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?

Or for those on a low income who qualify for milk tokens - express to donate for money whilst formula feeding own baby.

Cake, I don't see any hypocrisy in not wanting to feed cow milk to babies while tucking into some tasty Wensleydale myself. Separate issues.

Carolina, I don't really understand your point tbh. I would just rather give my baby human milk rather than cow's milk even if it didn't come from me because it is the perfect food for human babies. Obviously, at the moment there is no real alternative to formula and I'm not trying to criticise anyone who had to use it. It just seems that there are quite a few people who ff but would have opted for donated milk over formula if it was available.

Sorry Cake, mixed up the C names

No, would wonder where and who it came from, whether they had a decent diet, etc, or any illnesses..... much more trust in formula.

Cake, I think she meant Carolina. :)

Peppa, I think it would have to work on a donation basis to avoid those type of situations.

I think more people would donate if they knew about it and it was easier to do. Maybe more collection points from breastfeeding groups/ gp surgeries or something?

Yes, of course in an appropriate situation. For the people who said "no" - sometimes it can be a life or death situation. For a very low birthweight prem baby, breast milk is much than formula. I agreed for my 1lb 4oz DD - they asked me in the delivery room. Would have looked a right twat IMO saying "no" - although how I looked or what people thought of me wasn't really on my mind.
For older babies where there isn't any medical need as such, can understand why people would say "no".

Good point about guilt JeremyVile

In theory yes, I'm pretty sure I'd take donated bm, but it's hard to know for sure how you'd feel in a given situation (having a baby in SCBU for example) when you've never been in that situation before.

JeremyVile you make a good point but for a lot of women the guilt/sadness over not BFing isn't just that the baby's not getting bm, it's the bonding/closeness of the BFing experience as well.

people who are saying 'no' - would you still say no if you had a prem baby given that prem babies who are given formula are at much higher risk of getting necrotizing enterocolitis which is often fatal?

How do you trust the milk of an unknown cow more than an unknown woman (who has obviously fed her milk to her own baby and altruistically donated her spare milk)? And they pasteurise and screen it so surely a much lower contamination risk than with formula.

OP yes of course although I wouldn't expect it to be available for an older baby, or (at the moment) a healthy full term one

I donated to the hospital for the SCBU.
Had to have HIV and Hep blood tests first.
CJD cannot be transmitted through other than brain tissue.

When DS had a cold and was not hungry, being able to pump made ME feel better.
He had his fill and I pumped the rest.
Record was 4 litres in a week.

If you read the ingredients list of formula: peanut oil was a big ingredient 10 years ago
palm oil (dead orangutangs) is now
for tiny babies breast is best and that was what my donations got used for.

No - I wouldn't say no in these circumstances marzipaanimal

Yes busy. I think it would ease the guilt in some ways e.g some women are happy to express their milk even if they can't feed directly because they know the baby is still getting their bm. Personally, I think that is one of the reasons why I would struggle with a wet nurse if I couldn't feed my baby - although I would be happy to feed another baby! :) Very strange how our emotions work!

Absolutely. If it was properly screened and readily available, I would use right up to a year.

I tried to donate after DS2 was born, but unfortunately it wasn't possible to do where we live.

That's such a shame mishy! I wonder would it be possible to set up milk collection points in GP offices or something? It could increase awareness and make it easier to donate....

Read this article about Victorian wet nurses if you want to know the harsh realities of the problems that milk donation can create.

Unlike blood donation, which can be done by many adults of both sexes for many years, milk donation is dependent on a surplus of lactation. Yes small quantities are available, and should IMO be reserved for premature and sick babies for whom it will have significant benefits.

To increase demand for donated milk for babies in general, as an alternative purchaseable product to formula, opens up a whole can of worms for dubious ethical practices and the exploitation of vulnerable women and babies.

Absolutely not for the same reasons I refused a blood transfusion.

I also have 3 very healthy,bright children thanks to formula so absolutely no need to.

Marzipanimal - certainly would be happy for baby to have donated BM in that circumstance. There are specific reasons in that instance why it would be better than formula.

Totally - one of my friends donated milk to another friends premature baby, and I would hapily do the same for a friend. When I was pregnant second time round I asked a friend if she would give milk to the new baby if anything happened to me.

I would much prefer to feed my babies donated BM if I could feed them for some reasion.

I find it hard to believe (and maybe is a product of good marketing) that people could think that formula is a safer product. It's not as well regulated as it should be and they have been adding adatives to it for years that haven't been proven to be safe espicaly for babies under 12 weeks.

Cuppa, I think most of us have said it would need to work on a donated basis to avoid those types of problem.

I'm just wondering if we could increase the amount of donated milk simply by making it easier to drop off and increasing awareness of it.

Timewasty Its the hypocrisy of thinking that cows milk is disgusting whereas steak is ok, that i was referring to. I understand why women do not want to give formula but personally I would choose it over donated breastmilk any day.

Also if you were so horrified by dairy, then why would you give it to a small child at all. Nutrician is more than breastfeeding for 6-12 months!!!! That seems to pass some women by. I have a friend who feeds her child total junk now but thinks that because she breastfed for 8 months, she is a just a super super mother who cant be faulted.

My point bubbleymummy is that you linked to a study showing contamination in formula with a sad face when the thread was not actually about that. You just seem to have a really strident agenda re. formula

only if the nursemaid also did my laundry, cleaning and nannying.

No, I wouldn't, it just feels abit 'yuk'.
There's nothing wrong with formula, my sisters and I had it, my DS had it and we're all perfectly healthy.
I feel cows milk would be safer than some unknown woman's. In fact it's probably better than my own breastmilk would be, considering the amount of fags I smoke, alcohol I drink, junk food I eat, illegal substances I used to take, e.t.c At least with a cow, you know it has never smoked or drank alcohol!
Just the thought of milk from another woman's boob, and giving it to my (not yet conceived) baby, disgusts me.
I wouldn't drink milk from another woman's boob, and I wouldn't expect my DC too either.

yes, if my babay hadn't started weaning and milk was it's only source of nutrition.