BellyBelly Member
I have wondered for a long time *not a debate*
I have always thought it was stupid that we offer formula, but dont sell breastmilk?????
I have said this to many people and had some strange comments back, like "I find giving my child somebody elses bm disturbing, you dont know what lifestyle that mother has"
To which I reply, "They would screen it. Would you say no to a blood transfusion?"
So my question is, why is it a mind set, that its 'ok' to feed canned powder,made in a factory, but 'strange' to buy bm???
Hopefully one day all that is offered is bm, just wonder if you mummies see a problem with this? Maybe at 1st it seems strange but really when you weigh it up, makes sense, no?
Personaly I have used donor milk......
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Interesting, this this morning....
Mothers Split over revival of breastfeeding eachother's babies
I've donated & wouldn't have a problem with using donated milk. I can understand how for some people it's confronting though. I don't know if only having BM on offer is a practical alternative...
I would think that it is because there is not enough supply.
We have donor milk banks etc which are fantastic but they are always crying out for more mothers to donate. I know expressing just for my DD was a huge job in itself, let alone having extra to "sell" or "give" to someone to then sell on. I just don't think it's a viable option.
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I'd say Breast milk is covered by the same legislation as blood and organs etc. It's illegal to sell them but they can be donated.
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I had a thread a while ago about the breast milk bank on the gold coast...it has no or hardly any government funding and is constantly trying to raise money to keep its doors open.
Very morbid but DH and I have an understanding that if anything happend to me after my baby was born he was/is to find a "village" and make sure my baby is breastfed...if the milk banks were more available it wouldnt be so hard to do this.
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some might think it puts women into the league of dairy cows? Personally I don't know if I'd be comfortable going out and buying a bottle of BM for my baby..If I desperately needed a blood transfusion then I would accept it, but that's kind of a life saving situation, and it's not like they have artificial blood they can offer you instead.
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I think you may get some mothers though that would express and sell all thier breastmilk and then feed thier own child formula.
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Blood transfusions are there to save lives, and I would 'probably' consent if faced with that decision, however, BM is not the only way to save a babies life if the mother cannot BF, so personally no I wouldn't..
Snap SS! I was just coming back to talk about dairy cows!
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I don't have a problem with it, would gladly use EBM over formula any day, if (god forbid) I am not able to BF subsequent children for whatever reason, I can only hope that I will have friends and family who will be willing to help out.
If there was a milk bank near me I would have donated too, sadly there isnt, I also wouldn't bat an eyelid if someone offered to BF DS for me for some valid reason, I would gladly do the same in return.
I don't think my opinion is very mainstream, although there does seem to be a bit of a comeback for it lately.
ok, so I know you dont want a debate, but after I posted I noticed a few other posts, "bm not being life or death?" I beg to differ, I recently read an article about how now, 50-70 years after formula use has been so prevalent that the health risks are now coming to light. If I can find it, I will link to it, Im sure it was posted in here a while back...
ETA: not sure this is it but close...https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...er-142393.html
Last edited by STARRYSKY; November 2nd, 2010 at 08:14 AM.
BellyBelly Member
No I dont wnat a debate, but healthy convo is allowed
I was going to say the same thing, breast milk IS a life savour maybe you dont see the benefits straight up, but they're there
Im just trying to understand our mind set......
We all know 'breast is best' etc. Im just trying to see that if the 'best' was accessable, why some would still not 'CHOOSE' it
Im not talking about another lady feeding your child, Im talking about going to a bank and buying the milk, instead of going to the supermarker etc and buying can of formula....
Also Im thinking our answers would be very different to those answers given by people who live in a country with breastfeeding ads on TV, ads around town on buses etc......
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I'm wondering if someone else's BM is as good as your own? When there is illness in a house, the germs are passed to the mother via nursing, who creates antibodies and gives them to the infant via BF. If that cycle doesn't exist (which it doesn't using donor BM) it can't be as perfect as a mother BF her own child in their own home, KWIM? Likely the infant is getting antibodies to illnesses they aren't exposed to at that time. They also aren't bonding with their mother in the same way.
All that aside, I still support it, even if I wouldn't do it that way myself.
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Some people who bottlefeed formula don't believe that breastmilk has any great benefits over formula. If you held this belief, then getting breastmilk from another human would only add risk (transmission of diseases etc), so i doubt they would be interested.
If Women have the ability to produce it themself, but choose not to, why should other women spend hours expressing etc for someone who doesn't believe in its merits.
