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Adoption
This may sound insane
....and I cringe to even ask because I'm not nuts, just curious. Is it possible to somehow get breastmilk for an adopted newborn? I've been thinking about this a lot. If I were able to have kids, I'd breastfeed them. I wish that our future adopted baby could be breastfed, too. Are there any programs at hospitals that allow you to do this? Like have another healthy mother's milk for the baby for at least the first month? I'm just curious. DH thinks its gross, but his own mother pumped for sick babies in the NICU after she gave birth to him and he was there for a few months.
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Re: This may sound insane
Not crazy at all!
There are a few different ways...
a) adoptive breastfeeding - you take herbal supplements/medication to produce your own milk.
b) a milk bank - often there is a pecking order to who gets donated milk (preemies, medically fragile, then eventually adopted babies). My understanding is that it's fairly expensive.
c) a milk exchange - I don't know the proper term, but have known women who have donated this way. It's more like an informal agreement between moms to provide breastmilk. I think there are message boards set up for this, but there are some concerns about safety, I'm sure.
Google it all & you'll be amazed!
Actually, some adoptive mommy's are able to to make breastmilk. If you would prefer to try yourself, talk to your doctor. Mine said that pumping everyday can make some women produce milk ... and then there are also herbs and a pill they can give you to try and help your body.
Aside from trying personally --- everytime I looked online - the breatsmilk banks I found were all for helping premature and ill babies but someone else on here might be able to offer some more options!!
GL (and don't think your nuts lol. I have thought about trying to get my body to make milk a TON of times)
What sounds insane is that adopted babies are last in the pecking order, and that it's "fairly expensive" to benefit from something another person donated as a charity effort. I'm not sure which gets under my skin more.
OP - No, you don't sound crazy at all! If we were to adopt a newborn, I'd be having the same questions myself.
I agree that the expense is insane. Formula is expensive too, but I don't recall it being $5 / ounce.
As both a preemie mom and a PAP, I do agree with the pecking order. Preemies are not in the womb long enough to receive the full supply of antibodies they need, so breast milk is very important to helping them thrive. Of course, breast milk is best for any newborn. However, if supply is limited, those who need it most should get it first IMO. I honestly don't see it as much different than giving the elderly, pregnant women and children first dibs on the flu shot or similar vaccines. I know not everyone agrees with that either though. This is just my opinion, and I'm sorry if it offends anyone. I am by no means saying that adopted infants or any other infant is less deserving of breast milk than a preemie. I am simply saying that, in cases of limited supply, those with a medical need should get the first opportunity.
I agree with this too. If I were donating an organ, I'd want it to go the person most in need.
I have some links to adoptive breastfeeding references in my blog - link in siggy. Look on the right hand side of the blog for the links.
FWIW - we intend to purchase breastmilk from the bank in Denver (assuming supply is not an issue). We only plan on selecting a pediatrician in agreeance with our desire for this. The cost is significant, but we discussed it with our agency and the educator who taught our adoptive parenting classes and they agree it's a good plan. We'll probably do BM exclusively for the first 2-4 weeks, then at least one bottle a day for the next few months. Based on my research, this is a good way to get a lot of the benefits, yet not go broke buying the BM.
Lurking- I'm breastfeeding and I make way more than enough for my LO so I'm looking into donating. The reason adopted babies are last in the pecking order is because some sick babies dont thrive on formula but do great on breastmilk. Most full term babies fo just fine on formula so they don't need the breastmilk as much as the sick babies do. It's expensive to purchase because the banks spend a lot of money to make sure the milk is safe. First the donating mom has to have a blood test which the bank pays for. The also pay for the milk to be shipped to the bank and for the dry ice it is shipped it. Frozen milk is heavy which means it's expensive to ship. Once it arrives it is tested to make sure it is safe. The bank the pasturizes it, repackages it and then mails it to hospitals. Yes it's expensive but the donating mom doesn't get any money and the bank charges a lot because it costs them alot.
https://www.breastmilkdonations.com/
Here is a link that I found when looking into how to donate. It's a milk matching service so it might be cheaper than buying from a bank. The lady who runs the site adopted children and breastfed them.
I donated milk to a local mother... I found a yahoo group about it and posted about having milk in my area...
not crazy at all.
We aren't doing it, but one of our adoption group seminars we went to - we listened to a set of adoptive parents who set up a fed-Ex for the BM, who would pump and ship her milk. Obviously, not the norm, but something like that is possible too.