If you had no breastmilk, would you use a breastmilk bank?

ikwym Colleen, I just wanted to give everyone the green light to be open :)

I think its early days, interesting times and I think that once the breastmilk bank is more established and we hear positive things about it and successful stories, it will be a little more comforting. It's all new and a new concept to alot of people who just don't understand how it works or haven't seen it in action. But of course there will still be those who will chose FF and that is fine - I think more will say no now than will later when it's been running well and some stats/figures/facts come out.

just to throw a spanner in the works, i'm wondering if people would hestitate to give their baby someone else's blood? just wondering how people see this as different if the breastmilk is going through the same stingent testing as blood? hmmmm i'm interested in peoples ideas, comments if you'd like to share.
beckles

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I think its early days, interesting times and I think that once the breastmilk bank is more established and we hear positive things about it and successful stories, it will be a little more comforting. It's all new and a new concept to alot of people who just don't understand how it works or haven't seen it in action.

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Totally agree. Everything new is daunting and "scary" but eventually it just becomes the norm. I think it's exciting to see new advances and inventions and whilst some of them are not for me I still think how clever that that person thought of doing that IYKWIM?

ETA: In reponse to beckles: If they were sick and couldn't have any of my blood or my family's blood, then of course. But I said yes to the BM bank, but you're probably after the people that said "no" opinions so mine won't count, but I'm yes to both.

I would be more hesitant to give my baby someone else's blood than breastmilk. If my baby was hungry and I couldn't feed him I would let someone I knew well breastfeed them and I would have no hesitation in accessing a milkbank if I had a premmie. Blood comes in differant types (O,A,B etc) whereas breastmilk is all the same type so its much easier to share.

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And I think that there are a lot of nurses that encourage BF, I know they did at the hospital that I went to, I think it just depends on the nurse and the hospital. I think though a lot of it is time constraints. They have schedules that they have to stick to and unfortunately BF can take a long time and they don't have time. I'm sure they would be more supportive if they had the time but unfortunately they don't and I really feel for them in that circumstance, they probably want to do more but they can't.

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I know this is totally off the topic but thanks! It's nice to know that there are people who understand the enormous time constraints we sometimes have to work under! I would like to think that all midwives are supportive and helpful of women regardless of their feeding method. (Sadly i do understand that this isn't always the case :()

Awwwww no worries and it's true. I really saw this when Jonah was in the SCN. They were really helpful with trying to help me BF and stuff but due to their schedules they just didn't have the time to sit with us or let it go one for as long as it takes for a baby to BF. I would often find that because they need things to happen at particular times that they would end up putting his feed (either EBM or F) down the NGT and whilst I was upset at the time and VERY frustrated I know why they have to do it. Even the midwives on the ward were extremely helpful (even though I only had him with me for 1 day). I knew they were trying and they really wanted to but due to more than just me being there and also women in labour at the same time.

But even though busy all of my midwives were so lovely and I really felt at ease with them and it made my whole experience wonderful and because of that I am happy and excited about going back and having my next baby there.

I think you do an important/stressful/wonderful job and I thank you for doing it because I'm sure it's not easy.

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Do you remember who the speaker was FJ? I often feel alot of the NICU staff don't see breastmilk as 'important' but perhaps this is more the Nursing staff then the medical staff...

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Oh Gees, Now your really askin gme to use my brain! Actually I was wanting to find out so your request has just reminded me to ask someone who will know. I know he is Scottish & hot! LOL.

Leave it with me & I will let you know when I find out.

ETA: Just remembered, he was from the John Hunter Hospital.

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I know he is Scottish & hot! LOL.

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There are 2 that could fit that description. Both from the UK and both easy on the eye!

Paul Craven is one of them - he's a neonatologist, and Michel Stark is the other - he's a NICU fellow...

My first reaction to the question was No. Having said that i personally haven't had a prem baby and am not sure what i would do or how i would feel if i was in that situation if it was a life or death situation. Obviously a mother would do anything they need to to save their baby, and i know breast milk is the best for prem babies, but at the same time, and excuse my ignorance, i wouldn't know if it was just better for them or actually life saving. Like i said, never been in that situation to need to know or to have to think about it.