Who is going to produce all the breastmilk for the stores? Who will profit? There is heaps of profit in formula, i doubt they will want to let that go.
BellyBelly Member
This is what Im affraid of....people truely not knowing or being educated on the differences......I never knew while being pg with Annabelle and many dont.....
Also the scarey thing is the formula companies profits, their profits are much more important to them then a babys health.....
Maybe they should switch their funding to bm instead of formula
I dont have all the answers to the MANY questions that would arise, but surely their has to be more thought put into it, no?
In the end it's our future who will suffer if we dont put 110% thought and effort into such an important matter that is fast becoming 'taboo' to speak about, in fear it may offend...
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Human milk bank - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
A great article and video!
and one from the Natural Parenting site
Most people agree that for the best start in life a baby needs mother‘s milk. But what happens when a mother has insufficient milk glands, has had past breast surgery or is taking medication (e.g. chemotherapy for cancer) and breastfeeding is not an option? What happens when a mother has an infection that could be spread to her baby through breastfeeding, such as HIV or hepatitis or a health problem that prevents her from breastfeeding? For these babies an alternative must be sought.
In past times, the practice of wet nursing provided an alternative to maternal breastfeeding for those who could access it. When a wet nurse was not available, milk from goats, sheep and other mammals was also used as substitute nourishment for babies. This often had fatal results.
When we consider alternatives to breastfeeding today most of us think of baby formula from a bottle. Wet nursing has virtually disappeared from the developed world, as methods of infant feeding with artificial formula milks have become relatively safe. However, the ideal alternative to maternal milk for a human baby is not from a can or a cow, but from a human.
In1980 at the World Health Assembly the WHO and UNICEF jointly declared: "Where it is not possible for the biological mother to breastfeed, the first alternative, if available, should be the use of human milk from other sources. Human milk banks should be made available in appropriate situations."
Many babies will not thrive without human milk. Infants with “failure to thrive”, formula intolerance, allergies and certain other medical conditions may require human milk for health and even for survival.
Sometimes a mother’s milk supply can be delayed. If a mother of a premature or adopted infant is not able to get lactation going quickly enough to meet the needs of their babies, donated milk can be used as a bridge until her supply is sufficient and in this way breastfeeding is protected.
The WHO/UNICEF Global Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative has since led to a revival of interest in milk banking. Human milk banks exist to provide human milk to needy babies for medical reasons where the natural mother is unable to breastfeed. Milk banks accept, store and redistribute donated human milk (DHM). Because babies who use donor milk are not related to the donors, every possible step is taken to ensure the milk is safe. All screening and testing of donor mothers and DHM is carried out by the milk banks who have guidelines which are reviewed regularly in light of current scientific and practical knowledge. The milk banks also play an important role in sharing information among experts on human milk, providing information to the medical community and encouraging research on the unique properties of human milk.
The history of milk banking.
After the industrial revolution, when wet nurses became difficult to find, human milk banking began. The first milk bank in the United States (US) was started in Boston in 1911 by two physicians who were concerned about the high death rate in an orphanage in their community. Over the next decades, advances in the dairy industry helped milk banks develop protocols for sterilising, pasteurising, storing, and freezing mothers’ milk. In 1943, the American Academy of Paediatrics published its first recommendations for operating human milk banks. A parallel human milk banking tradition arose in Europe, where infant formula was never embraced to the extent found in the US. In 1959, there were over 100 milk banks in Germany alone.
With aggressive marketing of infant formula, and especially since the onset of the AIDS epidemic, the number of human milk banks has declined.
Who donates the milk?
Donor mothers are volunteers (although some costs are covered) who make the effort to produce milk in excess of their babies needs. Some mothers donate milk because they are expressing for their own babies and find they have an excess of milk stored. Donor mothers are carefully screened in much the same way that blood banks screen donors to ensure that strict guidelines are met. Donors must have the consent of their doctor and their baby‘s doctor. They must be non-smokers, taking no medications, be in good health and must provide evidence of immunity to rubella, a negative syphilis test and provide their TB and herpes history. In addition, they must have negative blood tests for Hepatitis B and C, HIV 1 and 2, and HTLV 1 and 2. There are times when a donor may be required to withhold her milk temporarily.
How is the DHM collected?
A donor mother may express her milk by hand or using a suitably cleaned mechanical breast pump. Donor mothers are provided with breast pumps, collecting kits and instructed in hygienic methods of collection to protect the milk from contamination. Expressed milk is chilled or frozen and transported to the milk bank at regular intervals where it is thawed, cultured, and pasteurised.
