For many women who use the surrogate to get their baby, the breastfeeding is a very important part to know that they haven’t given the birth to the baby- can they still breastfeed a baby?
Yes, it is possible nowadays that a woman who didn’t give the birth to a baby can breastfeed their baby born through surrogacy procedure. It will take some time and dedication also there are hormones, medications, and supplements which can allow the intended mother to breastfeed a baby born through surrogacy procedure.
Months before the pregnancy the fertility expert will prescribe the hormones medications to the intended mother which will be a birth controlling pills that help to trick the intended mother’s body and pretend that she is pregnant in order to stimulate the production of the breast milk. Once the baby born, your fertility expert will give the supplements and medication to the intended mother to promote that product.
In case, the intended mother is able to trick her body into making the breast milk, it’s likely that she is not able to produce enough milk to sustain the baby. In such cases, many women use a supplemental nursing system like surrogate’s milk or pumped milk. This allows the intended mother to have the benefits of breastfeeding, even if only for some of the time as for many women it is big for which breastfeeding is extremely important.
Self Feed
You can try inducing your own milk with hormones, pumping, and a galactagogue like domperidone (doctor-supervised only). Start months ahead. Most mothers will not get a full supply, but partial breastfeeding still counts and still bonds you both.
Surrogate
She can pump milk for you after birth if she is willing. It is not automatic or expected, so raise it early and put compensation, supplies, and shipping details into the contract before anyone assumes it is happening.
Formula/donor milk
Nothing wrong with this route at all. Formula-fed babies thrive just fine. Donor milk is another option, screened and available through milk banks, if breast milk matters to you but your own supply falls short.
Combination
Most families end up mixing methods anyway. A little of your own milk, some donor or surrogate milk, formula filling the rest. Feels less like a decision and more like whatever actually works day to day.
How to induce lactation?
There are three different medications which induce lactation and these are:
- Domperidone: A drug for stomach problems.
- Progesterone Contraceptive Pill: This drug can be used in conjunction with domperidone to speed up the lactation process.
- Metoclopramide: It is an anti-sickness drug and has a side-effect of activating the prolactin hormone. It has some nasty side-effects and can cause depression so it is not the preferred choice given by the fertility expert to take this medicine.
How to stimulate the nipples?
Some mother can do it after taking the medications or some can do it naturally. Your fertility expert will advise you to take an electric breast pump during the surrogate’s pregnancy and stimulate your nipples with it, several times daily. This method will help you in releasing the hormone, oxytocin, which is the love hormone. It is released during sex to trigger orgasm, during pregnancy to start labor and regulate contractions and reflex in which milk to flows down from the mammary glands.
This procedure will help you at the time when your baby is born and at that time you will be able to breastfeed them, at least partially. In some cases, women choose to wait until after the baby birth and then they stimulate their nipples by putting their baby to their breast, but this process might not produce a good supply of the milk and the women need to use formula or donated breast milk initially until they start to lactate.
Food and Herbs
In case a woman does not want to take the medication then she can try the herbal remedies or foods that have been shown to induce lactation. According to study, the coconut milk is the best food to have a good breast milk inducer and woman can also take the herbal teas which have been traditionally used to encourage lactation after surrogacy.
What is the Newman-Goldfarb protocol? How Does it Help?
With the help of a full, detailed table, you can go through the table and understand the details about Newman – Goldfarb protocol.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Three, really. You can try to induce your own milk supply and breastfeed. You can ask your surrogate to pump for you after she delivers. Or you go with formula. A lot of families end up doing some mix of these rather than picking just one; no rule says you have to commit to a single method.
Can you breastfeed a baby born through surrogacy?
Yes, and more women do this than you would think. It takes some legwork beforehand: hormones, a pump, patience, but plenty of intended mothers get there. Just do not go in expecting a full supply right away. Most women end up mixing their own milk with donor milk or formula, and that’s completely normal.
How early do I need to start preparing to induce lactation?
Start 3 to 6 months out if you can swing it. The earlier you begin the hormone phase, the more time your body has to build up the tissue that actually makes milk later on. If you find out about surrogacy later than that, you’re not out of luck; there’s a faster version of the protocol, but your supply probably won’t be as strong.
Can my surrogate breastfeed the baby instead?
Yes, actually nursing the baby herself is a lot rarer and is not something you can just assume will happen. If it is something you want, bring it up early and get it into the contract, along with what you’ll pay her for the time and the pumping supplies. It’s a big ask, and she’s under no obligation to say yes.
Will I be able to produce enough milk to fully feed my baby?
Probably not entirely on your own, and that is okay. There is a case study out there (PMC10309413) where a mother went through the whole protocol and her prolactin and milk output barely moved, but she still nursed for a month and said it was one of the most meaningful things she’d done. Milk volume and how much the experience means to you don’t seem to be tied together the way people assume.
It’s the method most doctors point to when they talk about inducing lactation for surrogacy or adoption. Dr Jack Newman and Lenore Goldfarb put it together: hormones first to trick your body into thinking it’s pregnant, then a medication plus pumping to kick off actual milk production once you stop the hormones. There is a longer version if you’ve got 6 months and a compressed one if you’re short on time.
Yes, and this is not optional. Any hormones or medication in this process need to come from a doctor who actually knows your health history, not something you pick up on your own. Get your blood pressure checked before you start, and once the baby’s here, let their paediatrician know you’re breastfeeding so they can keep an eye on things too.
Devender Gill is an experienced medical blogger & writer on the healthcare researcher with a strong focus on numerous treatments based on the official info from clinics aross network. He Specializes in creating accurate, easy-to-understand medical content covering, medical topics, for instance, IVF, Surrogacy, IUI, ICSI, and other essential ones.
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