Page 1 of 2

For some adoptive mothers the idea is abhorrant but for others, breastfeeding is the best way to bond with their adopted child.

The idea of being able to breastfeed a child when you have not given birth may sound unlikely but it is certainly not impossible.

And for anyone thinking that it may be for them, the National Childbirth Trust is the place to seek advice.

The process is officially called relactation and while in the West it is not a procedure that is done often, in Third World countries it is quite commonplace, probably because of higher mortality rates of mothers and poverty.

When a mother dies, somebody has to take her place and feed the baby left behind and that job is often left to the mother's next of kin, such as the infant's grandmother or aunt.

In the West it is most commonly found in cases of surrogacy but mothers who adopt babies also sometimes try to breastfeed - try being the operative word.

What are you views on this? Contact us and let us know.

For babies are a bit like leading the proverbial horse to water - you can offer them the breast but you can't make them suckle. That is especially so, says the NCT's relactation expert Kathy McGlew, if they are over a certain age.

"It is possible, but there are no guarantees," she said. "It is harder for babies over six months than for newborns who have an instinct to root for the breast."

And if a baby has been bottle-fed for a while, they may find it difficult to suddenly latch onto a breast because the sucking action is different.

Kathy says that with adoption, parents tend to fall into two groups when it comes to the idea of breast feeding. "It doesn't appeal to everyone. Some think it is not right to breastfeed as that is something that should belong to the birth mother.

"And then there are others who think it the most wonderful thing they could do. Sometimes mothers just want to do it for an extra bond.

"Some mothers want to produce all the milk a baby needs and for other just to achieve some milk is a great event."

Next page