Minn. Moms Use Facebook To Share Breast Milk
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Breast milk gives babies everything they need, from good nutrition to protection from disease. But what if you couldn't share this healthy and intimate connection with your child?
Social networking sites now include forums for moms who meet strangers and share their breast milk.
Thirty-year-old Sarah Landis of Coon Rapids calls the Facebook page Human Milk 4 Human Babies – Minnesota, an answer to her prayers.
Her 8-month-old daughter Olivia was born eight weeks early, but already faced incredible odds before she came into the world.
Landis was fighting stage-4 breast cancer when she found out she was pregnant.
"We did seven rounds of chemo, pregnant," said Landis.
Landis says her cancer medications prevented her from giving Olivia the nourishment a premature baby needs.
"I was able to breastfeed my two older daughters, and that was important, that my third daughter be breastfed," said Landis.
That's when Landis turned to the informal online group set in motion by mothers, and met other Minnesota moms, like Christa Johnson of Crystal.
"I just had so much milk, I didn't know what to do with it," said Johnson. "I was so excited I could help other moms and this existed because I had such a huge supply."
Johnson says her heart went out to Landis as the mother of a premature baby herself. Her daughter Ella was also born eight weeks early.
"To be able to give it to moms who really, really need it, she had a premature baby, she had cancer, I was so honored to be able to help her out," said Johnson.
Johnson said she's given at least 4,000 ounces of breast milk to five area moms, meeting all of them in person, including Landis.
"We usually hug, and say thank you, and they don't understand, just what a great gift," said Landis.
Lactation specialists at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis aren't so sure. They warn breast milk sharing may not be safe.
"I would not recommend it," said Shelly Boyce, a registered nurse and lactation consultant. "It is wonderful that women want to provide what is best for their baby, but I think making a choice like that, there is a risk involved."
Boyce said her hospital relies on tested milk -- the Mother's Milk Bank in Denver, Colorado.
Boyce recommends women should consult a doctor and screen milk for disease before trusting someone online.
The FDA issued a warning against getting breast milk over the Internet. The agency says the milk is unlikely to have been adequately screened for disease or contamination, adding that the milk probably is not collected or stored in a way that cuts the possible risks to babies.
It asks the public to consider possible risks that "include exposure to infectious diseases, including HIV, to chemical contaminants, such as some illegal drugs, and to a limited number of prescription drugs that might be in the human milk, if the donor has not been adequately screened."
"We know our milk is safe or we would never do it," said Johnson, who says she tells mothers in need of breast milk that she is willing to be screened and even offers her medical records.
Landis has greater worries. She recently learned the cancer has spread in her spine, and has started a new round of chemo medication. Still, she celebrates her daughter's health.
"If you are going to take time to pump, put it in bags and freeze it, you are not going to harm another baby," said Landis.
The Landis' stock? A large freezer with milk from 15 different Minnesota mothers. For this family, happiness is measured by every ounce of goodwill.
"It is liquid gold," says father Mark Landis. "It is the best baby food money can't buy. A fresh bag of raw milk."
