Breast milk

ronjo

I have a question I would like to put out there in general to gauge opinion.

Would you consider using someone someone elses breastmilk if you didnt have any/enough?

Its based on the assumption that
1. The other mother is healthy
2. The babies are the exact same age.

It would be for max one feed per day I guess.

gravid

i prob would, at least if my other choice was formula. but not having enough milk can usually be rectified by breastfeeding more frequently and not give from bottle...

missis aggie

If any other methods that help increase the supply failed- then yes I would.

Hobbitfeet

Absolutely would use donor milk if I was not able to exclusively breastfeed. I would have a bigger problem using formula than donor milk

How Strange

I'd also use donor milk.

ronjo

Thanks for the replies, especially the ones without the digs at formula as this wasnt really what the op was about.

Das Kitty

Are you looking for resources to source some donor groups? I have a friend who recently had to get some on short notice and I can ask her the contact details of the group if you'd like.

Hobbitfeet

Can I ask why you would like to "gauge opinion" on this subject?

ronjo

Hobbitfeet wrote: »

Can I ask why you would like to "gauge opinion" on this subject?

Yes of course.
I thought it was a bit strange to be honest but have since found out elsewhere, including the replies here that its not in the slightest.

ronjo

Das Kitty wrote: »

Are you looking for resources to source some donor groups? I have a friend who recently had to get some on short notice and I can ask her the contact details of the group if you'd like.

Thanks for the offer but we have the resource.

LegacyUser

ronjo wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, especially the ones without the digs at formula as this wasnt really what the op was about.

I would also use doner milk ahead of formula. I don't think anyone was having a dig at formula. A lot of people (inculding myself) consider it a far inferior product and would rather give our children the milk of our species where possible.

Hobbitfeet

Breast milk bank and milk sharing are a really valuable service. The use of breastmilk instead of formula in preterm babies has huge advantages. Are you looking for milk or a someone considering breastfeeding?

How Strange

And unfortunately it's a very limited resource so isn't one you could depend on as a back up. As far as I know premature and sick babies get priority and rightly so.

In fact now that I'm breastfeeding again I must look into donating. I'm not too familiar with the criteria.

Hobbitfeet

If you contact the milk bank in fermanagh they will give you all the info

Oral Slang

Yes would use donor milk, esp if I had a preterm or sick child & couldn't feed for some reason. I've donated milk to a mother that was stuck before.

lynski

i would use donor milk if i needed to and i would donate if i could. I have used formula in the past but my knowledge has increased and i would not now. i volunteered to feed a baby recently of the mom could not source donor milk but she got some.

taxus_baccata

I too would use donor milk, furthermore I would rather have someone else nurse my son if needed and I would nurse another baby if they needed it. Ifeel that strongly about human milk for human babies!

iguana

ronjo wrote: »

especially the ones without the digs at formula as this wasnt really what the op was about.

Sorry but as giving formula is normally what is done in our society when there is a supply issue or a feared supply issue, as is more often the case, of course a thread asking about the better but more unusual option of using donor milk will draw comparisons to formula. That's not a 'dig' just a natural place for the conversation to go.

And yes, as long as I was assured it carried no infectious diseases or traces of dangerous medications, I would use donor milk without reservation whereas I would be extremely unhappy about ever giving any formula. There is a reason that the WHO list donor milk ahead of formula on their order of recommendations on what to feed an infant.

ronjo

iguana wrote: »

Sorry but as giving formula is normally what is done in our society when there is a supply issue or a feared supply issue, as is more often the case, of course a thread asking about the better but more unusual option of using donor milk will draw comparisons to formula. That's not a 'dig' just a natural place for the conversation to go.

And yes, as long as I was assured it carried no infectious diseases or traces of dangerous medications, I would use donor milk without reservation whereas I would be extremely unhappy about ever giving any formula. There is a reason that the WHO list donor milk ahead of formula on their order of recommendations on what to feed an infant.

Ridiculous reply.
You say its not a "dig" and then you go ahead and do exactly that in the next paragraph.

Thanks to all the other answers. The donor milk has been gratefully received and is being used.

This issue can be closed.

iguana

It's not a dig. The World Health Organisation are very clear when they list their ways to feed infants in order of superiority and donor milk is 3rd while formula is 4th for a reason. Formula is inferior, that's a scientific fact not a dig. It's also often full of bacteria and I'd be very nervous about preparing it because of that fact. The way the vitamins are added would also worry me a lot. I wouldn't have any of those worries with donor milk.The fact that you are taking objective facts as some sort of insult is the only thing that's 'ridiculous' about any of the replies.

Hobbitfeet

I don't think it was a dig, it was the truth the WHO do list donor milk above formula as best food for babies. The truth is formula is listed as a last option and the least beneficial to baby, unfortunately in this country that truth is extremely unpopular and people don't like to hear it for obvious reasons, but that does not take away from the fact that it is the truth.

ronjo

iguana wrote: »

It's not a dig. The World Health Organisation are very clear when they list their ways to feed infants in order of superiority and donor milk is 3rd while formula is 4th for a reason. Formula is inferior, that's a scientific fact not a dig. It's also often full of bacteria and I'd be very nervous about preparing it because of that fact. The way the vitamins are added would also worry me a lot. I wouldn't have any of those worries with donor milk.The fact that you are taking objective facts as some sort of insult is the only thing that's 'ridiculous' about any of the replies.

