Donating breast milk

[Eden's Mum]

just wanted to tell you that this time round I am successfully donating breast milk to the birmingham womens hospital to be used for sick and premature babies. I didn't know much about this before now and i suspect quite alot of women dont know that this can be done so i thought I would tell you a bit about it as it might encourage others to do the same.

the way it works here is that once baby is born and feeding is established you  call  and let them know you want to donate. You need to express obviously and i am finding that it is useful although not essential to borrow or hire a pump that can do both breasts at the same time, as it is quicker to pull off the milk and more effective.

they send you tamper proof pre sterilised bottles and you freeze them. Once you have about 20 or so bottles or two weeks ahve passed they call you up and arrange to pick up. they will then do a blood test. you need a blood test beofre they can use each batch, so it is good to save up quite a lot before they pick up. you can have up to three blood tests in total as you cannot donate past your own baby being 6 months old. You can stop donating at any time.

A friend has a baby who made use of this facility and it means that these very sick babies are getting the breast milk they really need to give them the best chance at life. i beleive that occaisionally  breast milk can be used to help other critically ill adults as well.

it is definately worth contacting your local hospital or brest feeding councellor to find out more if you are interested.

[woopster]

you can have up to three blood tests in total as you cannot donate past your own baby being 6 months old.

i beleive that occaisionally  breast milk can be used to help other critically ill adults as well.

Just wanted to say 'thank you'.  My 3 were given donated ebm in their 1st few weeks, while I was establishing my supply.

Didn't know about the 6 months time limit though.
I have heard about breast milk being given to ill patients. I believe it's because it's so easy to digest and the antibodies really help.

[Katet]

I don't think they take donated milk in Australia, as many times I have commented about my big supply & "how good my milk must be" (ds#1 was 10kg when I started solids at 6months & #2 is 7.5kg at 2.5months!!)
I even spoke ot my girlfriend who is a postnatal nurse & she said they didn't do it at her hospital... it is a bit of a shame as it seems such a good thing where Mum's have problems with supply & prem babies can't suck to get the supply going

[rooby-rooby-roo]

They actually only take the milk until you start your baby on solids (whether it be 4 mos or 8 mos or whatever), this is because the substance of the milk changes when the baby's main source of nutrients becomes solid food rather than milk.

I said to the unit where i work that i would donate, but i pumped so much with dd that the thought of pumping now - blech!! Where i work, it is one blood test when you start donating, then another every 3 months you donate. They too come and pick the milk up. It is then pasturised and re-frozen. Sometimes it may even be 'sold' to another hospital if they are in need!!

Wendy, i know you are pumping now, will you breastfeed when you bring them home? how will it work, a rotation system!!

[woopster]

Hi Clair, I'm thinking of advertising for a wet nurse!!

I have no idea what I'm going to do when they come home.  I don't think I could do 2 at a time, as it takes ages for Lydia to get comfy and then latch on, but once she does, she bf like a pro.
Sam, on the other hand, loves looking for the boob, but doesn't seem to know what to do with it when he finds it, apart from use it as a dummy.  He will happily lay there with my nipple in his mouth and go back to sleep.
Men eh???  :roll:

[jordansmommy]

To me it is obvious that there is no better food for a baby than mother's milk. Second choice to nursing of course is giving a baby expressed breastmilk, third is banked or dotated breastmilk and the last one is formula. Dr Newman says this and I agree 100%. However, if I needed another woman's milk for some reason, I cannot afford banked milk though, and not many women can, however you will find endless nursing mothers who are willing to give up their milk for free and that is just awesome!

I have heard about many babies sick and premature thriving off of donated breastmilk.

If I had a nicer breastpump, then I would certainly donate some of my milk to a milk bank or a hospital as well. I think it's the best choice all around.

Mia

[rooby-rooby-roo]

I cannot afford banked milk though, and not many women can,

Ahh, the benefits of the NHS!! It has its bad bits, but all the care given, including the donated milk, is free.

Wendy, just bear in mind that by the time they come home the babies will be much more efficient at feeding, they won't let them out until they are. You could rotate, so tandem feed and give the third one a bottle, so each gets 2 out of 3 feeds of BM. You could express and give all bottles, but you may have difficulty maintaining such a large supply. OR, and this would be tough, you could pick one or two to BF and ff the others. Alternatively you could just ff all three. Just plonk them in 3 chairs and prop their bottles up!!! Did you ever watch the child of our time series, on every year after xmas with Dr Robert Winston? There were triplets on there aged 4/ 5 now and they still get in their baby chairs, all in a line now and drink their milk before going to bed!!

Hope you and the guys are doing well. Would love to come and visit some time, maybe when Red is a little older??

[Judy]

Wendy this is the pillow I use to bf two at a time... then would you have to wait to feed the third for a bit or would you be able to go right at it?  I guess if your body knows you need to produce that much...

http://www.doubleblessings.com

It makes a huge difference!!

[jaxnp]

It's just wonderful that you're doing this.  Good for you!  You can also donate breastmilk in the US, but there are only a few centers, so it has to be shipped on dry ice.  I have a friend who did this.  She produced so much milk, she donated a couple gallons! :shock: 

Wendy, are you in touch with a good lactation consultant who has experience with breastfeeding triplets?  I'm sure that it can be done, but I would think you might need some help at first.

[Eden's Mum]

Jordans mommy - you can sometimes borrow breast pumps. This is what i have done. I found a freindly lactation consultant who is linked to the NCT who lends breast pumps to women in our area. This pump i have is a hospital one. Huge, but silent and powerful. I get off 100mls every morning after Noahs morning feed in about 10 mimutes.

[Schae]

This is done in South Africa too, and it helps babies whose mothers are HIV positive.

I didn't know about the 6 month limit and I was considering donating.