Obtaining Liquid Gold

Among mamas that find it extremely important to feed breastmilk to their baby but have difficulty nursing themselves, there is a big problem: Access.

Sad to say, many moms do not have access to donated milk, or they don't know how to gain that access.

Among many health professionals, the only substitute for mamas own milk is milk from a milk bank. The reason for this is because milk obtained from a milk bank is screened and pasteurized for safety. Breastmilk is considered to be "living" because it has many live components like antibodies and beneficial bacteria. As a result, it is highly susceptible to spoilage and is a wonderful site for more "bad" bacteria to grow and thrive. Because this is obviously dangerous to a young baby, pasteurization is used to decrease the risk of pathogens that could cause illness in a baby. While the elevated temperatures required to pasteurize the milk may destroy some nutritious components, it's not enough to make it non-nutritious and still contains many more nutritive and health promoting factors that make it far superior to any formula.

The issue with obtaining milk from a milk bank is two-fold: limited supply and cost. The sickest, tiniest babies and those with the greatest need for it are given preference for receipt of the donated milk. This is certainly as it should be. A full term baby is much more likely to grow and do decently well on formula, whereas preemies in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) are at a much larger risk of diseases, especially necrotizing enterocolitis, which literally will kill off the lining of the digestive tract which then can lead to death. In many cases, obtaining a prescription for donated milk is reserved for those in most dire need. Given our advanced medicine today, many immature babies are able to survive when born earlier and earlier in the gestation process and therefore, the demand for human milk is growing as these babies are at the highest risk for infection. This means even less available for otherwise healthy full-term babies. Assuming a parent can obtain a prescription for milk from a milk bank, cost then becomes a limiting factor. Many insurance companies may not pay for human milk, and those that do may limit the amount they will pay for. Given that the milk can cost about $4 an ounce, parents may not be able to afford to give it to their child for any extended period of time.

There are fortunately, a few solutions to the above listed problems. First, donors, donors, donors! There almost certainly will never come a time when milk banks tell mamas they no longer need donors. More donors can certainly ease the lack of supply to support the demand for milk through milk banks. Second, moms may consider milksharing. Milksharing is obtaining donated milk directly from another mama. Certainly, there may be risks associated with feeding donated milk that has not been screened or pasteurized; however, through open communication, those risks may be minimized. There are many milksharing organizations out there that connect potential donors and recipients. Donors may either donated to a milk bank or via milksharing or both depending on their preferences and comfort level.

No matter the method, mamas can obtain this liquid gold for their babies. It's a matter of asking the right questions and knowing their options.