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NURSING
PARKER-DANIIL
BY: MARY E. WOODIS
Together for the first time!
Kostroma Children's Home, Kostroma, Russia October 21, 1998
Parker-Daniil at the Kostroma Children's Home the day that we first met him,
October 21, 1998.
The care-giver is making his bed after his nap.
Parker-Daniil sitting at his place in the eating/play room. Kostroma Children's Home Kostroma, Russia. October 21, 1998
Parker-Daniil's first bath in America.
October 25, 1998
As I was nursing my newly adopted son before his nap this afternoon, the song, "How Great Thou Art" came to my mind. Just gazing into my small son's face made me mindful of his Creator. To know that God specifically created this boy to be my son that I might raise him up, with the help of my Godly husband, to grow into the likeness of Christ and bring glory to God our Father. What an awesome privilege and an awesome task given us by our completely Holy and Awesome God.

Nursing was not something that I started right away. I was not comfortable with my desire to nurse this child at first. I was afraid of what others might think or say. But daily, as I would sing and rock this child to sleep for his nap or for the night, the desire to nurse him would well up in me again. I even made the comment to Jessie, my dear husband, that this boy would make a good nurser. He always went to sleep with his head resting on my breast, and his mouth near my nipple. Since I nursed both of our daughters, it was only natural for me to want to nurse him.
During the process of adopting Parker Daniil, God showed me this verse:
1 Samuel 1:27,
"For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him."
But as I was struggling with my desire to nurse him, the Holy Spirit led me to another verse:
1 Samuel 1:22,
"But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and there abide forever."
Hannah nursed her boy until he was ready to dwell in the house of the Lord and learn the service of the Lord. I don't believe that this was an infant of six months, or a toddler of two years old. This was a boy old enough to follow simple instructions. The precise age we can not be sure of, but we can be sure that he was old enough for Hannah to have him potty trained and trained to follow instructions and behave himself. This was pure inspiration for me. This taught me that nursing was not just for infants. I am sure that Hannah's son was able to hold a cup long before she weaned him. Just as I am sure that Samuel learned a great deal about the love of God from his mother. I wanted this same nurturing for my son.

There is no better time to begin teaching infants and very young children about our loving Father God, than while nursing them. The sing-song sound of your voice, the trusting relationship and the rocking motion all work together to weave the truths of God into their young hearts and minds. What a precious memory for them to learn about Jesus in Mommy's arms. Just the loving, nurturing, trusting relationship alone serve as a powerful example of our God. Add to that the providing of physical nutrition and development, the emotional nurturing and development, and the safety and security an infant feels in mother's arms and you have a very good picture of God.

Because Parker-Daniil was abandoned at birth, he never knew his mother. He stayed in the orphaned babies nursery at the hospital until he was eight months old. At that time he was transferred to the Kostroma Children's Home, where he stayed until the age of two years, eleven months. That was when we adopted him and brought him to America. This child had never been held, never been nurtured, never been comforted. Therefore his emotional development was stunted. This has manifested itself in many different ways. He was overly friendly with strangers and constantly seeking approval. The lack of a mothering, nurturing individual in his life had left him scarred.

As I continued to study nursing a toddler, both on the Internet, through books, and by talking with Pam Tomberlin, my herbalist, I began to feel a peace. God was using all of these resources to affirm me and reassure me. Now I was ready to nurse my son. Jessie has been very understanding with me during this process, very supportive. He was the chief support person for me. Just before an adoptive mother's milk comes in, she will go through an emotional crisis caused by the release of prolactin. Even though this is a very good sign, the emotional upheaval will have some side effects. She will believe that she is never going to produce milk and she is a failure. This is mainly due to the major upheaval of her hormone levels and the drastic changes her physiology are undergoing. Breast changes that take four to five months in a pregnant months happen in a matter of days to weeks for an adoptive mother. Therefore, her support network is crucial to her nursing success.
The How-To's
Let me share a few of the technical details of how I, a woman who had suffered a complete hysterectomy was able to breast-feed a child. The first thing that I learned, much to my untutored amazement, was that you don't have to carry a baby to be able to produce breast milk. Nipple stimulation sends a message to the pituitary gland that a baby is at the breast and needs nourishment. The pituitary gland then releases two important hormones. The first is oxytocin. Oxytocin is important in stimulating the milk let-down response and causes the milk to be released from the ducts in the breasts. Prolactin is the hormone that signals the aveoli to start producing milk. It also is released every time you nurse and has a very relaxing affect on the mom.

