An Assessment of the Experiences of Women Who Induced Lactation

The purpose of this study was to assess the experiences of women who induced lactation (or relactated) and provided breastmilk to infants to whom they did not give birth. Birth participants who stopped and then resumed breastfeeding for the same baby were also included. Participants, who had induced lactation/relactated/adoptive breastfed and/or provided breastmilk to their infants within the previous three years prior to their participation in the study, were asked to complete an internet-based survey designed to elicit their experiences. Of 235 participants (recruited by flyers sent to various health-care sources via the internet) who accessed the survey, 228 completed it, representing a 97% completion rate. The survey instrument was designed to assess overall experience, protocols or procedures followed, side-effects related to same, knowledge and support, feeding experiences, breastmilk production, breastfeeding duration, and demographics. The study employed a mixed method approach which facilitated the collection of quantitative and qualitative data. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The study was limited by a convenience sample of women who met the study qualifications.;Participants were primarily white/Caucasian, well-educated, Christian, married, high-income mothers, aged 23-58 years, located in North America. Successful participants who reported they produced the largest milk supplies had larger breasts and tended to follow a protocol or procedure that involved domperidone (a reputed galactogogue), a suitable birth control pill, and pumping. Participants with history of one or more pregnancies did not tend to produce larger peak milk supplies. Participants with history of one or more births prior to inducing lactation/relactation tended to produce larger peak milk supplies. Participants reported a successful (71%), satisfied (71%), overall experience and given the opportunity would induce lactation/relactate again (83%). It is not possible within this study to establish if domperidone is the key variable to explain such reported milk outcomes. Neither is it possible to establish the strength of the association between milk production and number of previous births. Further study using a different methodological approach than a survey comparing various protocols and procedures would need to be implemented to ascertain the strength of these associations.