Interesting proposition. What would you do?
kbowman78
member
Ok, so let me say that I breastfed my older son for 15 months. It was important to me to breastfeed him for the benefits but I wouldn't consider myself one of those "extreme" types of women in terms breastfeeding.
Oliver was never able to latch, so I have pumped exclusively since his birth. He is now almost through my freezer stash and we are going to have to start supplementing with formula. He is almost 4 months old. Now, I realize there is nothing wrong with formula and if that's what he needs, I'm fine with that. However, it does bug me that I wasn't able to keep up with just exclusive breast milk for a bit longer.
My husbands sister has a little girl who is just turning 1 and she has TONS of frozen breast milk she is going to get rid of. She offered it to us for Oliver. My gut reaction, was "ew, gross", but then I thought about how much milk donation goes on now. It is a different scenario with us because obviously the milk will not be going through testing for diseases, etc. That said, my husbands sister is completely healthy, no medical problems and has never touched a drug or even prescription med while nursing. I think the most she said she did was have a glass of wine every now and then. So, what would you do? Take her up on it or politely decline?
Re: Interesting proposition. What would you do?
I think if I were in your shoes, it would depend on how well I knew her, and what the relationship was with her.
How well do you really know someone? If you are confident in her health history, then it's cool. But since it's not going through any screening, this is an area I would want to feel extremely comfortable about.
I mean, how often are people shocked at what others do? What if she were having an affair and was exposed from unprotected sexual contact? These are the questions that would keep me up at night. Because people do crazy schmidt, and often we are shocked about what people we "know" are capable of.
I think breastmilk donation is a wonderful thing - but the lack of screening would give me a pause here.
And is she the kind of person who could throw this in your face later if you have a falling out? Personally, I am not a big fan of my DH's sisters, and it would be weird for me to accept something like that from either of them. Perhaps this is something that would bring you closer, which is wonderful. But it's kind of a big deal - and if this could alter the relationship negatively, that's a consideration.
If you are comfortable, go for it. But if you have any pause or hesitation, your peace of mind is valuable. And formula is fine.
DMoney will be a kickass big sister
Those are good points and I think I would probably have some of these thoughts if I didn't know her as well. She's probably one of the most straight laced people I know, and she's very religious, saved sex for marriage, the whole shebang. While I know that doesn't necessarily prove that she's not got any issues, I feel pretty good about her in terms of her honesty and her health history, etc. I don't think she would offer it to me if she felt there were any issues.
Good points, though, b/c there are a lot of times you do get shocked by finding out things about people that you would never think were possible