Community Milk Sharing – The Grey Area Between Scope and Need

Time-frame: 60-90
CERP: yes

All human babies have the right to receive exclusive human milk. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways – exclusive feeding at the parent’s breast/chest, exclusive expressed human milk delivered to the baby via a feeding device, or pasteurized donor human milk delivered via a feeding device. However, there has been much attention placed on the traditional practice of cooperative infant feeding, sometimes referred to as informal milk sharing or community milk sharing. Cooperative feeding is when lactating individuals provide human milk directly to another family in need, without going through the donor milk bank process. The increasing popularity of cooperative infant feeding via social media, the growing attention on the importance of human milk exclusivity, the increasing awareness of the potential health risks of artificial milk, and the inability for donor milk banks to provide milk for more than those in critical need has led professionals and families to an impass. While cooperative infant feeding is gaining popularity among families, finding policy and recommended practices can be difficult. The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine only references mother’s own expressed milk, donor human milk, or hydrolyzed or standard infant formulas for breastmilk feeding in regards to supplemental feeds. The World Health Organization, states in its Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, “for those few health situations where infants cannot, or should not, be breastfed, the choice of the best alternative – expressed breast milk from an infant’s own mother, breast milk from a healthy wet-nurse or a human-milk bank, or a breastmilk substitute…depends on individual circumstance.” There are also significant equity issues at stake. Many families live in food deserts, without proper access to health care and lactation support or donor milk, who need human milk for their babies. There are also family structures whereby access to milk at the breast/chest may be limited. Many families are told by healthcare professionals to avoid cooperative feeding in all cases, even though the data is not supportive for that recommendation. Most cooperative infant feeding organizations recommend the practice of using The Four Pillars of Safe Milk Sharing. These are informed choice, donor screening, safe handling, and home pasteurization. This presentation will cover in detail the myriad of concerns of professionals, the information all families need to know about cooperative infant feeding, milk sharing and social media, and lactation professionals’ scope of practice issues regarding community milk sharing.



Laurel Wilson IBCLC, RLC, BSc, CLE, CLD, CCCE, BSc, CPPI


Country: US
Phone number: 720-515-BABY (2229)
Email: info@motherjourney.com
Site: http://www.motherjourney.com/
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Publications

The Greatest Pregnancy Ever: Keys to the MotherBaby Bond

“The Greatest Pregnancy Ever is a treasure. It should be the very first thing a pregnant woman reads in fact, every woman who intends to have a baby will be thrilled with the empowering message here.” ~Christiane Northrup, M.D., ob/gyn physician and author of the New York Times bestsellers: Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause. Once in a great while a book comes along that impacts the lives of families forever. You will never view pregnancy and motherhood the same way again. Has anyone ever told you that you can get to know your baby and bond with her before she is even born? Are you looking for ways to address the physical challenges in pregnancy that don’t require prescriptions? Are you aware that starting in pregnancy you can help your baby develop positive relationships with the important people in your life? Do you know that your baby’s personality is shaped by your emotions, stress levels, and environment during pregnancy? Finally, here is a book written by real pregnancy experts that provides keys to unlocking the secrets of having the greatest pregnancy ever! Offering insights and tips for addressing fears and anxieties, managing stress, and increasing comfort during pregnancy, this book offers way of life that will transform you, your baby, and ultimately the world you live in. This book offers real-life solutions to the emotional and physical issues pregnant women face. The Greatest Pregnancy Ever shares little known facts that can change the entire experience of pregnancy and parenting for families. For example: Unmanaged stress in pregnancy can lead to a baby who cries more, sleeps less, and is anxious. A mother’s thoughts and feelings create chemical signals that literally form her baby s brain and develop into emotional intelligence. Only during pregnancy and the first few years of a child’s life can parents truly influence who their child will become, both emotionally and physically. All moms want to do whatever they can to positively impact the development of their child. They want to have the greatest pregnancy ever, and luckily it is possible with the information and practices in this book. The book is organized into four parts: B.O.N.D. – Keys to Bonding B-Be-ing O-Observing N-Nourishing D-Deciding The keys relate to the concept of being able to B.O.N.D. This connection is imperative to the baby, the mother, and the partner for overall health and wellness. Many parents find with their busy, overscheduled, and stressful lives that seeking connection is just one more item on their to-do list. The Greatest Pregnancy Ever solves this dilemma by providing very simple tools, techniques, and tips for parents to use. They not only make connection possible, but ease stress and improve parents daily lives and their relationships. Start today by embracing motherhood in an entirely new way start by having the greatest pregnancy ever!

The Attachment Pregnancy: The Ultimate Guide to Bonding With Your Baby

Studies have shown that parents have more influence over their child, both emotionally and physically, during pregnancy and the first years after birth than at any other point in life. With The Attachment Pregnancy, you will learn how to use this important time to form a deeper connection and introduce your child to a loving environment–even before birth. Childbirth experts Tracy Wilson Peters and Laurel Wilson guide you through each stage of development with advice for providing consistent and nurturing care as your baby grows, so that you can ensure that every need is always met.
From the moment your child is conceived to the day of delivery, The Attachment Pregnancy shows you how to strengthen your bond and give your baby the best life possible from the very beginning.

Round the Circle: Doulas Share Their Experiences

Are you a doula, a professional who supports women and their partners during the childbearing year? Do you feel called to become a doula because of your passion for women, birth, and babies? In Round the Circle, Julie Brill gathers the wisdom of 23 established doulas, who generously share what they’ve learned to create a doula mentorship in book format. Contributors include Laurel Wilson and Tracy Wilson Peters, authors of The Attachment Pregnancy, Rivka Cymbalist, author of The Birth Conspiracy, and Amy Wright Glenn, author of Birth, Breath, and Death. Learn more about addressing fears; encouraging the motherbaby bond; supporting religious and spiritual practices; working with LGBTQ families, teen mothers, surrogates, immigrants, incarcerated moms, friends and family; the doula’s role in planned and unexpected homebirths and cesarean births; supporting families after the birth; building and marketing your business; and doula self-care. This anthology will prove interesting and helpful reading for anyone considering becoming a doula, and for those already practicing. “I am so grateful for this circle of wise women’s voices, there to give us the support we deeply need as we support other women. This is the book all doulas should have-right after learning the fundamentals of labor and delivery, and upon bravely entering today’s dramatically changing landscape of birth.”