As a pump rental station and a LLL, I have worked with a couple of adoptive
mothers.  One had a terrible time in the hospital.  She wanted to breastfeed
right away, but because she had not legal rights to the baby, she was not
allowed to, even though there was a signed letter from the birth mother in
the charts.  This mother got the patient advocate or social worker involved,
who communicated with all parties involved and finally the adoptive mom was
able to breastfeed.  This mom used an SNS and did not bring in a full supply,
but said that the bonding was wonderful.  My question is:  When working with
adoptive moms, what should we tell them about trying to breastfeed
immediately after birth if they are able to be there at that time?  Do
hospitals have any protocols on this?   This seems like a real gray area, and
caught me by suprise when I heard about my client's difficulty.  After she
had gone to all the work of bringing in milk, and then being denied the
chance to breastfeed in the first couple of days of the baby's life seemed
too cruel.
Pam Palty, M.Ed., ICCE, LLLL
Parker, CO