Is Donor Breast Milk Safe?

Why do Mothers Feed Their Baby with Donor Breast Milk?

Breast milk is essential for every child’s growth as it provides a sufficient amount of proper nutrients, like antibodies and prebiotics, that will boost protection from diseases and infections, as well as promote a good digestive system. So it is pretty obvious that no mother would purposely opt to feed their own child with breast milk from a donor but sometimes, medical complications may require you to do so – perhaps being unable to produce enough, or soon enough, to feed her baby. So this really is, the best solution to keeping your baby adequately fed and nourished on time.

Are there Risks of Consuming Donor Breast Milk?

Some mothers are able to produce more breast milk than their baby can feed on, so receiving the excess supply will reduce wastage. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, not many illnesses can be passed through breast milk, though HIV is theoretically possible – hence it is advisable for you to receive donated breast milk at milk banks rather than an informal mother-to-mother delivery, as it has yet to be pasteurised. Breast milk found at milk banks would have been screened, making it safer for consumption.

Milk-sharing is not as simple as just expressing it into a bag and handing it over to another mother who needs it, but there are areas of concern to be taken into account – like lifestyle choices of substances taken and diet. It is highly recommended that should you be opting to feed your child with breast milk from a donor, to not serve it raw and have it screened at a medical facility beforehand. Even then, there still may be small quantities of pathogens in it. However, there have yet to be any reported cases of children having bacterial infection or transmitted diseases from consuming donated breast milk.

Risk of Raw vs Pasteurised Breast Milk

For babies that are ill or premature, consuming pasteurised breast milk that lacks anti-infective properties may put them at risk of getting neonatal nosocomial infection, leading to hospitalisation for a long period of time. This is highly likely for infants under the age of 4 months old and requires special care – with the probability increasing as birth weight decreases.

In relation to raw breast milk, though there are no severe cases reported, studies have proven that it can cause harm to your child as it contains a large number of bacteria – even after it has been sent for routine screening. It is also important to note that when milk has been pasteurised, there will be a small amount of nutritional value loss in the process, but still enough to make drinking it beneficial to the child for growth and development. Should donor breast milk be a solution you are willing to follow, best to either get it from your best friend with a healthy lifestyle, or from a milk bank – but be advised to always avoid making an exchange with someone you have met online.