The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog

Photo Friday: Milk donation #4

UK Association for Milk Banking's video shows the journey of donated milk

A while back I was contacted by Gillian Weaver, Chair of the UK Association for Milk Banking (the UK equivalent of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America). 

While there are just 10 milk banks in North America (though more are in develoment), there are 12 in the UK, serving a ar smaller population. UKAMB has helped to establish milk banks in South Africa, Cameroon, the Philippines, Australia, and several European countries. 

Gillian shared with me the video below, which shows the process of donation, from the donor mom through to the recipient babies.  The song in the background was written by a donor mother who wrote it to benefit UKAMB.  Enjoy!

Boston Globe reports on 'the milk of human kindness'

Earlier this week the Boston Globe reported on the donor breastmilk program at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.  Here's a video showing donor milk being used in the NICU there.

Donor milk is now the standard of care at Brigham and Women's for babies born before 30 weeks gestation and weighing under 1500 grams (about 3.5 pounds).  Connecticut Children's Medical Center and Concord Hospital in New Hampshire are two more in my region at which donor milk is the standard of care under these circumstances.

A visit to the Mothers' Milk Bank of San Jose

Over the holidays we were in the San Francisco Bay Area visiting family.  After hearing in this podcast interview that milk banks often have shortages over the holidays I brought my pump with me, and donated to the Mothers' Milk Bank of San Jose.  HMBANA milk banks have donor reciprocity, so my approved file was sent from the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas.

My ulterior motive was to get a tour of the milk bank - something I'd never done before.  Here are some pictures of my visit there with Pauline Sakamoto, director of the milk bank and president of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America.

Here's the Mothers' Milk Bank of San Jose from the outside.

This is the freezer where donations that have just arrived are stored until they're ready to thaw.  That's where my 85 ounces went.

This shows milk thawing in the lab.  They let it defrots at room temperature - what's known as a slow thaw.

This is the pasteurization machine, where they pasteurize the milk using the Holder method (62.5 C for 30 minutes).  Pauline says that it's going almost constantly.

Here's the finished product - milk frozen and stored in this freezer until it's ready to ship.

And here's the baby shirt they gave me as a thank you for donating.  Can't wait 'til my daughter is old enough to wear it!

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Surgeon General issues bold, comprehensive Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding

Calling breastfeeding one of the most 'highly effective steps a mother can take' to support the health of her baby and herself, this morning the U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin released a significant policy document which I hope will have far reaching effects on the support for breastfeeding.

The Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding is a bold and far reaching document outlining the barriers to breastfeeding and steps to eliminate them.

Among the steps suppported by the administration, from the press release:

- Communities should expand and improve programs that provide mother-to-mother support and peer counseling. 
Health care systems should ensure that maternity care practices provide education and counseling on breastfeeding.  Hospitals should become more “baby-friendly,” by taking steps like those recommended by the UNICEF/WHO’s Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.

- Clinicians should ensure that they are trained to properly care for breastfeeding mothers and babies.  They should promote breastfeeding to their pregnant patients and make sure that mothers receive the best advice on how to breastfeed.

- Employers should work toward establishing paid maternity leave and high-quality lactation support programs.  Employers should expand the use of programs that allow nursing mothers to have their babies close by so they can feed them during the day.  They should also provide women with break time and private space to express breast milk.
Families should give mothers the support and encouragement they need to breastfeed.

The press conference at which this report was released featured Tonya Lewis Lee (author, TV producer, activist, and wife of Spike Lee).  The number of African American women on the panel was really impressive, especially given the persistent disparities between African American moms and other moms.  A vice president of AOL also spoke about how successful their breastfeeding support program has been, both in terms of breastfeeding and return on investment.  She said that they can pay for the entire program (which is huge) with the avoidance of one preterm delivery (which was 2.3% vs. over 12% nationally).  One unexpected moment was when Dr. Benjamin mentioned compliance with the WHO Code and spontaneous applause broke out.  Think the tide might be turning on this issue?

While there are some very important recommendations here to improve maternity care practices, I have to say that the section identifying barriers to breastfeeding is pretty heavy on the cultural barriers (embarassment, poor family and social support).  These are of course very influential.  But with so many mothers who want to breastfeed tripped up by hospital practices known to sabotage breastfeeding, I wonder if the identification of barriers at the maternity care level couldn't have been more pointed.

So, what does all this statement actually mean for you?  Having worked in public policy, I can tell you that these kinds of documents (which, believe me, are not issued without a lot of review) form the framework for the administration's policy initiatives.  In other words, if the document says that more hospitals should become Baby Friendly, you can expect to see pressure (or incentives) from federal agencies on hospitals to do so.  This is already starting to happen, as the CDC has created a system of evaluating hospitals' breastfeeding practices, in the form of a score called the mPINC.

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What's in donor milk?

I've seen some comments recently suggesting that freezing and pasteurization of breastmilk removes all of the "good stuff" that makes it superior to formula.

So I thought I'd share this table, adapted from a study called "Donor Milk: What's in it, and what's not" to show that frozen and pasteurized milk retains a number of important components, in whole or in part, that are not available in formula at all.

