IMPORTANT POLICY UPDATE

In March 2007, the LLLI Board of Directors adopted the following policy regarding the donation of human milk:

Milk Donations
La Leche League International fully supports the use of human milk for babies. The first priority of LLLI is to help mothers breastfeed their babies. Babies benefit from human milk donated by other mothers when their own mother's milk is unavailable.

When a mother contacts a Leader seeking donated human milk, the Leader shall respond with information and support. This shall include information about induced lactation and/or relactation. The Leader shall also suggest the mother dialogue with an appropriate, licensed health care provider and contact a licensed human milk bank or other regulated and medically supervised human milk collection center. The Leader shall inform any mother interested in using donated human milk for her baby, whether on an occasional or on a long term basis, of the documented risks and benefits connected with this form of infant feeding.

If a mother is interested in donating her milk, a Leader shall provide contact information for licensed human milk banks or other regulated and medically supervised collection centers. A Leader shall not ever pressure a mother to donate or to continue donating her breastmilk. A Leader shall maintain confidentiality of mothers’ information entrusted to her (relating to any potential donor or potential recipient). A Leader shall remind a potential donor mother that her own baby has a natural priority to her milk. A Leader shall inform a potential donor that: 1)the donor may request complete information from the milk bank or collection center about how her milk will be used; 2) the donor may inquire if she may restrict how her milk will be used; 3) she may make her decision about donation in the light of the information she receives from the milk bank or collection center.

A Leader shall not ever suggest an informal milk-donation arrangement, including wet-nursing or cross-nursing. If a mother wishes to discuss these options, the Leader’s role is to provide information about the risks and benefits so that the mother can make her own informed decision based on her situation.

Media Release: LA LECHE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL OFFERS GUIDELINES ON HUMAN MILK SHARING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mary Lofton, 847-519-7730, Ext. 271, PRManager at llli.org;
Mary Hurt, Ext. 286, PRAssociate at llli.org; Katy Lebbing, Ext. 245, KLebbing at llli.org

(Schaumburg, IL) January 2005—Recently there have been reports of mothers sharing or even buying and selling human milk informally over the Internet or among friends.

If a mother is seeking donated milk the first question to consider is whether or not she can supply her own milk. Some mothers need to know that they will be able to breastfeed their babies in less than ideal or special circumstances. For example, many mothers have been able to provide their own milk for their premature or ill babies. Many mothers also continue to breastfeed after returning to work and, in most cases, provide sufficient milk.

In other cases, because of lack of knowledge or a poor start, a mother may be in a situation where her body is not producing enough milk. Increasing frequency of nursing, making sure the baby is latched on correctly, and offering both breasts at each feeding are some of the proven techniques that help most nursing mothers increase their supply.

In rare circumstances when a mother’s own milk is not available a human milk bank provides the best alternative with pasteurized, screened donor milk. In the absence of the infant’s own mother’s milk, donor milk offers many of the same benefits of human milk for the infant, including: optimal nutrition, easy digestibility, and immunologic protection against many organisms and diseases.

Health care providers and researchers have expressed concern that the casual exchange of human milk could be a potential route of transmission for drugs and viruses. CEO, National Commission on Donor Milk Banking and PhD candidate Lois Arnold, MPH, IBCLC states: “Because some individuals may have a viral or bacterial infection but remain asymptomatic (without symptoms) they may never know they are infecting another party. For this reason, ‘knowing someone well’ would be inadequate protection against disease transmission because the carrier is unaware she is infected.”

Human milk is available from human milk banks upon physician prescription or by hospital purchase order. There is a processing fee charged to cover the expense of collecting, pasteurizing and dispensing the milk. Some insurance companies recognize that feeding human milk results in both short and long term health costs savings and offer coverage for the purchase of human milk from a human milk bank.

A mother who is unable to use a human milk bank is encouraged to use the services of a doctor who is knowledgeable about managing human milk donations. The doctor will order the necessary testing for the donor mother, and make sure that the mothers involved in the donation are given the correct management information about human milk expression, storage and transportation.

La Leche League International, a nonprofit organization that has been in existence for almost fifty years, is the world’s largest resource for breastfeeding and related information. For information on increasing milk supply, contact information on human milk banks, or any breastfeeding question, visit the La Leche League International Web site at www.lalecheleague.org or call 1-847-519-7730.

Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:32:33 UTC 2007.