Hot on HuffPost Parents:
Find Out What Beyonce Will Name Baby No. 2!
Teen Who Died During Her First Solo Drive May Have Been Texting
Would You Feed Another Woman's Breast Milk to Your Baby?
Filed under: Breast-Feeding
Breast-feeding is such an intimate act -- but blogger Taylor Newman shares her story of feeding her baby another woman's breast milk on Parenting.com:
I'd caught wind of the heated breast milk debate/divide (who could miss it?) before becoming pregnant; I knew about the benefits of breast-feeding and breast milk, and also about the countless healthy, happy formula-fed babies out there in the world, enjoying life.
I was formula fed myself, and haven't suffered from any IQ or immune system deficits, so while I appreciated from the get-go all that breast-feeding has to offer, I didn't get swept up in the politics of it.
I felt in the beginning of pregnancy, in that early stage of constant nausea and soul-crushing fatigue, that nine months was a long time for one's body to host another being, and thus found myself leaning toward formula feeding in the interest of regaining a level of physical autonomy as soon as possible. Once into the second trimester, however, bumping along nicely and adjusted to the idea that my autonomy -- physical or otherwise -- was long gone (forever), and feeling okay about that, I decided I'd give breast-feeding a whirl.
There's been an interesting little twist of events in our story, recently. I have a standing weekly play date with a good mama-friend and her 18-month-old son. We're the same age, embrace the same general parenting style, have similar senses of humor -- you get the idea (a good friend). She's breast-fed her son exclusively, though, is still nursing, and offered to pump for Kaspar. I was floored. Pumping was a serious drag for me. I'd sit with that thing for forty-five minutes and get three ounces if I was lucky, but my friend here can pump that same amount in five minutes flat. Still, I was stunned by the offer. "You'd pump for him?" I asked in disbelief, to which she confirmed, "I'd be happy to."
So, Kaspar's getting breast milk and formula again, and to be honest it makes me feel good -- really good -- to know he's benefiting from all of the healthy stuff breast milk has to offer.
I'm feeling lucky for our inside supply.
Read the rest of the story here: Would You Feed Another Woman's Breast Milk to Your Baby? (I Am!)
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
Whats Is Donated Breast Milk
The mother's milk depot at the Sharp Mary Birch Hospital collects breast milk donated by women who produce more than their babies need. The milk is screened, cultured, pasteurised, frozen and fed to premature babies as an alternative to formula milk.
-
Pumping For Profit: Mothers Sell Breast Milk Online
Some Sacramento mothers post ads on sites such as Craigslist and Only The Breast to sell their surplus breast milk to mothers who cannot produce the milk.
-
Breast Milk Banks Making Comeback For Newborns
It used to be common place in area hospitals. Breast milk banks providing for mothers in need. But after the rise of various diseases and the fear of infection, donor breast milk has waned. It's now making a comeback.
-
Breast Milk Banks Become a Popular Trend
More and more studies are showing the health benefits of breast milk, but not all moms can breastfeed. Breast milk banks are booming.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
9-30-2010 @ 11:14AM
Bsanchez said...I have lived this experience and it saved my son's life....my son was diagnosed with Malabsorption Syndrom and was allergic to milk, eggs, and grain....could not break down nutrients and I was fortunate enough to have a pediatrician whose wife was involved in LaLeche League and women from all over the district pumped and froze milk for my son. Truck drivers as far away as 145 miles transported the frozen milk in their cabs and I met them at the terminal for pick up. My son is now 37! Breast milk from the milk bank was $0.50 an ounce and we were living on Navy pay....
Reply
10-11-2010 @ 10:02PM
maryanne said...I would never use someone else's breastmilk - you never know what's in it. Just because they are nursing their own child, doesn't mean they are healthy, have healthy diets, etc. Also, unless the person you are getting the milk from has a child the same age as your own, you're not getting the right "stuff" from the breastmilk. Breastmilk changes over time so that the baby gets what he/she needs from it.