And of course this table lists only components which have been studied.  Breastmilk contains hundreds of different costituents, including more immune factors, vitamins and minerals, growth factors, and other important components.

Sorry that the table is hard to read - you may have an easier time if you click on it and open it in a new window.

Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas running on empty.

I've been donating to the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas since this summer, though I live in Massachusetts.  I send the milk overnight by FedEx, all coordinated by the milk bank. (And we love those 'PERISHABLE' stickers!)

The milk bank donor coordinator just sent out an urgent plea for milk.  Demand keeps increasing, and to keep up they need more donors' milk.  They currently pasteurize over 6,000 ounces per week!

The process of becoming an approved donor does take some time, but the more donors they have the more ready they'll be to meet the rapidly increasing demand.

For a discussion about the reasons for the rapid increase in demand for donor milk, see this podcast.

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Favorite posts from 2010

To further wrap up this year, here are some of my favorite posts, and some of those that generated the most discussion.

Podcast:  Was your baby an impostor?  Breastfeeding the late preterm infant, with Marsha Walker

Podcast:  How does birth impact breastfeeding?  An interview with Linda Smith

Buy "Sweet Songs" to benefit the Mothers Milk Bank at Austin

Still lactating after all these years

"Milk fever" and "gathered breast?"  See if you can translate a Victorian era breastfeeding guide

A little too much of a good thing

Photo Friday:  Four faces

Our VBAC: What mattered most

Book review:  The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

Poll: Formula from the breast or breastmilk from a bottle?

Want to know how the authors of The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding answered the question?

Download a free lullaby album from the Every Ounce Counts campaign

Goodbye, milk

My husband, the breastfeeding slogan genius and "Las dos"

You never know when nursing in public is going to pay off

Why do Western moms breastfeed more?

"She'll come off the breast when she's done"

Actually, I do want to be used as a pacifier

Making milk when there is no baby to feed

Turning "dirty milk" to "liquid gold"

New podcast on milk banking!

AAP issues new recommendation for iron supplements for breastfed babies, and the AAP Section on Breastfeeding cries foul

"She held the baby on her head"

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Guest post: Kelly's celebrity breastfeeding roundup for 2010

Each year I get to post a roundup of celebrity breastfeeding news thoughtfully written by my blogging friend Kelly.  Check out past years here:  2009, 2008, 2007.

Last year everyone was "too busy" for a photo, but this time Kelly organized the troops and recruited a photographer friend to make the memories happen. Here's Kelly with husband Jon, and daughter Anabel, 12, and son, Austin, 4. She proudly admits both children self-weaned around age 2!

Maybe its the fact I haven't nursed a child in over 2 1/2 years; I'm a little nostalgic lately. This year, I found myself taking a stroll down memory lane. And who did I find, but some very beloved celebrities from decades past in the news discussing their experiences with breastfeeding.

In the extended breastfeeding debate, It's actress Mayim Bialik's "Opinationation" that breast is best, even for toddlers. (Yes, I was a huge "Blossom" fan!) Mayim recently blogged about breastfeeding her 2 1/2 year old son. And having added certified lactation educator/counselor and Ph.D in Neuroscience to her resume since the Blossom years, she's got plenty of data to back her up. Ultimately she says, it comes down to this: "I may not have convinced you that extended nursing is as wonderful as I think is, but that’s okay. When I see my precious son gaze into my eyes and grin that milky grin - not much else matters." Well said. And for those of you who watch tv in this decade, you can catch Mayim on CBS "The Big Bang Theory."

(If you like playing six degrees of separation, breastfeeding edition, 2008's round-up featured Melissa Joan Hart who currently stars in the new ABC Family comedy "Melissa & Joey" with "Blossom" actor Joey Lawrence.)

Danica McKeller is another whip-smart former child star and new mom. We all know her as Winnie, Fred Savage's first love from "The Wonder Years", but she's been busy lately authoring empowering math books for girls and nursing three-month old son Draco. (He's named after a constellation.) "He has a ravenous appetite. He eats every three hours and I’m exclusively breastfeeding. He’s just really sweet.” McKellar recently released her third math book, Hot X: Algebra Exposed.

He may play the lovable cad Barney on "How I Met your Mother," but I've adored Neil Patrick Harris since he starred in "Doogie Howser MD" as a teen. Now, as a new dad to 9-week old twins (via surrogate with partner, David Burtka) he's won my heart again. Doogie, I mean Neil, explains that that while son Gideon was doing fine with formula, daughter Grace Harper was having issues. “Harper was very fussy ... she was always in a state of angst," he said during a recent appearance on the "Late Late show with Craig Ferguson". "We switched formulas a couple of times and now we’re having to have breast milk brought in.” He goes on to discuss how complicated and expensive the whole ordeal is. “Seriously, if someone is in Santa Monica -- down the street and wants to provide milk -- it has to go on a plane to San Jose and get fertilized and pasteurized and boiled and whatever happens in little bottles." I appreciate his sharing on two counts: one, his story illustrates the wonder-elixir that breast milk is, and two, it also sheds light on the lack of milk banks and the scarcity of donor milk for average people. Tanya blogged about her own experience donating milk earlier this year.

