Eats on Feets UK

[funkyhan]

... apparently a bit like meals on wheels...

Eats on Feets is a Human milkshare group. We believe that every baby deserves human milk.

We're hoping this will be the beginning of a shift for UK mums to find that there is a better alternative to chemical and bovine based artificial milk. Human Milk is for Human Babies. It is not gross or dirty - it is the only healthy option, and better than formula will ever be.

At the grassroots level women are shaking off the bounds of patriarchy and working together to create a sustainable future for our children -- by sharing their breastmilk.

If you have an abundance of breastmilk and would like to donate, or if you cannot supply breastmilk to your own children due to medical conditions etc. Please do not hestitate to contact us.

Providing Mother to Mother milk sharing for babies in need.

Human milk for human babies.

[email protected]

on.fb.me/9gZfcM

twitter.com/#!/EatsOnFeetsUK

Blog to follow!

haven't looked at the "links" yet as i'm on my phone...hmm... The name doesn't grab me tbh. I am a milk donor and am sure ukmba would appreciate more support rather than competition.

I agree that all babies deserve human milk. Sadly the infrastructur for this is lacking so personally i think premies are a priority...they can die from a condition associated with formula. [hsad]
Though i would love to see a culture where all women who can are enabled to bf and ebm is provided for those who can not.

Whilst I agree with the pp that we need to encourage more mums to donate milk I don't see this endeavour as competition to this.
I was unable to donate milk (because of medication) but perfectly well able to breastfeed my own daughter for nearly two years now. A healthy term baby is unlikely to encounter problems with levels of common medication in milk therefore I might have been able to give milk to another mum when it wasn't suitable for donation to the hospital. I tried!
If a mother would rather give her baby milk from another healthy mum who has fed her own child can't get it from a milk bank because the guidelines there must protect sick babies then there IS a need for a facility like this.
If a childnis healthy and the mum donating is healthy then some medication is ok- otherwise I wouldn't have been able to feed my daughter!
A facility such as this (providing the medical checks for infection are carefully carried out) will not put babies at risk and will in fact be much healthier for them than formula milk.

WEll I'm not on fb or twitter so having c&p the links I'm still no better informed.

What is the idea?

Jonny'swife youu make a very good point though I stand by my belief that premies are a priority that are not yet met.

There are only a handfull of milk banks in the uk at present. We really need to expand upon this.

I would like it if they could take and distribute milk for all babies inc milk like yours that is fine for a full term baby.

Pasturisation, collection, testing, storage etc are expensive processes. It would make sense for one set of infrastruc ture to exist rather that two. ANd certainly rather than the partial one we have now.

Eats on Feets is not a milk banking service.

What the global network is trying to accomplish is to match up mothers who need milk to mothers in the same area who have an abundance and are willing to share.

It's a milkshare, not a milk bank.

We're all volunteers, choosing to use out time and resources to help make sure babies get human milk as a priority.

I hope that makes things clearer. Do ask away if you have any further questions, but we are trying to concentrate our efforts on the facebook page, which is where we will be sending out requests for milk, and where mothers will be able to post if they have milk to be donated.

honestly i think the best way of making sure all babies get their share of breastmilk is by offering more real time real life support to new mothers. ideally every first time mother (plus any that struggled in the past) would get a visit from a lactation consultant etc on day 5. this would ensure that more babies could get access to breastmilk.

Thanks for coming back funkyhan. As I said I'm not on face book so it seems I can't see the page so I wouuld appreciate it if you could answer the questioons below for me.

What checks are in place to ensure that the milk is safe?
What are the criteria for a donor? I might be interested once I have finished donating for the milkbank (when ds turns 1)
WOuld you consider having a link to UKMBA and even a request that those who could donate to them consider it?

I agree with you MumNWLOndon btw. Ideally all those able to bf should be supported to do so.

TIA

Eats on Feets is there purely to match up mothers as a network. Any checks a mother feels necessary can be sorted out between them. We're a fully voluntary group, we don't get anything from the time we spend promoting or matching mothers, simply the knowledge that another baby is getting it's birthright of human milk.

