donated breast milk from friend...would you?

[leilamom]

I have a very good friend who is currently nursing her 2.5 yr old ds.  Long story short, I am trying to get pregnant (just had my first IUI and now in the 2ww).  I am concerned that I won't have enough milk production when/if I give birth.  I have PCOS and have heard that some women with this condition have supply issues.  She has offered to start pumping and freezing her milk when I get pregnant to start a stash for me in case this happens.  I feel very strongly about not using formula and so this seems like a great option to get great benefits of breastmilk in case something happens that I can't.  This would only be used as an option if I had supply problems that weren't resolved with conventional breastfeeding wisdom.

Are there any issues that I should think about with this situation?  Is 2 yr old milk different than newborn milk?  Other issues?

[PatioGardener]

What an awesome offer! I hope you have no milk issues (I had a friend with PCOS who had over supply, so while you may be at higher risk it isn't a done deal). Reading as much as possible about getting a good start with BFing will help. Can you meet up with your local LLL  once you're pregnant?

As for the stash, if I were in your shoes I'd want it. But I'd want my friend to keep it for the first few days as I wouldn't want to b tempted to use it while waiting for my milk to come in (unless my midwife said I needed to.)  I'd also look into at the breast supplementation.

Good luck!

[2xy]

I don't think 2yo milk would be different than newborn milk. If it was, then mamas who are tandem nursing would be out of luck.

I would consider this to be an amazing gift and would totally accept it! I wish I'd had a friend like that when DS1 was born...

[PatioGardener]

The composition of toddler and newborn milk are different (tandem mamas produce milk for their youngest nursling), but human toddler milk has got to be closer to human newborn milk than cow milk or plant milk based formula! At least it is from the same species!

Originally Posted by 2xy 

I don't think 2yo milk would be different than newborn milk. If it was, then mamas who are tandem nursing would be out of luck.

I would consider this to be an amazing gift and would totally accept it! I wish I'd had a friend like that when DS1 was born...

[eclipse]

Originally Posted by PatioGardener 

The composition of toddler and newborn milk are different (tandem mamas produce milk for their youngest nursling), but human toddler milk has got to be closer to human newborn milk than cow milk or plant milk based formula! At least it is from the same species!

I was going to say pretty much the same thing. It *is* different, but not so different that I would skip it in favor of formula. If she's offering, I'd take it and use it if necessary, especially if you'll be using it as a supplement to your own milk supply. I hope you don't need any of it, but if you do, it will be great to have on hand.

[corrabelle]

My best friend's baby was allergic to her milk. (Ok..that's a long story. She knows now that she was probably given poor advice..but that's another story.) So she gave me a ton of her frozen milk because her baby couldn't drink it and she didn't want to waste it.

Because I know her, I absolutely gave it to my son! I'd be more hesitant from a stranger...i'd want to know that they were healthy and screened for hiv etc..but from what i've heard, breast milk from another mother is still way better for your baby than formula!
 

That being said...you have a lot of time to read up about supply issues, and things that can help! Don't just assume that you wont be able to bf, because you might not have any problems at all!

[dejagerw]

How is she storing it? In a regular freezer, bm is good for 3-6 months. A separate deep freezer is 6-12 months. If she's storing it in a regular freezer, I wouldn't have her start pumping for you now. Since you aren't pregnant yet, the milk would go bad before the baby was born.