Adoption and Breast Feeding

Adoption and Breast Feeding

As I’ve noticed, it’s a touchy topic, but for some reason it was on my mind as I went to bed last night.

I was reading The Other Boleyn Girl, and something about a wet nurse came up, which made me think about some of the A moms who have chosen to breast feed their adopted child.

Just so you know where I stand, I just don’t get it, but that’s because breast feeding for me was a nightmare! I understand the benefits of breast milk, and with Damien (my 1^st child) I never had that natural urge to breast feed. Actually the thought of it was appalling. With Natalie, since her father, uncle, and ALL cousins were breast fed, I kind of got pressured into doing so, even though I really did NOT want to. Needless to say, even with help from the lactation specialist, we still could not get Natalie to latch on properly, which caused soreness, bleeding, Natalie losing weight, having to supplement with formula, pumping, and breast feeding, resulting in me having a psychological issue with my breast being touched, in short; I NEVER want to deal with breast feeding again. So for those of you who want to breast feed and enjoy doing so, MORE POWER TO YOU!!

Back to the topic at hand, Adoption and breast feeding. Since I correlate breast feeding with my terrible experience, it is very hard for me to put my personal opinion aside, but when you only look at the benefits of breast feeding, it is a truly wonderful experience (so I’ve heard) for the child and mother to bond. So in trying to think about the side of an adoptive mother, who may or may not have had biological children, if she has bio children and breast fed those children, why would she not also want to share that time of bonding with her adopted child and raise them no different then the children she has given birth to? Or for the mother who has always said when she has children she will breast feed, just because she was biologically unable to have children, does that also take away her right to breast feed?

Just food for thought I guess, enough talk about breast feeding my boobs can’t take it any more!! Hahaha!