No one has mentioned in the current thread about treatments for mothers
whose babies die while the mothers are lactating, the option of mother
continuing to lactate and give her milk to a bank, assuming there is one
available, and she meets the criteria for becoming a donor.

I think this is what I would choose, if it ever happened to me.  Granted,
it's not likely to at this stage of the game.  But I now mention it to
mothers as one possibility among several, the others being pharmaceutical
suppression of lactation with cabergoline, the current drug of choice in
Norway, or symptomatic treatment until engorgement passes, with close
contact with a knowledgeable, sympathetic person until lactation has
stopped.  Depending on how old the baby was and how much it was nursing when
it died, these alternatives will compare differently.

For some women, being able to give their milk to another baby can give
another kind of meaning to their loss, and it gives them the chance to
achieve the other health effects of lactation over the longer term.  I think
we do them a disservice if we don't even consider bringing it up.

Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

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