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So I am just curious about something, after a rather "interesting" weekend. Is there anything about the Breastfeeding Friendly Hospital qualification (is that the right word? award?) that addresses donor milk? I have just realised that a hospital is attempting to get certification and yet has a policy against donor milk. I can't flippin' believe it.
YOu don't tell them it is donor milk, simple. Unfortunately though, they are probably bound by policy that they can't use milk that is unscreened etc so they can't let you use it on the million to one chance that something happens to your babe because of it. I hope it's all going OK for you though :hug:
Nothing here about donor milk.
https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bf-...-baby-friendly
Yes, that's what we've found. I really wish they would change that policy, now that I know how essential EBM is to a premmie and the immediate effect it had on DD2's BSL's. They tried her on formula and it did nothing, and she was very slow to respond to glucose via cannula, but the smallest amount of EBM and she surged back to normal BSL's. EBM is gold and they need to let more newborns / prems have it! I am eternally grateful to my very special friend who came to visit me in hospital ;).:
Hope things are going ok for you both.
I hope they change the policy - start an uproar, take it to the local politician and you might change it for the next person! :D
Seems bizarre that the docs are so against it, but the midwives give you a pat on the back and are all for it!
M :hug: - I am so tempted I tell ya. Even screened donor BM seems to be frowned upon, and that's just nuts. The MW's are champions, and Kate, whoever you are, :hug: ;).
Breadtmilk in hospitals is considered a body fluid and is treated as such. Give the wrong milk to a baby and it is treated like a needle stick injury with blood tests and all. You can take in donor milk but don't tell them that is what it is, however they may get suspicious if you were previously getting a drop and are now bringing in 500ml ;) , so take in a little at a time.
Crazyness. I think it's your choice what you give your baby!! How frustrating. Glad to hear you are able to get all the BM DD needs though xx
I can understand the hospital's (litigation concern based) point of view but it still seems ridiculous. So long as they explain the infection risks to you it should be your choice. They couldn't prevent you from having a friend wet nurse your child if they weren't in SCN after all.
The Mater buy in donor milk from the Milk bank... So I don't get the arguments against it.
Glad you've gt some EBM going though :)
IT doesn't really make a lot of sense.
Hooray for your EBM supply, though!
For what it's worth, the US CDC does not class breast milk as a hazardous fluid. The only reason you would take care handling it is to avoid contaminating the milk (not the other way round).
Milk banks pasteurize the milk as well as screen the donors - so they are essentially very very low risk.
Another risk with "donor milk" that is not from a milk bank lies in the hospital not having control over how the milk was expressed and stored - and since it is "food" they are probably also subjected to food handling rules. The best answer seems to be many more milk banks, but they are very expensive to set up and run.
I find it a bit odd that they might screen a baby who's received the wrong milk - do they also give the "donor" mother's own child a blood test? The theoretical risk exists for all babies, surely?
I think the rules are more to do with administrative arse-covering than the best interests of the babies. Oh well.
Yep, and that sucks big time :(.:
My mother in law was telling me that when she gave birth (mind you, she is in her early 60's) the mothers who were engorged expressed their excess milk into a cup. The midwives would come around with a bucket and all the women would just tip their cups into this communal bucket, then they'd take the bucket to SCU to feed the premmies.
And now we have... nothing but red tape. Sure, what happened before was "risky", but as a mother I'd take the risk knowing the enormous benefits.
There is a small, theoretical risk of transmission of infection, yes. And mothers should be fully aware of this risk.
However there are also plenty of risks associated with formula use - particularly with premature and neonates - and with not breastfeeding, and those risks are often not fully understood, which is a far greater problem, in my opinion. Probably it's up to parents to point this out to hospital administrators?
That's pretty cool about the bucket, though :)
Think of the immunity babies would be getting with all those donors! Bring back the old days. ;)
My sister was a donor a couple of years ago, and she had to get all these blood tests before they accepted her milk. And a friend of my Mum's had such a ridiculous oversupply issue that she was breastfeeding twins as well as her own newborn while in hospital!