Wet nurse or donate milk - would you?

[chelseamorning]

Just this really:

Would you formally agree to be someone's wet nurse?
Would you regularly donate breast milk for money?
Have you ever used a milk bank and why?

A curious/interesting topic!

Wish I'd known you could do that as when I had DS I was flooded every day. Would happily share. Think I am a tiny bit too far away from one for them to collect it.

yes I would happily be a wetnurse if someone really wanted me to.

I regularly donated breastmilk to a friend who was having problems breastfeeding her new baby. did it till he was about 6 months old (we both had babies at the same time)
She offered me money and I said not to be so ridiculous, the milk didn't cost me anything to make and I would never take money for it

have never used a milk bank as I've never had any need to. but I would if the need arose.

still on the fence with this. I had loads of ebm in the freezer but needed it all when I had pneumonia and dried up for four days.
Would happily wet nurse a close friends baby if they couldn't: but only temporarily. Would donate, but only if I had a good stock in the freezer for my own lo.

I would never be a wet nurse. No way.

If I was able to express and had lots of milk, then I would donate it for free (but can't express more than a drop so not an option).
If my baby was very premature, needed breast milk and I didnt have any, I would take DBM (I presume it is super screened beforehand).

I think there is a huge difference between someelse bf your baby/bf someone else's baby and giving the baby EBM in a bottle. Apart from the nutritional value, for me bf is all about bonding with my dd and I would not want her to feed directly from someone else (unless it was a life or death situation). I would get someone to give her formula any day rather than directly bf her.

I would definitely nurse someone else's bab or donate milk (probably not for money though!) - in fact I'd probably find the nursing option easier, as I've always struggled to express much. I don't think I'd want to be employed as a wet nurse, though I suppose if you're going to be looking after the baby anyway it would be good to be able to comfort them that way . I could definitely see myself nursing the baby of a very close friend or relative if she was unable to feed the baby herself - probably as a temporary measure though.

I've never been in a situation where I've needed DBM, but I'd rather any child of mine had human milk rather than formula so I would want it if for some reason I was unable to feed myself.

In case it hasn't been said further up, milk banks will collect from you rather than you needing to deliver so anyone that's keen to donate but thinks it's too far - phone them and check before assuming it can't be done.

Ds had DBM in SCBU as he needed to be tube fed and I couldn't keep up with him for the first couple of weeks. I felt very lucky to have to chance to use a milk bank and very grateful to the generous women who donated milk for him. I donated my milk when he came home.

I woudl love to be a wet nurse - doesn't that mean you get paid for sitting on the sofa feeding a baby?! Sounds brilliant!

won'tbepreggers - is it really true your friend will not be able to bf post-op for all that time??? because of post-op meds??? Great that you are happy to help out, but it's almost certainly not necessary - your friend can check her meds out herself (there are lots of good sites but this one toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?LACT is very useful and then ask the doctors again.

Mothers are told far too often they have to suspend breastfeeding, and the truth is they really don't have to. In any case, your friend will have to express 8 times a day to maintain supply and comfort levels - what a hassle.

I couldnt wet nurse. But definetly donate, would of done but always had problems with my milk production

tiktok- yup- serious heavy duty knock you flat out style drugs- its brain op so she will be out cold for at least 48 hours- she is thinking about the reduction in supply- she's not sure what to do yet tbh!

OK, so when she is actually unconscious, the meds are in the blood stream. When she is conscious, they are not (otherwise she would still be knocked out....). So those drugs should be ok, once the effect has worn off.

Is she taking other meds which are unsafe?

no- but after major brain surgery she is going to have the headache from hell and be unable to move- her consultant has said 5 days to give her brain a chance to start healing

OK - but if she's gonna express, then how is that easier than feeding?....sorry to harp on, her choice and all that, but I have heard from too many mothers whose doctors do not understand breastfeeding

it is her choice and i think she is basing it on the fact that to have the baby in an intensive care unit with her would be totally unpractical and not to mention unfair on her, her dh, the other patients, and whoever would have to drive the 120 odd mile round trip to the hospital she is having the surgery at.

i think after tremendously risky brain surgery, she and the doctors are more worried about whether she will even remember she has a baby!

Yep - totally understand all that!

All the very best to her...what a scary thing to have to go through.

I did try to donate to the milk bank at Queen Charlottes. Filled out a questionnaire, spoke to someone on the phone, she kept messing me around on communicating, was supposed to arrange for me to have a medical and I never heard from her again.