Advance nipple preparation is very helpful to the adoptive mother. Every time the nursing child is placed at her breast the nipple stimulation causes further development of the milk ducts. If advanced nipple preparation is initiated this can help to speed the process. Wearing nipple shields is one way to start this process. Wearing a nipple shield for only ten to fifteen minutes a day will promote the release of oxytocin. Another technique is to roll the nipple gently between your fingers two to three times daily. This helps to toughen the nipple, softens the tissue behind the nipple and lengthens the sinuses to prepare for breastfeeding. The other preparation technique is daily advance pumping with a hospital grade breast pump.
By talking with my Herbalist, Pam Tomberlin, I discovered that you can help your body by giving it the nutrients that it needs to supply this milk. All the while giving your nursing child vital nutrition that it needs. I started out by supplementing my diet with the following herbs from Nature's Sunshine: Marshmallow, Blessed Thistle, and Alfalfa. Because of some unpleasant side affects in my own body, I changed the Blessed Thistle to a Wild Yam/Chaste Tree Combination. Chaste Tree Berries have also been called Vitex. These herbs made a tremendous difference.
The Blessed Thistle had caused a moodiness that I could not explain and headaches. I was glad to stop taking this herb and get relief from the unpleasant side affects, my family was too! Plus, when I began taking the Wild Yam/Chaste Tree Combo, my milk almost doubled overnight. I was soo excited! I could feel that full sensation when it was time to nurse. A feeling I was beginning to wonder if I ever would feel again. It took me approximately one month to build up a good milk supply. I have nursed Parker Daniil three or four times in one day and not run dry. That was a comforting thought to me.
There are also dietary things that you can do to help yourself build a good milk supply. A by-product of soy is a food called okara. This can be made into pancakes or incorporated into other foods. This product greatly enhances your milk supply. On the flip side it is wise to avoid foods like sage and parsley. Both of these will dry up your milk supply. Also, certain medications will cause a decrease in your milk supply. Always check with your lactation consultant before you take any medication. A good, open communication with your doctor or pharmacist will help.
In order to build a good milk supply for an infant, it is crucial that you nurse every two hours for no less than ten minutes on each side. You will need a good supplemental nursing system until your milk becomes well established. You may use finger feeding to keep the skin to skin contact. Others have used an eye dropper or curved orthodontic syringe in the corner of the mouth to supplement as the child nurses. There is a Supplemental Nutritional System (SNS) and a Lact-Aid Nursing Trainer. Each one of these systems has a rectangular container of artificial supplement that hangs around the neck and nursing tubes that are attached to the nipples. When the child sucks, the breast is stimulated as the child gets nourishment from the tubes. The amount of supplement released can be adjusted by how high or low the container is hung. It is important that the child receives nourishment as he nurses or he will fuss and reject the breast.

Many people have asked me how I taught my young son to nurse, since he was three years old when we began. This was something that perplexed me and caused me to suffer a lot of soreness at the beginning. Our problem was incorrect positioning and latching. I knew to expect some initial soreness, but when it persisted for more than a couple of weeks, I began to suspect that something was wrong.
Positioning is crucial in nursing, so I tried a variety of different positions. We tried the traditional in your arms belly button to belly button position, we tried laying day on our sides, we tried the football hold, nothing was helping. By contacting The La Leche League over the Internet, and a local counselor by phone, I was able to learn the root of my problem.
When nursing, the child needs to suck on the dark area around and behind the nipple, instead of on the end of the nipple itself. Because of our unique language barrier, I was having a hard time explaining this to Parker Daniil. The key to solving this dilemma was me sucking on his thumb. I would put his thumb in my mouth and such on the base of it, instead of the end. By doing this simple thing, I was able to solve our problem with soreness and changed the face of our nursing relationship.

