Ok, This is my gripe for today. A young mother on the Outer Banks of North  
Carolina delivered last August. As a result of family pressures, misinformation 
 from health care professionals, etc, she pumped and partially breastmilk fed 
for  a couple of weeks, and then weaned to artificial milk. The baby has 
suffered  many stomach and digestion problems as his mother tried to find the 
artificial  milk that he can tolerate. He is now 6 months old, and is a chronic 
spitter,  suffers from GERD, pain and each feeding is a horrible situation. He 
is on the  "special formula'. The pharmacy forgot to order his formula and she 
tried today  to feed him the formula that is available at the grocery store on 
the island.  The baby violently vomited. She called my daughter to ask about 
donor milk. My  daughter just called me to ask how fast can donor milk be 
arranged. This young  mother is on WIC and Medicaid and my gripe is this: the 
system pays for the  special formula, the antibiotics for infections, the stomach 
meds, and will pay  for the asthma medications and treatments in a few months 
( he is  already wheezing), but they will not pay for donor milk from the milk 
 bank which will help this baby be a healthier baby and child and  not 
require so much medical treatment over the course of his life. 
So I told my daughter that I will help her pay for some milk ( my husband  is 
going to love that considering I am out of work!), and we will also ask the  
church for some help in paying for it. That is IF the pediatrician will even  
order the milk and IF the milk bank approves it and IF the milk bank has milk  
available.  
My daughter would consider an informal milk sharing  but she doesn't think 
this mother would agree to that, and there is a 2 year  difference in the ages 
of the babies.
Where are the HMBANA members in discussions with WIC on reinbursements  for 
donor milk for WIC babies?
I hate to see a baby vomiting up blood, screaming in pain,  and fighting 
feeds, just because our system will not pay for donor milk.  This is totally wrong.
Barbara Whitehead, BS, IBCLC, RLC
eastern  NC 

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