While "Dharma & Greg" isn't a quite a blast from the past, its hard to believe the show hasn't been on the air for eight years! (And I can't get over "Greg" actor Thomas Gibson is now on "Criminal Minds!?") The lovely Jenna Elfman, aka Dharma, gave birth her second son Easton in this year, and recently spoke with Best for Babes about her breastfeeding efforts the 2nd time around. "I had zero education about breastfeeding before giving birth to my first son. (Story)," she explained. Jenna ultimately ended up pumping for 10 1/2 months. While she was glad to provide her son with breast milk, she was frustrated. "I had so wanted to breastfeed, and it was such a loss for me that I didn’t pull it off. I wanted to be one of those mothers who are hanging out, I wanted to be that person, who could just whip out their boob and feed their kid!"

With Easton, Jenna was determined to do things differently. She got educated. She had "major epiphanies of what had gone wrong with Story and how all of it could have been prevented." Where had it all gone wrong? The latch. "If moms know how important the right latch is, and letting the baby lead, that’s key." And the cause? Quite a few according to Jenna. "Not enough hospitals have strong breastfeeding protocol and trained staff in place. They couldn’t spend more than a few minutes with me. So too often, we’re trying to educate moms about breastfeeding minutiae. We really can’t expect every mom to have a PhD in breastfeeding science." (Although Mayim gets close.)

Until hospitals get their acts together, women need to avoid the "booby traps," which is where Best For Babes can help. "The one book that saved my life was “Breastfeeding Made Simple” — the most phenomenal breastfeeding book ever. With Easton, from the first moment I put him on the breast I made sure he had a good latch!" Check out entire interview with Jenna at Best for Babes (Part I) and Part II.

And on the topic of tv...I guess it's official: Reality stars are celebrities. And hats off to this very high-profile personality who leverages her everyday appeal to discuss breastfeeding.

If you haven't heard of the Kardashians, you may have been in a coma (or at least without cable). Sisters Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney have created a reality empire that's getting more prolific by the minute. So, when I saw Kourtney was blogging about breastfeeding her son Mason for People's Mom & Babies section, I was thrilled. She writes "Mason is now six months old and has only been fed breast milk up until this week! I just started incorporating solid foods into his diet." I really like Kourtney's down-to-earth perspective. "I still want to continue breastfeeding for maybe another six months or as long as Mason still wants it....People always have something to say about how long is too long or not long enough to breastfeed. I think this is such a personal decision that it can only be made between each baby and his or her mommy." Kourtney also mentioned that being a reality star and nursing has it's challenges. "I know that for me, I need to try to cover myself while breastfeeding so that no one snaps a picture. If this wasn’t the case, I probably wouldn’t mind as much because my son is my biggest concern."

You're likely familiar with Lisa Loeb from her iconic song "Stay," but did you know she also had a reality show called "#1 Single" a few years back? No longer looking for love, she recently married and gave birth to daughter Lyla who she is breastfeeding. Lisa relates her experiences with breastfeeding in a way that is honest and effective. "Although people say it's a natural process... it's not natural. You have no idea what you're doing." She eventually got the hang of it and became an outspoken advocate of breastfeeding starring in National Breastfeeding Month's irreverent PSA Tanya mentioned earlier this year.

And speaking of that awesome PSA, And I have to mention another celebrity featured, Ali Landry, who also breastfed her daughter, now three. Let's hope she does for breastfeeding what she did for the consumption of Doritos (Wouldn't it be amazing if breastfeeding rates increased by 23%?!) Here's a condensed version of the spot also starring breastfeeding moms Kelly Rutherford (featured in the last two roundups), Jana Williamson (from Parks & Recreation), Constance Marie (George Lopez), Sarah Jane Morris (Brothers & Sisters) to name a few.

If I've neglected to mention your fave breastfeeding mom (or dad) this year, please post a comment and let us know how a celebrity inspired you!

Have a happy and healthy 2011, full of wonderful memories in the making!

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Charitable giving that supports breastfeeding

Since some of you will be thinking about making some donations before the year's out, I thought I'd offer a few ideas for organizations which support breastfeeding, both here and abroad:

Mercy Corps's Breastfeeding Kit helps to promote and support breastfeeding in Jakarta, Indonesia.

UNICEF supports breastfeeding all over the world, with particular impact on breastfeeding promotion and support in developing countries.

Action Against Hunger has set up breastfeeding support tents in Haiti and protects breastfeeding while stabilizing malnourished babies in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Milk banks, which are independent non profits linked together by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America, need your support to continue to provide life saving donor milk to premature and sick infants.

La Leche League and Nursing Mothers Counsel provide vital mother-to-mother support for breastfeeding.

Best for Babes is giving breastfeeding a makeover and fighting to eliminate the 'Booby Traps' which undermine breastfeeding.

Finally, consider donating your used nursing clothes, bras, and other supplies to other moms, through WIC, your local church, or community organization

I know I've missed some!  Feel free to add more in the comments section.

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