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Male Lactation: How Gay Men can Breast-Feed their Adoptive or Surrogate Children

© Claudia McCreary

With the help of some herbs and breast pumping, a man can indeed nurse a child - the same way a woman can breast feed her adoptive child.

Social Issues with Male Breast-Feeding

Male breat-feeding is extremely rare for several reasons. Society isn’t prepared for a man to breast-feed. Peaceful public breast-feeding may be impossible. Also, breast-feeding may increase breast size, something that may not be desirable to you, your partner, or others.

Another reason is that your partner may not be completely on board, or you may not get a lot of support from your families, especially if coming out was difficult. It is best to discuss this with both sets of family. Make it as easy on them as you can and give them plenty of time and patience.

Physical and Medical Problems with Male Breast-feeding

It is important to realize that you may not be able to produce enough milk to sustain your child on breast milk alone. Don’t be upset - there are special supplements that are delivered externally, by a tube near the nipple. They were invented for women, but work equally well for men.

There may not be a lot of medical support for you. You will need a doctor to prescribe the meds and it helps to have one available for when you have problems. Allow your lactation specialist to suggest a doctor who will work with you and your particular needs.

Herbs and Drugs for Better Breast-Feeding

There are three herbs that are effective at helping breast-feeding: blessed thistle, alfalfa, and fenugreek. Of these, fenugreek is considered the most effective. There are also herbs that can slow down your milk supply and make successful breastfeeding difficult: herb Robert, lemon balm, oregano, large amounts of parsley, peppermint, periwinkle herb, sage, sorrel, and spearmint.

Some drugs have a side effect of causing lactation and it seems like the best one may be Domperidone (Motilium™). Raglan has also been used to induce lactation, but it can't be used for extended periods of time without serious side effects.

Resources:

• Lact-Aid International: Information on breastfeeding with the original, and most highly recommended, device available for providing formula supplement to a baby at the breast.
• La Leche League International
• The Nursing Mothers' Association of Australia:  A good resource for breastfeeding information and support, and related equipment.