QUESTION: I read the response to someone's question about donating milk to a friend who was adopting a baby. I also would like to do this for a dear friend, whose expected adoptive baby will be arriving any day, 7 - 10 weeks premature. My question is, would my breastmilk be of use to this new born baby? Doesn't the constitution of breastmilk change as months of lactation go by? My own baby was born 5 1/2 months ago. Does my milk have the right proteins and fats for a young baby?

Marge,

That is so generous of you to be willing to donate your breast milk for an adopted baby! It would be great if the baby received human milk instead of artificial baby milk (formula) which is not based on the needs of humans.

However, there are some ways to donate milk that are safer than others - both for you and for the mom who receives it. If you donate directly, the baby might be exposed to illnesses to which he has no natural immunity, and even though your milk would carry immunities, it may cause some problems which the parents would not understand. If the baby is allergic to cow's milk and you include it in your diet, this could cause problems with the baby - and a possible legal risk to you.

However, there are milk banks that do accept donor milk, process it (a special pasteurization method) and then make it available for moms to buy. They try to match the donors (the milk is usually pooled) with the ages of the receiving baby. Not that your milk would be bad compared to formula, but human milk whose mothers are closer to the age of the baby would be best. I don't know where you live, there are milk banks in Colorado, California, and a few other states. the Human Milk Banking Association provides a set of parameters for the donors and the processing is approved by the agencies which supervise donor organs - breast milk being actually a living thing - so that the milk is totally safe and the donor carries no legal risk.

Human milk has always been donated by mothers - and wet-nurses, since time immemorial. However the legal risks being what they are today, you need to protect your family from potential risk.

Jeanette Panchula, BA, RN, IBCLC

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