Sharing Breastmilk?

For many moms, breastfeeding can be a real challenge. For others, there’s more than enough to go around.  Recently, a new phenomenon has surfaced where a few moms are not only breastfeeding their own babies, but are also offering up a snack for babies of friends or family.
 
Incredible, as this seems, some moms wonder if this is a new twist on “Wet nurses” or a dangerous fad.
 
Not recommended
 
Although breastmilk is the perfect food for babies, sharing breastmilk could be risky and organizations such as the La Leche League discourage this practice.  Breastmilk is after all, a body fluid, so sharing it, can be risky.  Infections can pass through the milk, as well as some medications.
 
And, with some infections, most people don’t know they have them, and yet they could pass a dangerous infection like hepatitis, HIV, and others through the milk. 
 
All milk is different
 
Just as each individual is unique, so is breastmilk.  Each woman produces just the right recipe for her own baby’s age and weight.  Breastmilk changes not only as the baby grows and develops, but also during a feeding. We now know that in the first few minutes of breastfeeding, the milk has more sugar and water, but as the session goes on, the amount of fat increases.
 
Likewise, the first milk, or colostrums that produced in the first few days of life is packed with powerful antibodies that help the baby’s immune system mature.
 
Wet Nurses
 
In the past though, if a woman couldn’t breastfeed, she might be able to hire a “wet nurse.”  Though some may think that sharing their breastmilk is the same, there are some important differences. Most wet nurses were only breastfeeding one baby at a time, and  they did it round the clock. This meant that a wet nurse’s body and breastmilk composition would adapt to that specific baby.
 
Formulas are now more like human milk.

Many new infant formulas have been developed to be more like breastmilk. The addition of omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients make formulas closer to breastmilk than ever before. Neonatologists around the country are working closely with the manufacturers to develop the best possible recipes.
 
A helpful alternative: For moms who want to share their breastmilk to help other babies, especially preemies who are in desperate need of this “liquid gold”, moms can donate their pumped milk to a milk bank.
 
Moms are screened and evaluated for infections and for medications that might pass through t he milk. They’re sometimes provided with a pump, a cooler and lots of collecting bags.
Donated milk helps save lives.  There's lots of information on milk banks.  Just check out the Human Milk Banking Assocation of North America.

 
For more information on Breastfeeding see my Personal Guide to Breastfeeding available on Amazon.