I breastfed my daughter for 4 months and hated it the whole time. I found i bonded with her more my cuddling and spending time with her than when i was breastfeedign her. I simply never enjoyed the experience at all.

I put her on formula and never had a problem with my descision. We had to change formual a few times due to reflux etc but in the end its the way i did it and why bother regretting anything now, it wont change anything.

If i was to have another baby i dread the thought of breast feeding again, but like Ash would do it for a few months if i could.

To me feeding my chid someone else's milk is similar to something someone said before about people not liking even sharing drinking straws. (Sorry, don't have the time to find the quote, but well said to who ever it was :) ) For me i'm her mum and therefore i feed her. If i can't or chose not to then she'll have forumla because thats what I know and thats what i'm happy with and thats my choice.

im not sure but i think i tend to no, because the mothermilk adapt to your baby.
there are other 'ingredients' when it becomes older and from a bank it could get milk from a woman which 'beastfeed' since a year. i think there will be a lot of belly aches for my poor little baby :confused:

I have already posted to say "yes" I would use it. But I wanted to add something that might be of interest to some of you.

My friend gave birth to a very, very premmie baby last year (24 wks). Against all odds he has survived and is doing well. However, for the first few months any little infection or germ would have killed him. Even now, 10 months after birth, he has only just been allowed to meet other kids as prior to this the risk of him catching something was too high as it could have made him seriously ill or even killed him. In this instance, the immunity provided by breast milk is very important. There is no way to know for sure whether this little boy's life was saved because of the breastmilk, but it well might have been. For me, it's not a chance I would be willing to take. For me, it's like the decision to allow my child a blood transfusion. If there is even a chance that it will save his life and the benefits outweigh the risk, (which I believe they do in this instance), I wouldn't hesitate.

This would probably be an easier decision for me than many others though, as I am not uncomfortable with the thought of sharing breastmilk.

Its Dr Michael Stark.
His wife is a trainee BFing counsellor with ABA.

When I first started reading this I thought I'd also be funny about my child receiving EBM from an anon donor. And then I read through the website and saw the screening criteria and that it is pasturised.

I would allow any member of my family to have a blood or even organ transplant if it meant saving their life so their isn't much difference to EBM.

So if I had a prem baby who needed it I would give it to them in a heartbeat, if they were a bit older and not sick I might go to formula.

I would also freely donate if I had the right supply.

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*calls out to FJ* "Hey Nipple Nazi, the Forumla Fanatic is here!" LOL :)

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LMAO, I was wondering when you would turn up & have a go at me! LOL

The issues people have mentioned about the daonating mothers diet is a very good & vaild point. I wonder how exactly they do "Police" that type of thing?

Hi, my milk didn't come in and my daughter has been on S26 Gold since she was 2 days old and the midwives finally gave up on trying to force me to breastfeed. I wouldn't use a milk bank and would stick to formula. I wouldn't feel right about feeding my daughter someone else's milk. I've also found that while my daughter is formula fed she is also much healthier than some breast fed babies the same age.

I voted "No". But I am in two minds about it........

I voted No, mainly because I wouldn't really feel comfortable with it. I mean yes it is screened but do you really know that you can trust it.....ok the chances of it being contaminated etc would be extremely minimal....but............it would always be on my mind iykwim............

That said though, if my premie baby was really sick and really needed someone elses colostrum/breast milk to survive, then OF COURSE I would give it to them.

fruitwood, did the midwives not tell you that milk usually comes in at around day 3 on average? I am surprised they only gave you 2 days... and sad too the words you chose, that they 'gave up forcing' you... so sounds like it wouldn't have been a very pleasant or enjoyable time for you at all.

hmmm i understand people worrying about diet of the mother but do people have the same concerns with the cow's diet? i wonder how much chemicals are sprayed in the area to keep bugs at bay, water sources, grass. hay, molasis etc.
beckles