to ask if you would use donated breastmilk if it was available rather than formula?

[bubbleymummy]

Inspired by another thread.

I personally would rather use donated milk. If you wouldn't - why not?

Wannabe - the studies disagree with you. There is a difference. Also, many babies are hospitalised every year from formula related illnesses even in developed countries. Just because you have no experience of it does not mean it does not exist. I don't want to spend time trying to convince you that bm is superior to formula - that is not what this thread is about. If you think there is no difference - produce some studies to support your opinion. I think you will struggle.

Clearly this thread has gone off on a tangent a bit ( as they typically do!). Just to bring it back a bit, how would you feel about using a wet nurse? Or would you draw the line at using donated milk from a bottle?

LeonieDelt - bf mafia Mama.

Fuck off - ff does not harm. You are spouting absolute crap.

I agree with WannaBe and Noodle. Out of my 4 children, 1 was bf for 9 months, 2 for 3 months and 1 for 6 weeks. All of them are very healthy and are rarely ill. In fact 1 bf for only 6 weeks has had 100% attendance at school for the last 2 years.

I believe good health and whether or not you get ill is down largely to genetics and environment not how you were fed as a baby.

No. All of mine were FF and they're all very healthy and strong. I don't know why the thought of someone else's breast milk makes me feel sick. It's irrational but it just does.

No, I wouldn't drink the milk of a stranger why should my child, it's disgusting and you don't know where it's been.

Stuff screening how many times does it fail with other things, everything fails nothing is 100%.

I have mixed opinions on this.

On the one hand, I do think BM is best.However, in the west I think other factors have longer term effects upon our health...but I digress...because I do think BM is best.

However, my experience of knowing someone who did donate has coloured my views.
She did it out of complete altruism, having seen my own babies in SCBU.
She menat nothing but good things for those babies.

However, she is, and remained throughout pregnancy and lactation, completely dependent upon cannabis. A serious skunk habit.
She also had some of the worst eating habits I've ever known...caused in some part by the colossal dope smoking.
There was also a massive issue wiht her partner and all her extended family. A dayin her life was like a Christmas episode of East Enders. I don't know if stress hormones and the like can pass into breast minl but if they could, hers would be full to bursting.

Screening is all well and good, but personally I would not want my DC drinking this woman's BM.

Ok girls calm down please!

This is not meant to be a thread trying to convince people that bm is the ideal and is superior to formula. I think that most people know that already.

I'm just trying to gauge people's attitude to human milk. It's great that so many people would rather use human milk and sad that it isn't available for those who would have wanted it. It's also nice that many of those who wouldn't use it state reasons such as being concerned about screening issues rather than 'yuckiness' as a reason.

I think it is strange that many people in the UK would consider cow milk 'real milk' rather than breastmilk but we may get there! :)

There seems to be in my opinion utter tripe on both sides of the debate.

Both my children were very premature. Both were lucky enough to have donated breastmilk. Dc1 had lots as I couldn't produce enough myself. I spent extra days in SCBu trying to establish breast feeding whilst other babies seemed to go out quicker with formula. I worked bloody hard breastfeeding for hours and eventually gave him some formula bottles and breast milk. He's bloody fine and rarely ill. Dc2 had very little donated milk and I found breastfeeding easypeasy. I've just stopped after two years.

I really don't understand how human milk is yucky and cows milk not but really Leonie... milk causing cancer??? Evidence please??? Real scientific stuff, not woo anti vax alternative nonsense please!!!!

Breast milk good formula fine!!!!!!!!!!

With over 1 in 3 primary school children being obese according to the latest studies, I'd say a child'd health depends far more on what the parents put in its mouth after its been weaned

I mean just what is the point in being all militant (as many people are) about the health benefits of BFing, when so many parents don't care about their children's health thereafter?

Would you rather wear a jacket made for a cow or one made for a human? (Both will keep you warm.)
Would you rather live in a house made for a human, or one made for a cow? (both will keep a roof over your head)
Would you rather eat a meal made for a human, or one prepared for a cow? (Both are edible).

No

I use formula for my newborn as he refused to latch on at all and when I came out of hospital I felt too poorly to express enough to make sure he had my milk.

I don't understand why some people get so riled about formula, it's not like we're offering our babies poison! And no, I wouldn't want someone elses milk for my baby thank you very much.

Not read all thr thread but can imagine the BF hard core posts.

No I wouldnt take milk from another mother, I made the choice to formula feed and would do so again.

Actually BubbleyMummy by saying patronising things like "we may get there" I think you are stirring things up and you are being a bit disingenuous about your motivations for the thread.

But, taking your question at face value, like others I'd treat it like a blood transfusion for me. I find the idea revolting but if it were necessary (baby in SCBU) I'd do it. I have a really strong instinctive reaction against giving my baby another woman's milk - I think that instinct has to count for something. It's something we're not wired to accept, but of course I would overcome that if I had to.

For those people who feel the need to extol bf and to make comments about how bf is a unique experience - I really don't get why you need to do this. Please explain it to me. You know you're doing the right thing by your child, so why be so insecure that you need to make others feel bad?

My twins were mixed fed btw - one never managed to feed adequately from my breast though.

I was breastfed, but my sister wasnt as my mum got ill and couldnt.
I got much better results at school, my sister has a weight problem (as soon as she could choose her own food she made a beeline for MackyDs, but now shes eating better and sorting it out), and Im taller. Cant see any other differences that could be due to BF/FF.

Thats just my personal experience (or just one data point if you like statistics) but it does fit with what the large scale studies found.

Someone said something about NVCJD a while back and how it is only transmitted via brain meat.

how come it spreads throughout herds then?, how come there is a urine test for it that detects it?, how come the spinal cords can't be used for meat?.

I was FF and my son is FF and any others I have will be FF.

Ryoko, why don't you feel the same about milk from cows? Or do you not eat/drink any dairy products?

Formula makes you want to go to Maccy D's?

Do you want to have a little think about that one dude?

Does it transmit through the milk?

Hmm, just went back and read some of the other posts on this thread and I think I'm going to hide it.

BF militants make my blood boil, your soul purpose in life seems to be to make mums who FF feel like shit.

I think BF is great if you can do it and of course is the ideal, but spouting out about how evil cows milk and soya is, is just pathetic.

My DS is 10 days old and still point blank refuses the breast if I offer it and as I said before, my expressing has not yielded enough milk for him. What the fuck am I supposed to do about that????