Can you pump breast milk without being pregnant

PREGNANCY

Last modified on Tuesday 1 June 2021

Discover everything about producing breastmilk without being pregnant, including how long it takes to induce lactation, how successful it is and how to go about it.

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Induced lactation is a means of breastfeeding your baby if you haven't given birth to them. It allows even more mums the chance to breastfeed.

If you're thinking about trying induced lactation and wondering how it works, who can try it, and how long it takes, here's what you need to know.

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What is induced lactation?

Induced lactation is a way of encouraging your body to produce breastmilk without being pregnant.

It's most often used by adoptive parents, mums whose child was born via surrogate, and same-sex female couples who both wish to breastfeed their baby.

Can anyone try induced lactation?

Unless advised not to by a medical professional, most women can try induced lactation. However, everybody's different and the outcome can vary.

Some women may have a full supply of breastmilk, others may produce a small amount that they can top up with formula feed, and a small number of women may not produce any milk at all.

Women who have previously given birth or breastfed may find it easier to induce lactation. In women who have breastfed before, stimulating the breasts to produce milk without being pregnant or giving birth is called relactation.

Some medical conditions, including damage to the breasts and hormonal conditions, may make it harder to induce lactation.

How long does it take to induce lactation without being pregnant?

Most experts recommend leaving at least two months to induce lactation, although you may see drops of breastmilk between a few days and a month after starting.

How does induced lactation work?

Speak to a health professional

Before you start induced lactation, speak to your GP, a health professional or a breastfeeding counsellor.

They'll help you come up with a plan to work towards inducing lactation, or recommend a service that can help.

Medication

Some women choose to take medication to increase their chances of inducing lactation. This can be prescribed by a supportive GP or medical professional.

When you're pregnant, the hormones prolactin, progesterone and oestrogen prepare your body to make breastmilk.

Medication is often used to mimic pregnancy hormones and trick your body into thinking you've given birth. You may also be prescribed medication to help initiate and stimulate milk production.

Expressing

The hormone prolactin, which is produced in pregnancy to prepare your breasts to make milk, is also released when your nipples are stimulated by a feeding baby or expressing milk.

Using a breast pump or hand expressing several times a day to mimic a baby's feeding is the main way to induce lactation. Most women will start an expressing regime around two months before their baby arrives.

Inducing lactation takes time and commitment and it's important to have some support from your partner, a breastfeeding counsellor or health professional.

Other ways to help induce lactation

Once the baby arrives, maximising skin-to-skin contact, carrying them close to you, in a sling for example, and putting them to the breast more often can help increase your milk supply.

The Positive Birth Book: A New Approach to Pregnancy, Birth and the Early Weeks by Milli Hill is a must-read for expectant parents. See more details here at Amazon.

Ask our Parent Supporters your breastfeeding and induced lactation questions in our Drop-In Clinic below…

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Adoptive parents often want to know if there is anything they can do to induce lactation and nurse their new baby. To help you on your parenting journey, here is a look at what you can do to activate lactation and start producing breast milk for your child.

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How to Induce Lactation

Since breast milk is recommended as the best food for babies, many families who plan to adopt are interested in whether they will have this option with their new addition. The answer is: Yes. Breastfeeding an adopted baby through induced lactation is possible, but it takes plenty of planning, introspection, and support.

When you haven’t given birth, building up breast milk supply involves “tricking” your body with cues that tell it to produce milk. It’s important to understand that every woman’s body is different. Some adoptive moms will be able to build a full milk supply, and others may not make enough to completely sustain their baby without supplementation.

Remember: any amount of breast milk is of great value to a baby. The focus of adoptive breastfeeding and induced lactation should be the relationship and bond it helps mother and baby build. It’s also important to remember that breast milk supply tends to increase with regular nursing or pumping, so don’t be discouraged if your breast milk supply is low at first.

For adoptive parents who want to know what they can do to start producing breast milk even though they weren’t pregnant, here are some tips to help induce lactation and increase breast milk supply:

Work with a Lactation Professional. Reach out to your doctor, midwife, or a lactation consultant if you plan on inducing lactation. They can help you build a personalized plan based on your goals, connect you to resources, and provide important expert guidance. For some women, your healthcare provider may discuss the option of taking hormones that imitate the hormone levels of pregnancy.

These medications are stopped after a short while, tricking the body into sensing that a baby has been born (and thus producing breast milk). They may also recommend that you take certain galactagogues (lactation enhancements) to potentially help stimulate milk production. Consulting with a lactation professional is a great place to start for women who want to know how to induce lactation outside of pregnancy.

Stimulation and Expression. Starting about two months before the date when baby is expected to join your family is ideal for stimulating milk production if time permits. By introducing a routine of stimulus and expression for your breasts, you can help begin milk production and induce lactation naturally. Gently massage your breasts by hand for a few minutes, then use a hospital-grade (multi-user) double electric breast pump for about 10 minutes more.

Do this after waking, before going to sleep, and several times throughout the day for your body to begin reacting to the implied “demand” for breast milk. Drops of milk usually appear, on average, about a month or so after starting this routine, and milk supply typically builds over time.

Specialty-Feeding Devices. Adoptions can be unpredictable. Sometimes parents have plenty of time to prepare. Other families enjoy the arrival of their baby before the milk supply has a chance to develop. Specialty products like the Supplemental Nursing System (SNS) protect the option to breastfeed because it lets you supplement your baby directly at the breast.

The SNS allows expressed breast milk, donor milk, or formula to be fed through a thin silicone feeding tube that is taped to the nipple, providing baby with the sensation of feeding from the breast and sucking stimulation to help build your supply. If you are having trouble activating lactation, specialty feeding devices can simulate the nursing experience.

Track Your Progression. After inducing lactation, tracking your baby's feeding sessions and your pumping sessions with a convenient, easy-to-read printable log can help you stay organized, set realistic breast milk feeding goals, and best understand your breastfeeding journey in an "at-a-glance" way. Logs will also help you maintain regular pumping and nursing habits which, in turn, may help stimulate your breasts for increased lactation.

Creating a Bond With Your Baby

Breastfeeding is not just for biological families. With the proper preparation, expectations, and professional support for successful induced lactation, an adoptive mom can provide her child with the amazing benefits of breast milk and build a strong, nurturing, and loving bond along the way. Don’t be discouraged if you can’t induce lactation or produce enough milk to exclusively meet your baby’s needs. You’re creating a bond with your new addition that will last a lifetime.