What a wonderful thing!  I personally contemplated this exact situation
myself
with my oldest.

There is a difference of willing letting your baby be nursed by a
friend or
family member.

This mom did not have a choice!

What I believe is  being overlooked in a major way by many (my
opinion--respectfully
submitted) is the fact that there is a very poor system in place for
managing EBM at
this hospital; this hospital places very little value on breastmilk.
Which equates to very
little value on the health of their newborns!

I assume milk banks have the procedure for screening milk/milk donors
for a
very good reason.

Kathy





On Mar 18, 2004, at 9:43 AM, Pam Hirsch, RN, BSN, CLC wrote:

> I've been following with interest the thread on "donor" or wrong milk
> and
> people's frustration and sadness that providing milk for or nursing
> another
> mother's baby seems to be dwindling.  On the upside, the area I
> practice in
> (mostly white married "typical" suburbanites) has a small but active
> underground of women who nurse each other's babies when the situation
> calls
> for it.  Most of the reasons are mother-baby separation (mom A wants
> some
> time to herself to shop, etc. and mom B who is babysitting nurses baby
> A
> when he gets hungry) and not all of these women are blood relatives.
> Some
> are (sisters, cousins) but many are just good friends.  When I hear of
> one
> of these situations, the mom prefaces her comments with "I would never
> tell
> my doctor this, but...".  I think most of these women tell me of their
> arrangements, looking for validation and support.  Of course I am
> happy to
> oblige!  I believe providing mother's milk for another baby is one
> practice
> that will never die, no matter what current public opinion is.
>
> Pam Hirsch, RN,BSN,CLC
> Clinical Lead, Lactation Services
> Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital
> Barrington, IL  USA
>
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