I would like to thank Barbara for sharing that wonderful story about the adoptive mom whom she helped to start nursing her five month old, after having thought that she could not nurse because she had not had time to pump.  I am honored to be mentioned in relation to such a success story, as well as reminded of my own wonderful experiences nursing my adopted children!

This is also another example of how important it is to get the word around that adoptive mothers can start nursing at any time, and don't have to be able to make preparations in advance.  I can say that, if it was necessary to pump in advance, I wouldn't be here, because I would not have nursed any of mine.  I had less than 24 hours notice with my first two, ten days with my third, about four days with my fifth, and two with my sixth.  I did have 10 weeks of waiting for a social worker to let my fourth baby, Julia out of foster care.  I spent part of that time pumping and taking herbs.  However, Julia, who finally came home at six and half months old, with many health and emotional problems, not only reacted VERY badly to my first attempts to nurse her, but would not even let me hold her facing me.  I did finally figure out how to get her to accept the breast, but it took over five months of patience and creativity.  Had I not already had nearly three years total experience nursing my first three, by this time, I don't think there would have been a prayer for me be able to figure out what to do.  Also, were it not for my experience nursing Thomas for over two years by the time Julia joined the family, I doubt that I would have had enough understanding for the benefits of toddler nursing, to keep me trying to establish a nursing relationship with a child who was approaching her first birthday.  As Julia goes through puberty, I feel more and more confident that the 15 months of toddler nursing that we did took our relationship to greater heights than even the very attentive bottle feeding we had done.  

You ladies who have the opportunity to help adoptive moms establish a breastfeeding relationship are truly contributing to making the world a better place!

Aloha,
Darillyn

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