Feeding the baby with another woman's breastmilk

Informal sharing of human milk can be beneficial for infants and the family, but it also carries risks. The situation is different when it comes to donor human milk, which is provided by breastfeeding women through human milk banks.

Throughout human history, children who were deprived of their own mothers' milk were often breastfed by other women; it was known that these children had much better chances of survival than children fed with animal milk. When technological advances made it possible to produce formulas, the needs for wet nurses decreased and the children switched to artificial feeding.

Given the knowledge of the indispensable role of human milk for children's health, the World Health Organization and other international organizations recommend human milk, i.e. another woman's milk, as the next best choice, if their own mother's milk is not available. These are women who breastfeed their own children and are willing to collect excess milk and donate it to feed the babies who need it.

To feed preterm and sick children, milk banks are organized; they safely collect, process, store and stockpile the milk of their own mothers and donors. Human milk banks exist in medical centers treating preterm babies, in Belgrade and since recently, in Novi Sad.

Although almost all women can breastfeed, there are still a small number of mothers who do not establish lactation or who cannot breastfeed for medical reasons, due to medicines or other treatment, previous breast surgery etc.

Human milk banks have limited quantities of milk available. Milk from milk banks cannot be provided to healthy children who do not have access to their own mothers' milk. Another source may be "informal sharing" of human milk. This means that the child directly receives another woman's milk, usually from family friends or relatives; however, lately, there has also been the "trend" of human milk supply over the internet, which is certainly not a recommended practice.

When making the decision to feed your child another woman's milk, you need to know:

the donor's health status
whether she smokes, consumes alcohol or any drugs
whether she uses any medications
whether she has been tested for viruses (HIV, hepatitis B, cytomegalovirus)
whether milk is collected and stored in strict compliance with hygiene measures
whether it is transported appropriately

Responsibility for informal human milk donation lies both on the donor and on the parents who accept and use it to feed their child. If the woman donating milk is someone from your environment, a family member or friend, make sure you are well informed about her health and lifestyle. Ask her to get tested for viruses that can be transmitted through human milk and make sure that the milk is collected, stored and transported safely.

Pasteurization of the milk obtained in this way reduces the risk of virus transmission. If your child is preterm or sick, feeding him/her milk obtained in this way is not recommended.