I have seen this study recently that shows that flash heating (at home on your hob) can inactivate the HIV virus...

At the end of the day women can choose to feed their babies formula, which is lower in the hierachy of infant feeing (according to the World Health Organisation) than wet-nursing or ebm in a bottle. I don't see the problem with allowing women a better choice, we are big girls, we can make those decisions without "experts" or "authorities" giving us permission to do so.

We already have a link to UKMBA on our FB page

I totally agree that there should be better support for those who want to BF. BUT... There is always those 2% of women who physically cannot do it though. Also women building their supply after a difficult start, women who are going through some medical procedure and need ebm/wet nursing to feed to their baby while they are unable to... there are so many circumstances where this could help!

Ok thanks funkyhan.

SO it's all very "grassroots". And I agree there are lots of circumstances that could use EBM that is unsuitable for milk banks.

Hmmm...I feel there is a hypothetical risk that I could unknowingly catch something transmitable through bm and then pass this on. DO you have any info or guidelines re avoiding this?

Also do you provide info about how the nutritional profile of milk channges over time?Is this only a problem for premies...I don't know much about it?

Also is there anyway you can make the faceebook page public?

I like the sound of this and would really like it to work so fro me the worst thing would be if something bad (eg and ill baby) occured as a result and it got a load of bad press that puts it back a decade.

How is this done abroad?
I think a lot of milk sharing goes on in scandanavia?

Thanks

Despite being very pro-BF, I have two minor issues with your post; firstly, I'm not sure it is a good idea to call it "the only healthy option", as there are clearly many FF babies who thrive on formula, some of whose mums may have no other option that they can see. I think you might find that some people are annoyed or even upset by this.

And secondly, I'm afraid Eats on Feets is a dreadful name. It doesn't evoke what you are doing at all, so it's not memorable in the right way; the connection with meals on wheels is pretty laboured and I just don't think it makes much sense. Would you consider rethinking the name? I genuinely think it will put some people off, and of course you want to widen your appeal as much as possible, right? Did you have any other name ideas?

Anyway, good luck, just putting my two cents in.

As I've said, it's a global network. The yanks came up with the name. I can't say I'm keen on it personally, but that's not the point. The point is to get babies drinking human milk.

According to the WHO wet nursing and ebm are to be used in preference to artificial milks. It is the only healthy option to find these before taking the 4th best option. I'm not interested in getting into a debate over BM/FF. That's not what I'm here for. I'm here to help women and babies who DO need and want BM find it. We need as many people as possible to know about this!

I'll try and find some way for you to see the FB page Moonface, hopefully at some point we'll have a website of our own. Who knows how long that might take, this all only started over the weekend.

Keep the questions and support coming, and I'll keep trying to answer and find out more where I can!

I think the flash heating would probably get rid of most things, as in my previous post. I'll do more research and pass this on. What sort of things do you think a baby could catch "and pass on"?

Oh, and to update you: we've just had our first mum to mum match, a pair of mothers in Epsom, Surrey. That is in the UK, and globally.

Yes, there could be a media lashback, if something were to happen, I agree. However, like I've said, there is no monetary exchange. Two mothers are vetting each other and choosing for themselves of their own free will to share milk. I know it seems naieve, but what has it got to do with anyone else? Babies get sick from use of formula every day... 100 a year DIE in america who wouldn't have had they been on BM. Yes, there could be a risk, but so is FF, whether folks like to admit it or not. You don't see media lashback over that... I wonder why...

If you have any ideas on how to increase awareness of our group globally, or in the UK, please do say...and SHARE SHARE SHARE The more people who know about this the more matches we can make... think 7 degrees of separation!

A blogger who is introducing us to the wider population... I hope this answers some of your questions!

iinformedparenting.blogspot.com/2010/11/introducing-eats-on-feets-milk-share.html

I could have so done with this when I was ill in hospital and desperately needed to give my 6m/o (and then my 9m/o) my mik but was suffering from dwindling supply.

Luckily the first time a friend with a similar aged baby was able to express a feed for me as we discovered that formula doesn't agree with her (she was supplemented with formula the first week). The 2nd time I was in my friend was unabe to express for DD and we were really not getting enough milk into DD3 by any stretch.