The LLL counselor also recommended that I use pure lanolin to heal my cracked and bleeding nipples. This precious cure absorbs into the layers of skin below the wound and heals from the inside out. After being certain that there was no infection, this was my miracle cure. Others have successfully used aloe vera to heal sore or cracked nipples. What a joyful day when I was finally able to relax and enjoy nursing. It didn't hurt anymore! I had learned, once my breasts healed, that if it was hurting, I needed to have him reposition his mouth. Sometimes we reposition three or four times before we find the right one! You see, with a child of this age, teeth come into the picture. I had to teach him to not try to hold onto my breast with his teeth. A little like the chewing a straw habit!
Another thing that caused my milk to be slow coming in, was Parker-Daniil's weak sucking skills. At the orphan's homes in Russia, the electrical power is not reliable. Therefore, they can not always keep fresh milk for the babies. The formula that the infants receive is very thick, almost like the consistency of yogurt. It is called kefir. Because it is so thick, they must cut a large whole in the nipple of the bottles. With such a large hole in the nipple it is more of a swallow or drown response. Therefore, the child doesn't have to suck very hard to get nourishment. Their facial and oral muscles are very weak. It is difficult for them to form language or to suck effectively at the breast. So, by the time they are a year old, there is no longer any nutritional need to suck and these muscles continue to languish. The need to suck must be satisfied in other ways. Parker-Daniil had developed he habit of sucking on his tongue. Many American parents satisfy this need with a pacifier. The pacifier and the bottle both cause the tongue to press on the teeth and gums at the front of the mouth and this creates orthodontic problems down the road.
Parker-Daniil and I enjoyed a nursing relationship for about ten months. During this time his language skills drastically improved. He became more secure through the bonding that occurred in our nursing relationship and in our family relationships. He also overcame many of the malnutrition issues that he was struggling with. I never had to use a supplemental nursing system because of his age but I did carefully watch my dietary needs during this time. He was gaining many nutritional and immunicological benefits from the milk that I was providing. I always allowed his to nurse for at least twenty minutes on each side or until he fell asleep. We nursed first thing in the morning, before nap time and at bedtime. We also nursed anytime that there was an emotional need or more often if he was ill. There are many medicinal herbs that I could take that would pass through my milk to him. Also by beefing up my diet I helped him to overcome the anemia that he was suffering. The ten months difference in our small son was dramatic.
The most important aspect of an adoptive breastfeeding relationship is not the nutritional aspects. If an adoptive mom is only breastfeeding with the aim of making milk she is setting herself up for failure. Previous pregnancies can make it easier for you to produce milk, but it is not a guarantee. The bonding and nurturing aspects of an adoptive breastfeeding relationship are the most important aspects. This must be kept foremost in mind. By breastfeeding your adopted child you are making a time commitment with this child. You are promising you will not get too busy to fulfill the needs of your child. These needs could be nutritional, emotional or physical. Whether it is hunger your child is suffering or just a need for skin to skin contact, these needs can be met in a breast-feeding relationship.
With the proper support, commitment and nutrition every adoptive breastfeeding relationship will be a success.
A Spirituals Journey
Because this has been just as much a spiritual journey as well as a physical one, I would like to share with you verses that have comforted me and taught me during this time.
Psalm 8:2 says,
"Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemies and avenger."
The enemy in my case was fear. Out of the mouth of my suckling would I find strength to still my enemy, fear. When my little son asks for his "nummies" I find the strength to put all fear of criticism aside and nurse and nurture my son. I have developed a very strong support system that I can turn to whenever I am feeling intimidated. My greatest support has come from my Dear Lord and the peace that He has placed in my soul concerning this role as a nursing mother.
As I researched this verse out, I discovered that both the word for infant and sucklings refers to one that sucks a mother that gives milk. This indicated to me that both the infant and the older little one nursed and received milk from their mother. More encouragement that not only infants were meant to nurse but older toddlers as well. I love to find affirmation from Scripture in this way.
 In Matthew 21:14-16 the Bible shows us a beautiful picture, look at this illustration;
"And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple; and he healed them. (v.15) and when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, 'Hosanna to the Son of David;' they were sore displeased, (v. 16) and said unto Him, 'Hearest thou what these say?' And Jesus said unto them, 'Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, thou hast perfected praise?'"
Isn't this the most beautiful picture? Do you think these were infants in the temple praising Jesus? No! These were little children big enough to walk! And they were praising Jesus! Even the grown men didn't get it, this was Jesus! The living Son of God! God ordained these little children, these sucklings, to praise His only begotten Son! Isn't that just the most beautiful thing?
Back to that Song...
And such brings me back to the song that was playing through my mind, and I gave utterance to, while rocking and nursing my son.
"O Lord my God,
when I in awesome wonder,
consider all the worlds thy hands have made.
I see the stars,
I hear the rolling thunder,
thy power throughout
the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul,
my Savior God to thee,
how great Thou art,
how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul,
my Savior God to Thee,
how great Thou art,
how great Thou art!
And when I think,
that God His son not sparing,
sent Him to die,
I scarce can take it in.
That on the cross,
my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died
to take away my sin.
Then sings my soul,
my Savior God to thee.
How great Thou art,
how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul,
my Savior God to thee,
how great Thou art,
how great Thou art!"
To think, as I gaze on my sleeping son's face, God gave His only begotten Son, to die an agonizing death on a cruel splintered cross, for me. He gave up His ONLY Son, for a sinner such as I. Jesus's mother, Mary, stood at the foot of the cross, in agonizing grief, watching her own son, that she carried in her womb for nine months, and suckled at her breast, die for me. I am heart broken and deeply humbled. Oh God! How Great Thou Art!

So, in conclusion, yes I will nurse my son, suckle him at my breast and nurture him . I will continue to rock him and sing and pray over him words of the great hymn writers and words of praise. I don't know what God has in store for this little man, but I do know that it must be awfully special. God brought him to us from Russia. A very long way. So, I will continue to pray for guidance from God my Father and pray that I am no more dominated by fear that keeps me from doing God's will. We have a lot of love to give our three children and even more to teach them about the Sovereign God that is putting this family together in a most inventive, loving and unusual way.
If you have any questions on comments about International Adoption, nursing an adopted toddler or we can assist you in any other way, please don't hesitate to contact us. We would love to use our experiences to help make your dreams of a forever family come true!
Crooked Pines Publishing
Jessie and Mary Woodis
1365 County Road 74
Florence, AL 35633
This article is copyrighted by Mary E. Woodis. If you would like to print this article in whole or part in your publication you please contact Jessie and Mary Woodis at jessiew@hiwaay.net for permission and more details.
Page last updated October 2004
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