Re-lactation means to start breastfeeding again sometime after weaning. This is most common in situations where mom has weaned or lost her supply due to illness or other circumstances and then decides that she would like to start nursing again and needs help re-establishing her milk supply.

Many mothers who had a healthy milk supply are able to reestablish lactation. These mothers need comprehensive evaluation by a lactation specialist, to establish a plan for restoring their supply.

Induced lactation is the process of bringing on lactation without going through pregnancy and birth. Adoption and surrogacy are the most common reasons to pursue this. Induced lactation is most successful in moms who have been pregnant in the past, or who have lactated/breastfed in the past. The process can involve:

• Hormone preparation, often with birth control pills, to simulate pregnancy.
• Galactogogues, either herbal or prescription, to increase the prolactin
• Frequent pumping for several weeks after stopping the birth control pill, before the infant arrives, to stimulate milk production.

An informational website on adoptive nursing is http://sweetpeabreastfeeding.com/inducing-lactation–relactation.html