Breast Milk Sharing

I would. I am actually considering that next baby I have because I had to supplememnt after the first 2 months of breastfeeding. So I would love to hear from you of where you recieved the donated milk. But yes I would do it and I would also try as much to do what you can for them too. Its all about relaxing and drinking and eating good for it all to come in so you will be fine

I did not have milk come in at all with my first son, but when I had my second I had to pump in between feedings cause my chest hurt so bad when they were full and eventually pumped it and went to all pumping and putting bottles of it in the refrigerator, this also came me more time to do things when he was able to hold the bottles on his own. I had my first experience with the pain when letting the milk dry up with my second son, that was not fun. Congrats on triplets, you are gonna have your work cut out for you, but it is well worth it.
M.

The milk you produce, even when premature, your body makes especially for your babies, and your desire to give them the best you possibly can is beautiful. Be sure to contact La Leche League. They are absolutely great, and will be able to help you produce enough, store enough, and/or find other sources.

Good luck, and congratulations!

J. ~
I probably have a little bit different perspective about this. I'm an OB nurse, and will never discourage breast feeding. Of course it's the best! However, my first thought with donated/purchased breast milk is...eww! it's a body fluid! Just like blood, urine, saliva, etc. It can carry pathogens just like any other bodily fluid (Hepatitis B, HIV, etc.) Depending on how early they are born, they may not actually eat right away. DO NOY START PUMPING BEFORE THEY ARE BORN!!! Nipple stimulation can cause uterine contractions! You are already at risk, don't encourage anything sooner.

My advice is that once the babies are born start pumping. The hospital can set you up with an electric pump. Do this every 2 hours. The NICU will feed the colostrum that you collect to the babies, although it may need to be supplemented with some formula. The more you pump, the better your milk supply will come in. Also, ask if there is a lactation consultant at the hospital where you're delivering. She may be able to tell you what herbs or teas to drink to help increase your supply.

good luck!!
D.

Hi J.,
First ... congrats on your triplets! As for the breastmilk thing, I wouldn't think it would be a problem to share. Though, really I have NO expertise in that opinion, one way or another.

What I do know for a fact though is that YOUR body changes the composition of your milk when it delivers prematurely. So what you produce will be even MORE of a benefit to your little ones than anything anyone else provides. So I guess I would recommend supplementing with some of your own milk, when you can, to help out the little bodies. I am sure there are some sites or resources that you can tap to tell you how to effectively do that for multiples.

Best of luck!!
M.

Hello,

If you are expecting triplets and early triplets, I am assuming you think they will be in the NICU. If so, I have had the same experience, not with triplets, but my friend in the NICU had triplets. If you use the hospital grade pump right away and pump every 3 hours...you should be able to pump enough milk! Trust me...if you pump regularly using that hospital pump, you should have milk coming like crazy. Now everyone can be different but those that I met that stuck to it...especially through the night which was sooo hard, but you get a ton of milk at night. Anyway, we had an abundance of milk....til they were 1! I think the hospital grade pump is key!!! Pumping is difficult but if you can do it especially in the beginning, it is worth it!

i do know you can get donated breastmilk. I am not sure the cost though. You should talk to your doctor, and ask them if any of the otc things they sell to increase your supply are recommended. I have donated my milk to different local banks, so you should call around and find out about costs. I don't think insurance covers this, unless there is a reason such as they are preemies. which having triplets they might very well be preemies. So in that case, you would want to talk to your insurance company, and the doctor's so they can have all the paperwork ready, and get everythinga pproved that you need to, and start them on it right away

My son, now seven months old, got donated milk while I was hospitalized from women in a mother's group that I belonged to. If there are people that you know and trust who are producing breast milk and have enough to share than by all means do it. I know that there is the potential for disease transmission and a lot of people thing it's icky but it worked really well for us. Check into getting milk from a milk bank - it's expensive at $3 an ounce - but would avoid all the issues involved with milk gotten from friends/family etc.

And if it comes down to it and you end up feeding them formula that's certainly not the worst thing either.

Please talk to a lactatio consultant and to nurses at the hospital.
They can advise you on the proper procedures for taking donated breast milk. I do know that it has to be processed to be "safe" for a child who's mother did NOT produce it.
I looked into this while living in Vegas and there ARE concerns, but it CAN be done safely if the proper procedures are followed.
I ended up producing enough with vitamin and herbal supplemental help.

Good luck! It's a great decision, just don't cut corners doing so!

My only concern would be the transmission of HIV and Hepatitis.
It would be pretty difficult to fully breast feed triplets, but you said you did not hsve a great supply with another child. Good breast prep, frequent nursing, plenty of fluids and enough rest all contribute to having a good supply. With triplets some of those factors, esp. the rest part may be difficult. Just remeber that even if you cannot supply enough for 3 babies, whatever you supply is advantageous. Mothers have donated breast milk for years, but as there seem to be more transmissable diseases now than maybe previously known about, it is important to realize that several diseases can be transmitted through breast milk. I tandem nursed two of my babies, and had no problems. I did get a lot of helpful advice from La leche league Int.

Your milk might come in faster this time. My #2 and #3 were 22 months apart and I had milk FLOWING before I left the hospital after the short 48 hours they kept me. Hooray for you nursing triplets! Your body will make what the babies demand. Nursing them will be your full time job for awhile. It might not be a bad idea to make the arrangements. I don't have the experience, but I think it is a great idea. Breast is best..even if it isn't yours. Contact a Le Leche League group leader.

