Betsy

You ask about the feasibility of a mother of a 5 month old very constipated
baby relactating after an interval of 3.5 months.

Yes!  It's possible! Several years ago I worked with a mother of an 8 month
old who relactated on the advice of her doctor for the same problem.  The
baby had been weaned at 5 months (an interval of 3 months) and became
horribly constipated.  Mom succeeded in bringing in a partial breastmilk
supply and found that 250 ml of breastmilk fed to the baby by bottle in each
24 hours worked to resolve the constipation.  She never was able to persuade
the baby to take the breast again, but her doctor had advised that she
should provide EBM until the little chap was 14 months old, and she did!

The longest interval I have personally worked with between weaning and
relactation is 6 months - a baby weaned at 8 weeks and mom wanting to
relactate for him at 8 months.  This one did even better, working up to
about 340 ml EBM per day.  Again, the baby was not persuaded to take the
breast, but he did have the breastmilk, and did well on it.

I find that these mothers feel so proud of what they achieve - and rightly
so. I would *always* encourage a mother to relactate, for any reason.  It is
*always* worthwhile, in any amount!  Best to your client.

Pamela Morrison, IBCLC, Zimbabwe
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