Offering milk to a friend whose babies will be 2 months prem? Inappropriate? Weird? Disgusting? Invasive? Nice? Supportive? Generous? Opinions wanted please.

[LifeOfPee]

One of my best friends is PG with twins. She's due to deliver them via section within the next few days. She's 31 weeks so they'll be significantly premature.

I am currently BFing my 5 week old DS. I am blessed with an abundant milk supply.

If my friend struggles to EBF both babies would it be odd to offer her some of my milk so she can avoid formula? I know she has been keen to BF both babies throughout her PG but they weren't due to be delivered for another couple of weeks, at least, however one twins growth has slowed right down so delivery has been moved forward.

I know they will only need milk in very small quantities at first, they'll be tiny, but at only 31 weeks PG and recovering from a section I also know she may struggle. She BFed her other two DC, exclusively, for a few days only before moving onto mixed feeding and then swiftly onto fully FF. I don't think she was very confident in her ability to feed them and perhaps wasn't supported or encouraged enough by her partner or mum to keep going and was perhaps a bit squeamish about it.

I don't want to weird her out or make her feel uncomfortable and, obviously, I'll be supporting her 100% in her attempts to express and feed both babies AND if she decides to give them formula (her babies, her body, her choice) but it seems too serendipitous (to me anyway) that I'm making newborn baby milk and she will have two newborns who would really benefit from being EBF. I know it's possible for her to make enough milk and her milk would be better for them than mine but I also know mine would be better for them than formula.

I used to donate milk to the milk bank at Kings College, years ago when I was feeding my DD. I am a BF supporter both voluntarily and paid (when not on mat leave) so I probably have a biased view about all things boob. Having said all of this though I don't really know how I'd feel if the shoe were on the other foot and I were due to deliver premie twins. Would I want her milk? Honestly, I don't know. I just know that if her babies develop any GI problems due to formula (i.e NEC) I will massively regret (understatement) not having offered her some milk.

What do you think? I guess the sensible answer is wait and see

[ravenAK]

Yes, lovely idea. I've always regretted not donating milk when I was awash with it.

[mymatemax]

yes offfer, but please dont judge or preassurise if she says no initially.
My ds2 was 3 months early & could only manage to express & freeze a trickle ready for when he could take feeds by tube.
by the time his suck reflex had kicked in i ahd stapped producing milk, I felt like such a failure at the time as his shelf in te freezer was almost empty despite him being the sikest baby on the unit & the ony one not receiving milk.
It is a very kind offer and I hope if a friend had made the same offer to em at the time that I would've felt able to accept but honestly I was so upset, confused, worried & every other emotion I really dont know how I'd have reacted.

[Winetime1981]

Lovely idea. But if it were me I'd make the offer face to face. I'd lighten the mood by saying "I've got something I want to ask you but you may think I'm weird/ it weird," - a joke always helps things I think!

Then explain to her that you have agonised over asking her as you'd totally understand if she found it offensive. Then go into it. The highlight would obviously be how beneficial (and sometimes life saving) breast milk can be for premature babies.

If a friend asked me like this, made it quite light and then went into just how much she'd stressed about it I'd be really comfortable saying no if that's how I felt. And if she says yes, fantastic luck for the babies!

You're lovely :-)

[Winetime1981]

Also though take into account squeamishness through the 'unknown' entity of your milk. Say you'd liaise with her team and produce documents proving its safety.

[Eskino]

That's a beautiful thing to do. You've brightened my morning

[Branleuse]

offer.

just say that if shes ever stuck for breastmilk and she wants to go down that route, then you used to be a donor and you'd be more than happy to help if thats what she wanted.

[Branleuse]

even if she thinks its a little strange at first, so what.
theres worse things in life than being seen as a bit weird ;)

[mymatemax]

you could say that you are going to donate your milk to the milk bank but if she would prefer you would be happy for her to have it.
She may feel more comfortable with an unknown donor.

[LifeOfPee]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I'm actually surprised by how many of you have been so positive about it, I thought more people would say "Urgh, no way!" Perhaps posting in AIBU or even chat might have got more of those responses, maybe sticking in the feeding section will only give me nice, safe pro BF answers

I like the idea of emailing her the idea to give her the opportunity to say "urgh, no way!" without having to hide it from me if she feels that way. Good points about the logistics of it too. I would imagine I'd have to be screened again and they may want to pasteurise it before the babies get it, is that even possible with a private donation? I would have thought that milk banks usually do all that for the hospitals? Perhaps it might be easier for her to use a milk bank? My offer might open that idea to her if she hasn't thought or been told about it yet? She's at UCLH, does anyone know if they offer banked milk there?

I will offer, via email, and keep it light with no pressure and no hard sell on how much better it would be for her babies than formula milk in case she does end up giving them formula (last thing she needs is to feel bad about what they're eating) and then she can do what she wants with the offer, even if that's ignore it.

[CelticPromise]

I agree that you should offer, lovely idea, and you sound very sensitive to her feelings.

I had DS at UCH, they do offer donor milk there. I don't know what their criteria are but at my local NNU where I volunteer only the smallest and sickest are offered it as it costs a fortune.

Can you offer maximum support to your friend with expressing? It's a few years since I had DS but the support was not brilliant. I didn't learn to hand express properly until I did the peer support course two years later...

Finally, if she lives in NW London there is specialist twin feeding support available- maybe that's the case in other areas?

[Featherbag]

If you offer and she turns you down, or is offended, please don't take it to heart! My DS was born at the same gestation, and having a prem baby fucked up my head like nothing else ever has. Now, with my sensible, non-post-natal-hormonal head on, I'd say what a fabulous idea, and what a lovely friend you are. However, if you'd suggested this to me just after I'd given birth, I would've told you to fuck off to the far side of fuck. Then a few months later I'd have been mortified when I began to think rationally again!

[mymatemax]

sitting in a sterile room with a pump that sounds like a fcking lawnmower with a polaroid photo of your baby in intensive care really did nothing to stimulate my milk supply, stimulated loads of tears but fck all milk!
Any help or advice re expressing would be welcome i'm sure

[Nicknamefail]

I just retread my post and it doesn't make sense and looks like I am saying don't offer. Massive mistype after 8 months of no sleep..... I think it is a great idea and I would be so grateful if I was in your friends position.

[LifeOfPee]

Just found out today is National Milk banking day!

Perhaps I could use that as an opener...?

[busybeeme]

My eldest son was born at 28 weeks and right from the off the hospital pushed the importance breast milk and expressing for him, there was a dedicated pumping room in SCBU, breast feeding support nurse etc. So it could well be your friend does receive good support there.

I think an e-mail is a good idea. I did manage to express for my son but if not I don't think I would have been comfortable with an offer from a friend if I had received one. As someone else said your emotions are all over the place when you have a very early baby and I think it would have made my feelings of guilt/failure worse. So giving her the chance to consider without the pressure of face to face sounds good.

It sounds like you are being a very good friend to her