Gettting human milk to infant after bilateral mastectomy

grateful2balive

Hi, I am happy that some women are able to succesfully become moms (or add to their family) after a breast cancer dx. Those of you who became moms after bilateral mastectomy (I'm sure this applies to at least one person reading this), did you feed with formula alone, or were you able to buy breast milk from a milk bank? I know hospitals will sometimes provide donated breast milk to premature infants in the NICU but, what if your child was born at term with healthy delivery? Is there any place one can buy safe human milk, or is formula the only option? Thank you

ShetlandPony

I do not know, but La Leche League International would be a good source of information. Here is a link for the USA LLL.

https://lllusa.org/milkdonation/

bcincolorado

If you have a local children's hospital check with them as well. When I had my children (pre-cancer) I donated breast milk to someone who could not nurse for medical reasons like that. It was done through the hospital system and easy to do and do not think they charged them either since it was done by donation.

moth

Hello, I'm a lactation consultant. You may be able to access the milk bank but it really depends on your community & availability. Many milk banks are short of milk and have to prioritize clinically vulnerable infants. However, in some communities it is possible to get milk for full term stable babies.

You can find a milk bank through this link https://www.hmbana.org/find-a-milk-bank/

best wishes

grateful2balive

Thank you to all for these helpful links and information. I send you a big hug and wishes for a peaceful weekend.