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ELECTRONIC ARTICLE:
Elsie M. Taveras, Ruowei Li, Laurence Grummer-Strawn, Marcie Richardson, Richard Marshall, Virginia H. Rêgo, Irina Miroshnik, and Tracy A. Lieu
Mothers' and Clinicians' Perspectives on Breastfeeding Counseling During Routine Preventive Visits
Pediatrics 2004; 113: e405-e411 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]
*P3Rs: Submit a response to this article

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[Read P3R] Human Milk undervalued
Nikki Lee RN, MS, IBCLC, CCE   (29 August 2004)

Human Milk undervalued 29 August 2004
Top
Nikki Lee RN, MS, IBCLC, CCE,
lactation consultant
private practice

Send letter to journal:
Re: Human Milk undervalued

nleeguitar{at}aol.com Nikki Lee RN, MS, IBCLC, CCE

Dear Editor:

Breastfeeding requires some help while mother and baby figure things out. A new relationship is rarely perfect at the beginning; this is true of a breastfeeding relationship also. When practitioners recommend use of a human milk substitute to a new mother in this beginning period, she gets a message that her milk is not good enough, and will stop breastfeeding too soon.

This study illustrates beautifully that simple dynamic.

Pasteurized donor milk is recognized by the World Health Organization as the third best infant feeding alternative. (Fresh mother's milk and frozen mother's milk are first and second; breastmilk substitutes are FOURTH!)

When babies must be fed and their mother can't provide enough milk, the best solution is for the baby to receive banked donor milk from a milk bank. Imagine how mothers would get the message that human milk is the most important for babies if such were the case.