Can someone lactate if they have never lactated before, as in induced lactation?

It is possible to induce lactation when adopting a baby or if a baby was born via a surrogate. Someone who induces lactation will most likely need to supplement with donor milk. For assistance with induced lactation, please see a lactation consultant and/or a healthcare professional.

There are protocols designed to prepare someone’s breasts for making breastmilk just as happens during pregnancy. These protocols are often more effective in inducing lactation than pumping and stimulating the breasts alone and/or putting the baby at the breast when baby arrives.1

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  1. International Breastfeeding Center – Newman and Goldfarb protocols for Induced Lactation ↩︎