I would love to be able share milk but I think nobody would want my anti-epileptic/anti-d laced milk makes for a chilled baby though (allegedly - I've yet to see that in my babies)

Lol Truthsweet

FUnkyHan As a milk donor I was (blood) tested for various things (I can't recall now, def HIV, Hep sommat and some others) so these things are I guess able to be spread through milk.

ALso milk banks ony take milk up till 1yr post pastum as after this it's composition isn't as suitable for premies. DOes this have any implications for full term babies?

MAybe you could do some sort of fact sheet around these issues so that you can allay any concerns people might have.

I.m sure the risks are very small but I think it would be good if you were seen to be on the ball and preempting these questions with some good science.

That way no one can ever question wether any mother has made a fully informed decision.

IMO it's not enough just to bash ff. We know EBM is better. But that doesn't make it entirely without risk.

I'm not trying to be difficult. It's a good idea and deserves to be foolproof.

Funkyhan, when you say that any health/medical checks a mother wishes to make would be between the donor and recipiant - how do you visualise that happening?

As a donor I was checked for a long list of things, most of which I was tested for in pregnancy anyway, but there were a few extra that aren't standard in pg.

I think that local GPs will refuse to do the blood tests if a mother went in an explained about Eats on Feets so I'm unsure how any checks could actually be done, a private doc I guess??? An NHS doc won't want the NHS to foot the bill for all the blood tests and I think most women won't want milk from a stranger who hasn't been checked. (Giving some spare bmilk to a friend who needs it is different, you know them, have built up trust and may have an awareness of any medical problems they have)

I personally think that getting a well functioning, national coverage of milk banks is a bigger priority so that the ill/premie babies can reliably get bmilk.

I'd much rather that those with an abundance of milk donate to a milk bank rather that Eats for Feets. Sorry to be so negative.

I think it would be mainly women who were expressing who had an older baby or those who didn't fulfill the requirements of a bm bank (i.e. no meds of any kind in the 48hrs before expressing [except p-o-pill and inhaers]/no more than 2 units a day of alcohol/etc).

So even a mum who was expressing for a bm bank may have milk that doesn't meet the requirements but that another mum may accept. For example she may have taken a paracetamol which would then render any milk she expressed understandably not suitable for prem babies but might be very suitable for an older baby whose mum struggled to provide enough ebm for whilst she was at work.

I know this will seem a bit lentil weaverish to some but I've even accepted milk from a friend when I didn't need it - I just couldn't bear to she her pour it down the drain (her DD wouldn't take ebm). It meant next time I went out I had fresh milk I'd pumped and a frozen stash in case my baby needed extra. I'm a lazy so-and-so

If I ever had another baby I would want to have some ebm in the freezer just in case something happened to me or there were feeding difficulties so I might go to an group like Eats on Feets in advance of baby's arrival for a few oz of ebm.

TruthSweet I agree with you re who would use Eats On Feets but again because it is very different from sharing milk with a friend (which I would gladly do without hesitation) I would like to see how a mother would ensure that the milk she was receiving was safe for her baby.

How can the donating mothers be screened? Without some form of screening I feel that it is unlikely to be a successful venture because mothers won't feel happy to give the milk to their babies.

Yes, I agree that the mothers would have to meet and discuss lifestyles/medical history but I think it would be taking a small theoretical risk over the oh can I say it ? known risks of formula*. Some women may weigh the risks in favour of hoping that a woman who goes through the trouble of expressing milk for someone else's baby wouldn't be out to pass on a disease or toxin. Though obv. some things you may never know you have until later in life so questioning the mum might never reveal it.

And I also agree that a huge push to get mums to donate milk for prem and sick babies would be really great. My mum donated colostrum when she had my brother - he was taking 2oz of colostrum at a time (weighed before/after feed on day 2) so she donated a lot of milk for prem babies. At the time all mums on the postpartum ward were asked if they would consider pumping for the prem babies. Could that not be done now?

