"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." -Winston Churchill

Monday, April 25, 2011

An Incredible Gift: Donated Breast Milk

Today, I became the honored recipient of a freezer full of donated breast milk. Yes, there are mothers out there with extra-large milk supplies, and extra-large hearts willing to give up their freezer's stash of liquid gold to help a baby in need.




If your first thought is "That's weird. Feeding your baby someone else's bodily secretions," I totally get it.

I had mixed feelings about donor milk which is why I hadn't really pursued it myself. But when someone offered, I accepted. Because, when you think about it, why does feeding something called "formula," (which sounds like a science experiment, is made from another mammal's milk, mixed with artificial ingredients,etc. etc.) make more sense than feeding HUMAN milk to my HUMAN child? It doesn't. Yes, formula works in a pinch. But, if someone has milk to spare, I'll gladly use it to feed my baby.

Read about the risks and benefits of Milk-sharing vs. Formula Feeding.

This really encourages me to keep trying, even if I never have all the milk she needs coming from my breasts, I could still have a nearly-exclusively breast milk fed baby!

5 comments:

  1. Actually, when we drink milk or put it in our cereal, aren't we using "donated milk"; and when you think about it, the way cows are coxed into giving their milk is extremely cruel. See, the cow is bred, her calf is taken soon after birth and fed by a bottle so that all her milk supply is then pumped for human consumption. So for those people who think donated breast milk is weird, maybe you should stick with almond or soy milk. Just sayin'.....

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  2. *coaxed...
    (forgot to spell check)

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  3. YAY! You already know how I feel about donated breast milk. I think you would be surprised how easy it is to find mama's willing to help! <3

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