Would you let another woman breastfeed your baby?

[nuffmac]

Just watched The hand that rocks the cradle. The bits where she breastfed the baby freaked me out! Donated milk yes but borrowed boobies no!

 

[angel2010]

I would prefer it to be expressed, but I think if it came down to it, I would let a trusted friend or family member breastfeed my baby. I do think I would be very jealous, but I would love for my baby to get some of the great stuff like antibodies that they can't get through formula.
On the other side, I would be willing to breastfeed anyone's baby that needed it.

 

[summer rain]

Most likely no, since it has been proven that HIV can be passed through breast milk. I think that in most instances women would not be at a lab while breastfeeding, and will not have lab results in front of them, so there is a small risk.

This is a very good point. Just diseases in general. They might believe its fine now...but just like what they did with blood transfusions back in the day...you get that call 20 years from now telling you that you have to go in to get tested because new studies prove it wasn't safe.

I'm paranoid like that

In the UK at least most women are tested for HIV during pregnancy and there is always the option to get tested if a woman plans to donate milk or be a wet nurse, HIV testing is usually free, and easy to access. Milk bank donor milk, the criteria for being allowed to donate is extremely strict, if you have ever had a blood transfusion you aren't allowed to donate-and the milk is pasteurised.

Giving formula is not entirely without risk either, especially for preemies, formula powder has been found to contain deadly bacteria in most western countries and while it is rare that levels are high enough to cause illness it has on rare occasions been enough to kill babies. Similarly formula is linked to much higher rates of a bowel disorder that affects prem babies and which can cause life changing bowel problems and is also sadly fatal in many cases. Allergies to cows' milk and other animal milks can also be a killer. I used to have a friend on babyandbump, who is no longer active on the forum whose baby died from a cows' milk allergy, doctors kept dismissing her worries over his symptoms and the allergy killed him. This was in the UK. With her second baby she was determined to breastfeed as she never wanted to run the risk of that ever happening again. It isn't only in developing countries where formula is potentially risky xx

 

[Mrs.Mcguin]

Most likely no, since it has been proven that HIV can be passed through breast milk. I think that in most instances women would not be at a lab while breastfeeding, and will not have lab results in front of them, so there is a small risk.

This is a very good point. Just diseases in general. They might believe its fine now...but just like what they did with blood transfusions back in the day...you get that call 20 years from now telling you that you have to go in to get tested because new studies prove it wasn't safe.

I'm paranoid like that

In the UK at least most women are tested for HIV during pregnancy and there is always the option to get tested if a woman plans to donate milk or be a wet nurse, HIV testing is usually free, and easy to access. Milk bank donor milk, the criteria for being allowed to donate is extremely strict, if you have ever had a blood transfusion you aren't allowed to donate-and the milk is pasteurised.

Giving formula is not entirely without risk either, especially for preemies, formula powder has been found to contain deadly bacteria in most western countries and while it is rare that levels are high enough to cause illness it has on rare occasions been enough to kill babies. Similarly formula is linked to much higher rates of a bowel disorder that affects prem babies and which can cause life changing bowel problems and is also sadly fatal in many cases. Allergies to cows' milk and other animal milks can also be a killer. I used to have a friend on babyandbump, who is no longer active on the forum whose baby died from a cows' milk allergy, doctors kept dismissing her worries over his symptoms and the allergy killed him. This was in the UK. With her second baby she was determined to breastfeed as she never wanted to run the risk of that ever happening again. It isn't only in developing countries where formula is potentially risky xx

That's sad about her baby..and I agree with you as well. also, the baby could be even allergic to something a woman eats that gets passed through breast milk.

On the news a couple years ago...formula was being recalled from china because they were putting a contaminated filler in it.

Unfortunately, nothing is a sure thing.

 

[JenzyKY]

NO WAY would I take someone else's breast milk. There are plenty of diseases this Mom could have other than HIV that could pass to the breast milk. The benefits of breast milk are NOT enough in my opinion to risk my child's health. I'd not forgive myself. The only milk I would take is Donor Breast Milk and that is just not feasible. In the US it is pasteurized and the Moms are screened strictly before they can donate. A friend had to jump through 20 hoops in order to donate. Donor milk is like $3 an ounce as well last I heard. Its best for extreme preemies to help prevent a nasty GI disease. We give it to all preemies in my NICU under 1000 gm and only until they hit 1500 gm.

 

[summer rain]

Most likely no, since it has been proven that HIV can be passed through breast milk. I think that in most instances women would not be at a lab while breastfeeding, and will not have lab results in front of them, so there is a small risk.

This is a very good point. Just diseases in general. They might believe its fine now...but just like what they did with blood transfusions back in the day...you get that call 20 years from now telling you that you have to go in to get tested because new studies prove it wasn't safe.

I'm paranoid like that

In the UK at least most women are tested for HIV during pregnancy and there is always the option to get tested if a woman plans to donate milk or be a wet nurse, HIV testing is usually free, and easy to access. Milk bank donor milk, the criteria for being allowed to donate is extremely strict, if you have ever had a blood transfusion you aren't allowed to donate-and the milk is pasteurised.

Giving formula is not entirely without risk either, especially for preemies, formula powder has been found to contain deadly bacteria in most western countries and while it is rare that levels are high enough to cause illness it has on rare occasions been enough to kill babies. Similarly formula is linked to much higher rates of a bowel disorder that affects prem babies and which can cause life changing bowel problems and is also sadly fatal in many cases. Allergies to cows' milk and other animal milks can also be a killer. I used to have a friend on babyandbump, who is no longer active on the forum whose baby died from a cows' milk allergy, doctors kept dismissing her worries over his symptoms and the allergy killed him. This was in the UK. With her second baby she was determined to breastfeed as she never wanted to run the risk of that ever happening again. It isn't only in developing countries where formula is potentially risky xx

That's sad about her baby..and I agree with you as well. also, the baby could be even allergic to something a woman eats that gets passed through breast milk.

On the news a couple years ago...formula was being recalled from china because they were putting a contaminated filler in it.

Unfortunately, nothing is a sure thing.

Babies can be allergic to something through their mothers' milk but the reaction is never as severe as if they receive that same allergen directly. My second eldest would have died had he received a milk based formula, as even when he was an older baby he nearly died from licking a trace of yoghurt on a spoon and had to be rushed to hospital. Through my milk, he only had eczema and poorer weight gain in reaction to when I ate or drank dairy products which is why it wasn't realised he had such severe allergies until weaning age. It is also much better to eliminate the allergen from mum's diet than to have to give a completely artificial non-allergenic formula xx

 

[bmuir11207]

This is a very interesting subject I would mind nursing another's baby if needed but it would be hard for me to say how I'd feel about someone else nursing mine because I loved nursing my baby so much but I do want to say that there is another option not just store bought formula or breast feeding I have a friend that dried up before she was ready to ween her baby so she makes his formula I'm sure it's a lot of work but that is what she does. She knows what's in it and doesn't have to worry about all the fillers that can be in formula

 

[meli1981]

This is a very interesting subject I would mind nursing another's baby if needed but it would be hard for me to say how I'd feel about someone else nursing mine because I loved nursing my baby so much but I do want to say that there is another option not just store bought formula or breast feeding I have a friend that dried up before she was ready to ween her baby so she makes his formula I'm sure it's a lot of work but that is what she does. She knows what's in it and doesn't have to worry about all the fillers that can be in formula

Ide be really interested in the recipe!