How is the DHM processed?
Milk from a donor may be used raw, as is common in neonatal nurseries in Norway, or heat treated in order to kill any bacteria or viruses that may be present. While some of the components of human milk are heat sensitive and are destroyed during the heating process, a substantial number still remain functional in amounts higher than occur in formulas. Donor milk is tested for a range of potential pathogens before and after pasteurisation, and is only released for use if it meets the agreed standards. In the past 30 years, there has never been a documented disease or illness transmission through processed human milk.
Who receives the DHM?
Recipients are infants who have a medical need for human milk. Medical indications for supplementing the intake of a breastfed newborn infant at term include clinical hypoglycaemia, dehydration, and infection. Banked milk is also used for older babies and children in conditions such as formula intolerance, gastroenteritis, malabsorption, and postoperative nutrition. Milk banks help mothers provide breast milk for premature babies. "A systematic review and meta-analysis has reported that feeding with donor human milk was associated with a significantly reduced relative risk (RR) of NEC [3O]. Infants who received donor human milk were three times less likely to develop NEC (RR 0.34; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.12-0.99), and four times less likely to have confirmed NEC (RR 0.25; 95% CI 0.06-0.98) than infants who received formula milk." (1)
Milk banks not only save lives but also save money. Of those babies who acquire NEC, up to 62% die from it. While 1.5% of premature infants fed mother’s milk acquire NEC, 10-17% of premature infants fed formula acquire this disease. Research shows that NEC will increase a baby’s length of hospital stay by two weeks.
Is human milk only for babies?
While the vast majority of breast milk is used to benefit babies and young children, DHM is presently being used to lessen infections among adults who have undergone liver transplants. Other important medical uses for this magical substance are being investigated.
How can you get DHM?
You need a doctor's prescription to receive donor milk, and each recipient of donor milk needs to be under medical supervision. After everything is set up, donor milk is picked up from the nearest milk bank, or it is shipped directly to the recipient. You do not need to live near a milk bank to receive donor milk.
How much does it cost?
Milk banks charge a fee to help offset the cost of processing DHM and this varies between milk banks (usually around 60% of the cost). Donor milk from a milk bank is covered by some medical insurance policies. It is also possible to approach the milk bank to find out how payment can be made later on, or how to get help with the payments.
Milk banks worldwide today.
In the United States there are seven dispensing and one research milk bank. The United Kingdom has twelve, endorsed by the British Paediatric Association. France has eighteen active milk banks and Canada has one. In Australia work is currently being done towards opening a large scale milk bank in Victoria and following a successful trial in Perth last year, the Perron Rotary Express Milk bank (PREM) will open mid-year at King Edward Memorial Hospital. The PREM bank will initially offer donor milk to premature babies in Western Australia, but there are hopes it
may eventually supply babies across Australia. Both milk banks are modeled on banks operating overseas.
Sam lives with her partner on Sydney's Northern beaches where she home schools her three children and runs a baby sling business www.earthslings.com. She is also the founder and co-ordinator of Sydney Attachment Parenting, a contact person for Home Education in NSW and a contact person for www.purebirth-australia.com
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:yeahthat: i don't know why but the thought of someone else's BM just doesn't sit right with me. And i would only accept someone elses blood if it was in a life or death situation otherwise i would refuse.
I understand that all BM donated would be screened but what if they make mistakes or become slack and something is passed on our babies, i'm not saying that would happen but i atleast know formula is fine and that it doesn't stop a child from being smarter than those who are BF.
As an example we were out at dinner last night and there was another young couple with their 5 month old girl, they started chatting to us, they thought Miss K was a newborn as shes so little. Anyways the mother asked me questions, she asked if i BF or FF and i said FF to which she said fair enough. Then her little girl was being a bit cranky because she kept taking her dummy out and then the mother said in a bragging kind of tone that her bub had just learnt to take her dummy out and put it back in and thats when DP said that Miss K has been able to do that for a few weeks now.
I'm not saying my bub is the smartest in the world but she learnt something well before this other bub and the difference is mine is FF where the other is BF. I know BM has it benefits over FF but formula really is not that bad.
And im not taking a stab at anyone i know this is a friendly conversation so if my post comes across as snooty its not my intention
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So you don't drink cows milk? It's someone else's breast milk, just the "someone else" eats grass and says moo.
I'm not sure when the "non-debate" became a debate or why "smartness" came into itI don't even know where to start with that.
There is little/no funding for BM Banks from the govt and I think the redtape is tough. That's in answer to the OP.
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