Hi J., Great idea. If you have any close friends who you trust their diet, I encourage you to talk to them about the situation soon so they can get busy helping you with stored breastmilk. My best friend and I had 2 of our babies together about 1 month apart. When either of us were sick the other nursed both babies. Worked out great, also when we left our babies for a couple hours to run errands, we nursed each others babies too. Worked out great. Those little infants will receive the best gift of breastmilk to help them survive. Good luck. I did know of 4 moms who nursed twins for the 1st 6-8 months and one mom of triplets that was able to pump and feed the 1st months.

I had a NICU baby and I know there were babies in there receiving donated milk. I'm not sure where you are delivering but all hospitals have a lactation consultant and you can ask to speak with her prior to delivery. They had told me that the milk goes through extensive screening. My advice is do your best and try not to stress about it because the stress doesn't help your supply! After your delivery ask your OB to write you a prescription for a hospital grade pump. Your insurance should cover that with the prescription but you'll probably have a copay. Your husband can then pick up the pump at one of the medical equipment places (there is a beaumont one, wright & fillipis, crittenton, etc.). The NICU will provide you with bottles to store the milk in and labels for each child. There are also hospital grade pumps in the NICU (I was at Beaumont but I'm pretty sure this is true at all of the hospitals) so you don't have to bring a pump with you when you're there, just your hoses and things. Do your best and don't be hard on yourself! Other things that you can do to help them are talking to them or singing to them (if you sing like me you might stick with talking!) and holding them skin to skin. Even if they are unable to nurse at the beginning it's still very good for them to be held skin to skin. It might seem weird at the beginning but it's really good for them (and you). I even made my husband do it - I left a clean shirt for him in the NICU to change into when he would come from work.

You might want to consider doing some more research on this. Breastmilk contains diseases that a mother and her biological child may already have resistance to and therefore not show any symptoms which you and your baby could be very vulnerable to. Shared breastmilk should be pastuerized before consuming.

Hi J.---Congrats on expecting more babies. Be sure to remember to have lots of fun. They grow up way too fast.

You've received lots of great advice. I haven't had experience with donated breast milk, but I know that wet nurses have been used for centuries.

My suggestion comes from my experience as a Wellness Educator. To make sure your body is able to make as much milk as it is capable of making, be sure to pay close attention to your diet. The benefits of this will ensure that your babies are as healthy as possible as well and that you make as much breast milk as your babies demand.

I am taking a series of classes offered by a Naturopath who has her PhD in Nutrition. Long term research shows that the best diet for humans consists primarily of fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, seeds and nuts. Use animal protein sparingly, like a condiment or a seasoning for soups and stews. This includes cows milk. Cows milk proteins tend to be cause for allergies and problems in the human body. I urge you to visit www.strongbones.org and www.pcrm.org to learn more if you are interested.

During pregnancy and lactation, you will need extra calories but the ratio of carbs, fats and proteins should always remain consistent. You will get plenty of protein and calcium from plant based sources, when you eat enough of them. Lots of plant based foods also help to attain and maintain optimal weight.

I also recommend a great whole food supplement, made from the dehydrated juice powders of 17 differenet fruits and veggies, that will make every cell in your body stronger and work better. We have great research showing healthy pregancies with no pre-enclampsia, no low birth weight babies, no NICU (probably single births, mostly) pre-term, etc. As you are pregnant with triplets, you are most likely considered high-risk, and your body produces a much larger amount of free radicals as a result. Your diet must be better than good to reduce your risk for complications and to neutralize those free radicals.

If you are interested in any additional information on the thoughts that I have shared with you, feel free to contact me at any time. It is my passion and great honor to help other families achieve optimal health. I look forward to your call.

In health, and good luck :) D. ###-###-####

Hi J.,

I have learned that with breast feeding more than one baby you should start pumping before they are born and freezing it. I didn't do this with my twins, but a friend of mine did with her triplets. That way it's easier for someone else to help feed them and you have all your milk in already when they are born so they are getting it. And breast milk freezes for a bit too:o)

My cousin and I had our kids a week apart. I had stopped nursing and switched to formula but one night when my cousin was over my baby was screaming cuz she was blocked up. I knew breast milk gives a runny stool and she suggested using some of her milk. Now, of course, she didn't nurse her! She ran home and got some that she had in her freezer and I used it. I do feel weird admitting that to anyone, but it was a Mother's desperate moment to make her baby feel better.

Congrats on triplets how exciting! My first son my milk came in but went away in the first few weeks I was so sad but.... My second my daughter is 18 mnth and it is still flowing so it could be diff this time. My advice get a good pump and pump like crazy even if its a little bit I pumped every two hours I was determined and now I wanna stop its still there lol. Well good luck I wish u a healthy and safe pregnancy and delivery!

You may be able to get enough! Perhaps consult La Leche League for more ideas as well... get a hospital grade pump and pump every 2-3 hours.

My only concern with pumped milk and if I had supply concerns I would DEFINETELY consider it too.. would be that you don't know what people are eating, what meds etc they might be taking or if there are any diseases people may have. I'd probably feel comfortable taking donated milk from friends or people I know no problem.

I know that there was a mom last year that died in childbirth and the husband took donated milk and he screened those donating. There were some in la Leche League that were helping out.