Hi Shannon

First of all, I'm not sure what you mean by "natural pumping". I do understand, however, what you mean by stimulaton by a significant other person. This is something I've mentioned one-to-one when providing guidance on inducing lactation, even back in the days when people found it a bit shocking to talk about. Some examples I've come across in 47 years of interest in this field are:
- stimulation by a partner (male or same sex)
- stimulation at the breast by another baby "borrowed" for the purpose (in close kinship or friendship groups)
- a mother with unusually high breasts being able to self-stimulate with mouth (Rarely would this be anatomically possible. I've only come across this once.)

While women who are inducing lactation in Australia and America today will almost certainly use an industrial-grade breast pump, this hasn't always been so. My Bibliography of Induced Lactation and Relactation (available from me by email on request) lists papers where such electronic/mechanical assistance wasn't used, or pre-dating development of the pumps you referred to. There are also studies with or without chemical assistance. That said, women in our countries will most likely choose the methods they feel comfortable with, which involve mechanical/electronic assistance and galactogogues (bearing in mind tht not all galactogogues are equal). I prefer that pumps aren't introduced till some milk has appeared after hand expression and other stimulation (massage, partner stimulation). My concern is that getting straight into high-grade pumping on breasts that have never lactated or not for a long time may risk damage. It is also desirable for the woman concerned to get comfortable with handling her breasts, and go on from there into hands-on pumping.

For more information, look at my chapter on induced lactation and relactation in the 3rd edition of the ILCA Core Curriculum for Lactation Consultant Practice. (I have no financial involvement in this.)

Virginia

Dr Virginia Thorley
Private Practice Lactation Consultant (cohort of 1985), and
Honorary Research Fellow
School of History, Philosophy, Religion & Classics
The University of Queensland, QLD 4072
email: [log in to unmask]
Australia

Shannon wrote:
During a recent conversation about induced lactation (for a situation where there is not yet a baby in the home), I was asked about the effectiveness of "natural" pumping / breast stimulation by a significant other instead of a breastpump.  I cannot recall any prior professional discussion about this question.  Seperating the question from the situation, do you have any prior clinical experiences with a similar case?  I am quite familiar with induced lactation and the Newman-Goldfarb Protocol.  But, when it has become time for the consistent breast stimulation via milk removal phase, I have only ever known the "formula" to progress with the use of a industrial-grade pump.  Perhaps, in addition to some of the more obvious issues such as timing, access, stamina, sensitivity, etc, there could be other more practical issues such as the actual collection of milk for storage, consistency, vacuum, etc.  Before I will follow-up with a family who has posed this question, I desired to reach out to my peers.  Help!


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