Would you feed your child donated breast milk?

Donated breast milk originally made me turn my nose in disgust. The mere thought of it just sounds... icky. If I couldn’t nurse my child but gave him breast milk from someone else, how could I ensure the milk wasn’t contaminated with HIV or Friday night’s bar crawl?

But after some research, I changed heart. 

The Human Milk Banking Association of North America http://www.hmbana.org/ sets standards for, and helps establish breast milk banks across the continent. Participating hospitals use the milk for premature infants as well as some babies with other medical conditions. In some cases, healthy babies who’ve been adopted also receive the donations. The breast milk protects immature tissue, promotes maturation and also heals tissue damaged by infection, the website says.   

According to this post on babble.com, some medical professionals recommend premie babies drink donated breast milk because it helps them mature and gain weight. The breast milk provides various nutrients baby formula doesn’t. Many mom’s of premature babies can’t nurse because the mothers’ own bodies aren’t ready yet.

Once donated, the milk is screened similarly to a blood donation. Professionals measure its fat and nutrient content before supplying it to hospitals who then supply it to babies. 

As a mother of a child born with medical problems, these banks are important. For some children, doctors say breast milk is vital to their recovery. My son healed without it, but when your child is sick, you’d go to any length and pay any price for his or her recovery.

One of the other reasons I like this donated breast milk idea is for more selfish reasons. Giving requires little- to no money. A woman can be dirt poor and still donate to this cause. 

I’m concerned about my personal finances, especially with the holidays approaching. Maternity leave and NICUs are awesome, but they aren’t so great for the wallet... I like opportunities to give back without the cha-ching. With the status of my bank account these days is more like cha-clunk. :)

Anyways, what an awesome way for new mothers to give back without dishing out the dough. In fact, she doesn’t even have to leave her home or baby save for delivering the donation. 

To give, donors must be in good health, off most medications save for a meds like pre-natal vitamin and progestin-only birth control and willing to donate at least 100 ounces of milk the HMBANA's website says. In most cases, a woman who can donate blood can donate milk, according to this article in USA Today.

North Dakota doesn’t have a breast milk bank, according to HMBANA’s website, but donors can mail the milk to other centers. The nearest are in Denver, Colo., and Coralville, Iowa.   

For more information on giving or receiving breast milk, visit http://www.hmbana.org.

After-high school plans for my two-week old

If it’s true that a baby’s education level will match that of his or her mother’s at the time of birth, then that means my child will earn a bachelor’s degree.

The statistic is true for my brother and me. My mother had her bachelor’s when we were born and later obtained her masters. But my dad had his bachelor’s too. We were just old enough to answer when our parents began asking: so, where you going to college? The answer was almost always, Notre Dame, a take off my father’s favorite football team. We were bred for four-year universities the way some children are raised to farm or take over the family business. Trade school, beauty school and working after high school weren’t options we ever considered.

So what about my baby?

I have my bachelor’s but the twist is, his father has a two-year technical degree. Does that make a difference?

I don’t have the same affinity for the Fighting Irish as my father, so I’m not sure the four-year college destination is as apparent for baby’s future.

I’m not concerned.

If baby prefers working with his hands and has a mechanical mind like his father, then great, a two-year vocational degree is the way to go. My husband earns more money than I do AND his tuition is paid.

My student loan payments will continue until my own child goes to college.

I’d hate for baby to miss out on the college experience though. Mine was totally traditional: lived in the dorms, joined a sorority, worked on campus, studied abroad, loved it. Nine months of tuition, room and board cost me about what I earn a year as a journalist, but the experience I had and friends I made convince me it was worth it. Most days :)

So what about your kids? Do you push them towards a certain career field or even education level? Do children determine education level based on skill, interest and academic aptitude or is it based more on the education level obtained by their parents? What do you think?

Question: If you're not pregnant anymore, why can't you drink coffee?

Reader bill berditzman writes:

* If you’re not pregnant anymore, why can’t you drink coffee??

Here is the answer from the expert, Brittany Johnson, licensed registered dietitian at Jamestown Hospital:

It is safe to have caffeine while breastfeeding, just don't overdo it. When caffeine enters the bloodstream, a small amount of it ends up in your breast milk. Caffeine isn't easily broken down or excreted by your baby's body, especially during the first few months, so it may accumulate in the baby's system over time.
Drinking a lot of coffee, for example more than two or three cups a day, might cause one or both of you to become irritable, jittery, agitated and it may also contribute to sleeping problems. Many experts state that a moderate intake of caffeine (usually around 300 mg per day) is fine for breastfeeding moms.
Every baby is different.  If your baby seems to be bothered and fussy when you have caffeine, even in small amounts, you may want to cut it out of your diet to see if that makes a difference.