9-30-2010 @ 2:56PM
CLM said...I became a mother through adoption and I would have loved to have been able to give my boys breast milk. It would have been preferable to the Nutramigen (sp?) they ended up on due to a severe milk protein allergy. The Nutramigen did the job, but there is no getting around the fact that it doesn't have as many calories as breast milk. Since my boys were only 5 lbs at birth (twins), those extra calories would have been welcome. Wet nursing was not at all uncommon in the past, and while I am grateful for the invention of formula that has saved the lives of innumerable infants, I think there is still a place for it where and when possible and appropriate.
Reply
10-01-2010 @ 11:42AM
Najiya said...Thats a beautiful story and a wonderful friend u have. In my religion Islam, we have breast milk relation, which means if any baby is breast fed by another woman, for health and feeding reasons, she automatically becomes his mom. Hes blessed with two moms...
Reply
10-10-2010 @ 4:29PM
Sandra Mort said...Yes! When my oldest was a newborn, I found myself in a position where a woman asked me to nurse her daughter. Afterwards, she explained to me that now any of my children would be unable to marry her children, since I had nursed her baby.
10-02-2010 @ 11:15PM
D starr said...It's a great story! My son who is now almost 3 is still breastfeeding and is not showing any signs of weaning! That's fine with me since I know it's the most nutritious substance in the world for humans. If I knew someone who was in need like that, I would be honored to supply milk if I was producing surplus! My son had to be hospitalized at 1 year old and was in the ICU for a week and sedated the first 3 days. After he was allowed nutrition through a feeding tube, I was so glad he was getting my pumped milk to make him recover and give him the best possible chance at survival. He probably would not have made it if he had been a formula baby. HOORAY FOR BREASTFEEDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply
10-04-2010 @ 6:24PM
mary said...It's not something I would normally do, but I was babysitting my breastfed neice and she just couldn't take a bottle, so I breastfed her along with my own child. I have never felt bad about this and would do the same in this circumstance.
Reply
10-04-2010 @ 7:02PM
Linda S. Remensnyder said...I breastfed my daughter and had an overabundance of milk. The infant across the street was allergic to cow's milk and to formula and his mother approached me asking if I would consider providing breast milk for him. I expressed into bottles for four months, holding my daughter to one breast (so breasts would "let down") and expressing the other breast into sterilized bottles for the child across the way. He thrived, my daughter thrived, and the family was so thankful, they purchased a bigwheel for my son who was seven. There is absolutely no way I wouldn't do it again.
Reply
10-04-2010 @ 6:48PM
Carol Levey said...Breast milk is the best milk. Please make sure your donor mother has had no viruses or other blood disorders. This can come through the milk to your infant or toddler. I am a certified lactation educator and have had some clients "donate" breast milk to an ailing or allergic infant. Check with your lactation professional if you have any questions.
Reply
10-04-2010 @ 7:06PM
janiceclark said...Is this really anything different than the "wet-nursing" back in "pioneer times"? I'm sure many babies survived because of a woman willing to take over another mother's baby in case she couldn't do it herself--for whatever reason.
Reply
10-09-2010 @ 12:26PM
monica said...My little sister and i are 16 months apart. We had our kids together only 4 months apart. She had her daughter first and pumped like a champ and by the time my son came she had so much frozen milk it was ridiculous. She left shortly after my son was born back to polond and left the milk with me. I breastfed well the first 3 months but then my supply just couldn't keep up and no matter how much I tried to increase my supply, it just wasn't happening. Rather then switching to formula for the extra feedings I fed him my sisters leftovers. We got an extra 2 months of breastmilk feedings for my son before I finally had to switch him over to formula. I would breastfeed her kids if I had to in a pinch and she would too, although pumping and using a bottle is how I'd prefere. Why waste perfectly good breast milk that's so good for your baby? Let me say though, I would never use a stranger's or even a friends milk, you never know what could be in it, diseases, etc. that they could be lying about. But my sister is my sister and I know she would never breastfeed her own children or let me use her milk for mine if there were any danger in it. I know her health and history like my own and would do it again.
Reply
10-10-2010 @ 1:40PM
tania said...I happily breastfed two of my sister's babies on occasions when they were hungry, she wasn't available, and I was obviously lactating. I would do the same thing in a heart beat if the situation ever arose again, and I'm sure she would've done the same for my babies.
Reply