Got mother's milk? (StarNewsOnline.com)

Sara Arey first committed to breastfeeding 12 years ago, ``a wonderful experience’’ that helped her bond with her newly born daughter, Briannen.

So when baby No. 2 — Maylen, now 7 — entered the picture, ``I couldn’t imagine not doing the same thing for and with another child,’’ said the acupunture assistant who lives in Rome, Ga.

There were complications: Maylen was adopted. And the baby girl, born in China, was 9 months old and up to that point had only been bottle-fed.

Such facts, however, didn’t keep Arey from her maternal responsibilities.

``It can be hard because, as an adoptive parent, it’s easy to feel different — especially if you adopted a child who is physically different from you. That can raise more eyebrows when you’re nursing,’’ Arey said. ``But it gave my daughter a sense of security and belonging she wouldn’t have had otherwise.’’

Welcome to adoptive breastfeeding, also called induced lactation. It enables adopted children and their new moms to bond. The women have to jumpstart milk production by pumping, taking herbs, drugs or using nipple stimulation.

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