Sounds like a great presentation, Tricia!  

I screen donors at Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast, just outside of Boston.  We’re under the HMBANA umbrella.  I’d like to add a couple of tweaks - we don’t defer milk for ALL medications.  We have a pretty good list of common medications approved for use in donors that has been put together (and regularly reviewed) by a distinguished committee that includes neonatologists, pharmacists and other practitioners.   

Fenugreek impacts blood sugar levels, which preemies often have trouble regulating.  I agree with you about moms taking galactagogues prophylactically - it’s heartbreaking when they call and they’ve been taking one capsule of fenugreek or cup of lactation tea every couple of days.  It isn’t even close to a therapeutic dose in terms of impacting her supply, but we still can’t take it.  

With regard to bereaved moms, I believe each bank makes its own decision about how to handle milk that can’t be processed.  Folks doing research with breastmilk aren’t readily available at every location, and/or aren’t always in a position to receive more.  

Morgan Kennedy Henderson, IBCLC
Donor Intake Coordinator
Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast



> Begin forwarded message:
> 
> Date:    Mon, 23 Nov 2015 16:23:17 +0000
> From:    Tricia Shamblin <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
> Subject: donor milk
> 
> Just went to a conference about donor human milk and that is true. They do not accept donations of milk when the mother is on medications or herbal supplements. Although it may be fine for the milk to contain small amounts of these substances for a healthy, full-term infant, the same cannot be said for a 25 week preterm infant. That is who they are preparing the milk for. Among other things, fenugreek can lower a person's platelet count. This could be dangerous for a preterm infant. It's one of the reasons that I cringe everytime a new mother tells me she's already taking these herbal supplements "just in case." Even when there are no risk factors for low milk supply. It just stems from the complete lack of confidence women have about their body's ability to produce milk. Any substance we ingest can have the potential for side effects, even herbal or homeopathic remedies. 
> 
> An exception regarding that rule is that they will normally take any donor milk after a fetal demise. If it is unusuable for donation to preterm infants, they will use it in medical research.
> 
> Tricia Shamblin, RN, IBCLC


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