I want to start this journey off on the correct trajectory by first examining why someone would want to engage in induced lactation. The process of inducing lactation will take some fair amount of effort and to start that process without knowing why you would want to do so is pure folly. Please start by figuring out your why. Someday, when your nipples are sore and you have to sit through another pumping or suckling session with breasts that ache when you merely think about them, you will be glad you figured out your why. It will carry you in those rough moments.
So to start we need to list some of the most popular reasons why people decide to induce lactation. There are two very mainstream reasons that people either induce lactation or decide to re-lactate. Those two reasons are:
#1. They previously lactated by having a baby and need to start making milk again because they decided they weaned their child too early.
#2. They are about to adopt a baby and would like to nurse it as their own.
We won’t touch much on these two reasons to induce lactation (or “re-lactate as the case may be) as there are many resources available to people with children to help them with their lactation journey. This blog is more geared towards the people who would like to induce lactation without there being children involved.
So if someone isn’t going to have children then why would they want their body to produce milk? Here are some of the more common answers I’ve seen given to this question in my deep dives through the internet. (In no particular order.)
A. They want to feel more feminine and in touch with the nurturing side of themselves. This can be really common with people who have lost a pregnancy, or who are struggling with a post menopausal body (although those are not the only reasons). In our society breasts and their ability to produce milk are an inherently feminine thing. If you’re struggling with your body, or how society views your body and you want to feel more ‘traditionally feminine’ perhaps this is why you want to induce lactation.
B. They want to nurse/breastfeed/suckle a partner in an adult nursing relationship. To be clear you do not actually need to produce milk to have a fulfilling adult nursing relationship (also known as ANR). Many people start out in their ANR doing what is referred to as ‘dry nursing’ as a way to induce lactation. But often it is desirable in an ANR for the partner with the breasts to actually produce milk, even if, often, it’s not very much. ANR’s are not a form of infantilism but instead are a way for two consenting adults to have a deeply intimate and nurturing relationship built around trust and love. The suckling can sometimes be a sexual act or an act that will eventually lead to sex, but for many in ANR’s suckling is more a form of mutual relaxation and bonding.
C. They want to produce milk for someone close to them who is going through cancer treatments. Back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s there were some promising studies out of Europe that seemed to link proteins found in human breastmilk with cancer fighting properties. There still needs to be significantly more research done before someone could claim that human breastmilk cures cancer, but for many people if there’s any chance it could help they’re willing to try drinking human milk. If you have cancer and you are looking for someone to produce milk for you it is best done with someone you are very close and comfortable with. It’s important to remember that there are some diseases that can be passed through one’s milk to the recipient of the milk thus infecting them.
D. They want to either grow breasts or increase the size of the breasts they already have. Some women have very small breasts. Whether because of genetics or because they are transgender it doesn’t matter, but some of those women desire larger bust lines. There is no denying that lactation can increase the size of the breast initially especially if you’ve never lactated before because you will then have to grow the glandular tissue needed to produce milk. However, often the size increase is not as dramatic as one would hope and it can go back to your original size once you decide to stop lactating.
E. They want to stop or lessen the effects of their periods. That’s right, it’s possible that you can decrease the problems you have with your periods by lactating. Some women will even experience loss of a menstrual cycle all together while lactating which is called lactational amenorrhea. If you have very heavy periods or periods with lots of painful symptoms, I would recommend you see a doctor to rule out any serious conditions that could require real medical care. If however, you have done that and you’ve tried the options the doctor has suggested and you’re still struggling ask your doctor about lactational amenorrhea. It could be an option that gets you the relief you’ve been looking for.
F. They want to satisfy a partner with a breastmilk fetish. To be fair, I do not know a lot about this community, but I have heard of it and it’s my understanding that some folks enjoy being sprayed with breastmilk, bathing in it, etc. And while you can satisfy this fetish by purchasing breastmilk from online sources it’s also possible that one would want to have the source to a bit, fresher-so to speak.
G. They want to produce items using their breastmilk. Some people enjoy the taste, or have a friend with very sensitive skin, or have found a niche market that they would like to tap into. All are valid reasons to want to lactate so you can have the milk to either drink, make soap with, or whatever.
So those are the main reasons I have seen given when people discuss online why they would want to induce lactation. Obviously this is not every possible reason ever, but I would say that this list probably covers a good 80-90% of the reasons people give for wanting to induce lactation. Do your reasons fall in to a certain category above? Do you have another reason for wanting to induce lactation? Feel free to comment below about your ‘why’!
Xo
Phoebe
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article sponsered by Northern Michigan certified lactation consulting and Mother Hubbards Country Cupboard
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