extra breast milk anyone?

S

sophyaguilar

Registered User
i recently started expressing and freezing my b-milk for a female cancer patient who lives on DB. this milk will give significant help in boosting her immune system while she endures horrible chemotherapy and radiation therapies now and in the near future. i am trying to find other mothers who will join me or who might have a freezer full of milk they don't think they will use, or breastfeeding mothers who have an over-supply of milk and would be kind enough to pump and freeze some for her. i only ask that you have had your vaccinations and are of course HIV and Hepatitis free. and most importantly i don't want anyone to take away from their own child to do this. please let me know your thoughts and if you have an interest to know more and/or to help.
 
Sophy,
I am sorry about your friend. I am sure that being in the circumstances of her family, we would be willing to try 'anything' also. However, this is a huge responsibility for you. Milk received by a milk bank is heat treated/ pasteurized. Is this what you intend to do with the breastmilk that you receive? If your friend is exposed to pathogens/ viruses which further assault her immune system, then she could be exposed to more suffering.
If you are committed to following through on this, then I suggest that you look at the following website and call one of the units listed, for advice on how to maintain safety.
http://www.ukamb.org/donor.html

Wikipedia explains the complexities of these valuable resources.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.c..._banking_in_North_America+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk
 
Hi Sophie, its wonderful you and your friend know the benefits of breast milk.. And how generous of you to help.

MommieMid, very few illnesses pass through breast milk, so as the OP stated if the donor is HIV and hepatitis free, and vaccinated there is very little risk of passing anything on. In fact if the donor has had any recent infection such as cold or flu etc, she will pass on antibodies which are hugely beneficial to a chemotherapy recipient whose own immune system is struggling.

Thats one of the main points of breast milk in the treatment of cancer. Not only has a factor in breast milk been shown (in lab conditions) to be lethal to tumor cells (HAMLET - stands for Human Alpha-lactalbumin Made Lethal to Tumour Cells) it is also packed with antibodies to 'restock' an immune system affected by chemotherapy, as well as antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory properties etc. which can certainly help when the cancer treatments are taking their toll.

Good luck! Wishing your friend all the best...
 
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hello MommieMid i did reply to you earlier but i can't see it here anywhere. anyway what i said more-or-less is that my first concern is to find this woman/women who are capable and willing to help me and most importantly to help the woman in need. from there i would take a lot of care in screening and educating on anything going forward. i do understand your concern and i am aware of the cleansing process human milk goes through in a milk bank. it is however very unfortunate that so much of the goodness, ie the antibody and antitoxin healing powers of breast milk, are lost in this pasteurization process. but in a big city where people don't know each other and proper screening is inadequate this is necessary. are you aware that human 'milk sharing' has become more commonplace now, between friends or friends of friends ? as a mother who has breast-fed for a total of 57 months so far i know that i have never passed anything to my children and if i am feeling unwell in any form, or have been exposed to anyone who is, then what i pass my babies is immunity. it's called 'passive immunity' and it means i am loaning my immune system. when i stop nursing my child they no longer have my immune system and are on their own of course. but if i can loan my immune system to someone who's life may depend on it i will and i am overjoyed to do so. to answer your question, no i am not pasteurizing my b-milk for this woman. what i am doing though is adhering to a strict diet of no caffeine, alcohol, spicy or gassy foods, no medications. and a squeeky clean bill of health. and taking absolute care in the expressing and freezing process. i am over the moon that i am able to help this woman in some way and i am simply looking for 'back-up' because there may be times my supply will be inadequate or i may travel etc etc. in response to your concern that a virus of some sort could be passed accidentally to the sick woman i would say that she is weaker than a healthy woman of her age due to the chemotherapy she has undergone so far, but that she is strong enough to tackle a virus if it did come along, and she is willing to do it. the bottom line is it is very much worth it.
Lali07 thanks for your support it's great to find other people who are so in-the-know. xx
 
I applaud your efforts and if I were still nursing I would volunteer my assistance. However, we just stopped nursing last month. I hope you find women willing to help. I know if I were in your friends shoes I would wish for the same kindness and chance at life.
 
If this were a year ago, I would have had a ton to give you - I was pumping for my daughter for a year (stopped last August) and for half of that time, she was only drinking about a third of what I was pumping - and I had no freezer space so was dumping heaps of it... I hadn't heard that it could benefit cancer patients, but it makes sense that it would. All the best to you and your friend xox
 
hi there, sorry for my late message, but I have only just seen your message. Strangely I was just going to put a note on to see if anyone needed extra b-milk! I stopped BF a month ago and I have 12bags of b-milk left in my freezer (ranging from 4-6oz) and it seems such a waste to just dispose of it. If you still need some, please let me know? I have been trying to find a 'milk bank' (I think they are called!) but no-where seems to take it in HK!? hope to hear from you! thanks
 
Still need more BM?

Hello, I just saw your post. If you still need more BM, I have approx 100-150oz of frozen BM. Let me know... ;)
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thank you SO MUCH! i am in Australia right now, back in HK on Tuesday night. i will contact you directly soon after i'm back.
thank you again. i've been overwhelmed by some recent donations, it's helped so much.
Sophy
 
update

dear wonderful ladies who have donated milk. there have been 4 of you so far. i just want to note here an update of my friend's condition and situation. this Thursday will mark 9 weeks of the addition of breast milk to my friend's treatment. i will speak plainly here. she has continued to experience considerable increase in energy levels and this in itself has done so much to boost her positivity and determination. she has not been ill with any sickness since ingesting the milk. that means no cold or flu symptoms, no infection of any sort. no noticeable decrease in health. she will have her next CT scan in April (last one was early Jan) and at that time her condition will be reassessed and i will post of any changes and our intention going forward after that.
so thank you SO MUCH again for helping in this matter. you HAVE helped so much. and please if you know of anyone else who may want to be involved please spread the word.
sincerely and so thankfully
Sophy
 
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