Bengaluru: For many adopting a child is itself a daunting proposition, but one woman from the city not only adopted a five month old, but also went on to breastfeed her just like she had done with her own child.
“You don’t need to have a biological bond to nurse your adopted child,” says Chetana Ajit, 36, who adopted two and a half year old Tamia when she was five month olds and when she already had a daughter, Disha, who is now seven.
“I was already breastfeeding my five-year-old when Tamia came into our lives. While pregnancy and childbirth prepare the body for breastfeeding, there are several induced lactation and relactation protocols available to help mothers breastfeed without giving birth. These are especially helpful for mothers, who are interested in adoptive breastfeeding,” she says, adding, “Depending on the baby’s temperament and personality, some take to breastfeeding faster than others."
Chetana explains that she always wanted to nurse her adopted baby. “I was anxious when I used a nipple shield and dropped formula from a bottle into it. She latched on and suckled for almost 15 minutes. I was ecstatic.”
She also followed simple steps like increasing breast simulation, nursing Tamia after supplementing her, breast massage, and using a homemade lactation aid.
“I consumed galactagogues to aid my efforts to relactate and made a lactation aid at home by watching You tube videos to help her latch on and learn how to nurse. All it took was two tries for both of us to get comfortable and start using the lactation aid, which helps to eliminate artificial nipples. The baby too learns to breastfeed while getting adequate nourishment,” she adds.