*Disclaimer - It really doesn't matter to me on an individual level which a mother picks bf/ff and I have used formula quite extensively with DD1 & DD3. It actually saved DD3's life when I was too ill to feed her myself so I am really not anti-formula (but I would have much preferred to have had to chance to have given her another mother's bm).

which a mother??? whether a mother.....

I agree SummerHeights and I do feel that as an introductions org Eats on Feets do bare some responsibilty for at least saying "these are the risks...this is how to avoid them"

Truth I don't think for a minute that anyone 'would be out' to pass on a disease or toxin but you can easily carry something without knowing it, like you said. For example, I was screened for HIV, Hepatitis and a two kinds of leukaemia which if I had I wouldn't necessarily know I had IYSWIM.

I think that most mums would want the peace of mind of some sort of screening. Without making it seem safe and easy then most mums won't want to do it and therefore Eats on Feets won't achieve what Funkyhan said it wanted to.

I hope Funkyhan comes back to explain how she visualises it actually happening.

Yes that's what I meant that no one 'would be out' to deliberately pass on a disease but might unintentionally be a carrier/vector of something. I'm obv. not typing well - it feels like hours past my bedtime Sorry if I'm not being clear.

Funkyhan- wondering which diseases you could pass on with a couple of oz (excepting prem babies for whom a couple of oz could be 2 days worth of food) to a full term healthy baby. Are some dose dependant? Do you have any research data on the transmission of diseases by bm?

Summer. Honestly I think that these sorts of things would have to be sorted out between the two mothers. I wouldn't want to use milk from a woman I'd never met, and I would have to go and meet her etc and find out what sort of person she was, and be able to check that I trusted her. That's me.

We're not here to "formula bash". You are right, it is not helpful. It is a perfectly acceptable choice, but a lot of women would like the choice to feed their babies human milk before they have to make that choice. That is what we are about.

If you are interested and want to find out more, please do visit our facebook page (link in original post) where you can ask all the questions you need :)

There is a lot of information there that I couldn't possibly hope to replicate here. I can't say how I visualise this happening... I'm not running the network... just helping out where I can to increase awareness!

Funkyhan in your initial post you say 'We're hoping' and 'don't hesitate to contact us' which makes it sound as if you are representing Eats on Feets. Therefore, as a representative it is relevant to potential 'clients' how you visualise the interactions between donor and recipient actually working.
ie. do they meet up? Is there a medical questionnaire you can fill in and swap with your other half? Is there a list of blood tests you could request the donor have done?

You also say to ask you if we have any more questions - thats what I was doing.

I can't get this info from the facebook site, a lady called Victoria is after the same info as I am - how to make sure it is safe and the reply wasn't very informative: (copied and pasted from facebook)

Victoria:I used the bfn to find out lots of information, i think what you ladies are doing is amazing my son stopped feeding 4 months i am not sure i have anything left but happy to spread the word..... I do have a question regarding safety is it based on trust or do donors have to take a test??
13 hours ago · Comment · Like

Eats on Feets UK : All I am doing is matching those in need with those who have to much it is them up to them to decide how they want to do it. I am, however happy to provide info/resources regarding safety. we will soon be publishing a list of links to that effect. thanks for your support.

If you are advising people to share breastmilk then you have a duty to be open and clear about how it can be done safely. Saying All I am doing is matching those in need with those who have to much it is them up to them to decide how they want to do it isn't enough imo.

Your informed parent blog link doesn't seem to work.

Hello ladies. I am new to this thread and am very busy at the moment so my apologies if I do not cover all of your points.
I set up the EOFUK page as part of a global network started by a friend in Canada. We only launched in the last few days.
We are not a business and therefore will not have any potential clients. We are a group of like - minded, well informed women who would like to offer info/support on breastfeeding with a view to providing a space where women who have too much milk can help out those who are in need for whatever reason. We will be publishing a list of resources and links to provide info about all aspects. from boosting your own supply to the safety aspects. (On that note did you know, for example that correctly flash heating Breastmilk kills all dieseases, most notably the aids virus).
All EOF is doing is providing vital connections, it is then up to the individual to make an Informed choice.