Depoprovera once. However,
I do think that many women can rely on the drugs to work magic for them and
miss the most crucial action which is to have the baby at the breast as much
as possible, cosleep, skin to skin, no separation!!  No drug can replace
these things and any mother who wishes to maximise her milk production
should be told that this is essential. WOmen in developing countries
regularly and routinely produce full milk supplies for adopted babies at
least in part because of their frequent breastfeeding and close proximity to
their children.

I also think that the job of increasing the confidence of this woman in her
ability to breastfeed her child and produce milk is so important. Jelliffe
and Jelliffe in a 1971 letter to the editor of Pediatrics in reference to
induced lactation stated that there are 3 things necessary for breastfeeding
to be successful. The first is knowledge, the second is confidence and the
third is a suckling baby. Women wishing to breastfeed their adopted child
routinely have this second essential factor removed from them by those
ignorant of breastfeeding but unfortunately often by breastfeeding
specialists and advocates. Women need to know that they can breastfeed.

Karleen Gribble
Australia

 Do
> you think there's much chance of her getting any milk if there's none so
far
> from pumping?
>
> Also, has anyone known of a mother who has tried taking birth control
pills
> for some months to simulate pregnancy  before beginning pumping prior to
> adopt a baby.  It's too late for this particular adopting mother but I saw
> it recommended on a web site and was curious about whether there was any
> validity to it. Any literature anywhere about it?

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