Listen I made it clear I dont want a debate on the merits but you continue proving your point.
I know breast milk is a lot better...
Thats why my wife is upset she doesnt have enough,
Thats why she spoke to her friend about the donation
Thats why I asked the question here (because I had never heard of donation) and
Thats why we gave it to our baby.
Thats it.

Can a mod please close this thread.

How Strange

I dont think the last few replies were ridiculous either especially taken in the context of Irish society. Some Irish people are appalled to see a mother breastfeeding her own baby so the idea of donated milk or another mother providing her milk or nursing someone else's baby would be considered beyond the pale of what's acceptable.

Formula as a solution to low milk supply would, on the other hand, be considered the obvious choice in Irish society and is usually the one recommended by healthcare professionals.

I'm sorry to hear your wife is struggling with her own supply and I'm sure it places a great stress on you both. There's nothing as stressful as not being able to feed your child for whatever reason.

I hope she's getting good help and support to resolve the problem.

Hobbitfeet

There's lots of resources that your wife can avail of to help to increase her supply if that's what she wants. Contact La Leche League, Cuidiu or Friends of breastfeeding they all offer free support and advice

iguana

Ronjo, I'm sorry if you feel like me or any others are making digs at you because we have worries about formula, I was just pointing out that it's a natural place for the conversation to go and why, not trying to upset you. In fact I think that what you and your wife are doing absolutely amazing. It can't be easy to go against what feels odd in order to do the best thing possible for your baby and you should both feel very proud of it, tbh.

ronjo

Ok, I will take you all at your word and thank you for your replies

I actually dont live in Ireland, but in Central Europe. Where I live its almost 100% breast feeding and I dont think anyone here would choose not to breast feed if they could.
Why is it different in Ireland?

How Strange

ronjo, yes it's very different here. You're very very lucky to have the option of donor milk and the support systems which advocate it.

ronjo

How Strange wrote: »

ronjo, yes it's very different here. You're very very lucky to have the option of donor milk and the support systems which advocate it.

But why is it so different?

My first child will be 3 in a few months and she only had breast milk for just over a month for the same reasons as now. After that she was exclusively formula with no health issues (thankfully it seems).
My wife got to know a lot of new monthers at the time and she was the only one using the formula. (same as now)

pwurple

Hobbitfeet wrote: »

Another worry I would have is the fact that babies are being fed formula made with fluoridated water also consider the amount of water contamination with deadly bacteria in this country.

Oh jesus not this again. Mindless off topic JimCorr-like rant above. What has flouride got to do with bacteria? They are nothing to do with eachother.

Bacteria is removed by sterilisation. Flouride and bacteria are not linked in any way.

Breastfeeding mothers also drink tap water, and breasts also have bacteria on them. It's not a bad thing. What 'deadly bacteria' are you on about? Wait, don't even bother, the response will be the usual conspiracy theory nonsense.

Orion

pwurple: there is no need for that type of response at all. It is unhelpful, rude and inflammatory.

iguana

ronjo wrote: »

But why is it so different?

It's a difficult question to answer as there are so many things contributing to it but I'll try. First off 2 or 3 generations ago breastfeeding became seen as a seriously low class thing to do. Breastfeeding became seen as something you would only do because you couldn't afford to buy modern formula. For reasons possibly to do with our past as a colony Irish people, in general, have a huge problem with looking like we can't afford to do something and 'keeping up with the Joneses' is rife. Even people who might have quite liked to have breastfed would be embarrassed that people would think they couldn't afford milk. My grandmother breastfed at a point when almost nobody at all did, as she was convinced it was better but she told me that she felt embarrassed about it as people would look down on her. Her extended relatives were always trying to make her mother tell her to stop 'as only tinkers (travellers/gypsies) breastfed' and she was bringing shame on the family. So for generations breastfeeding was even rarer than it is today.

Secondly our health system isn't set up to support it well enough. Few of our health professionals were breastfed or breastfed their own children and the ones who are properly educated on it are few and far between. The advice they give often unintentionally sabotages the breastfeeding relationship as they routinely persuade mothers to top up with formula unnecessarily as up until the start of this year only the formula fed baby weight charts were routinely available. Even now some mothers I know have been told their babies were falling down the weight charts and needed to top-up and the breastfed baby charts were only checked after the mother asked/insisted. Mothers who aren't aware there are two charts often get worried into topping up. I gave birth in Wales and the level of information and support given to breastfeeding mothers is certainly much better there than that which I have received here. I often come away from appointments with the public health nurse scratching my head wondering about the frankly bizarre things they tell me about breastfeeding. I don't know what I'd believe if I didn't come from a breastfeeding family or hadn't had the experience of maternity care in a region with better breastfeeding support.

As studies on the great apes show, females who weren't nursed or who haven't lived around nursing females don't know how to nurse their young. Infant apes have the reflexes to suckle but their mothers need to be able to help them. The same appears to be true for humans. Breastfeeding appears to be learned behaviour in the most intelligent animals as opposed to instinctual. And if we don't grow up with breastfeeding we need to be taught. If our teachers haven't had the experience themselves, we will run into problems. In Ireland breastfeeding is something of a lost skill and not everyone is able to learn that skill if they aren't lucky enough to have skilled teachers. And skilled teachers are in short supply. A lot of people also refuse to believe that breastmilk is actually any better nutritionally, some even believing that formula is actually better. Lastly Ireland produces something like 30% of the world's formula so maybe it's possible that has something to do with it too.