Wednesday, September 26, 2012

It's World Milksharing Week!

Something really amazing is happening this week! The world is celebrating "World Milksharing Week". This week is dedicated to celebrating a really incredible act happening within our communities around the world.

If you've never heard of this, let me recap for you. Milksharing is the act of one lactating mother "sharing" her milk with someone else's child. Often times these mothers pump extra breastmilk to give to infants who have mothers that are struggling with supply, are unable to breastfeed due to Insufficient Glandular Tissue or Hypoplasia of the breasts, or to premature infants who have mothers working to build up a supply, but need breastmilk now. These children have often been fed bottles of pumped milk, and now even more options are presenting- the use of supplemental nursing systems, such as a LactAid. These systems allow a mother to use donated breastmilk in a small bag or container that uses a tiny tube attached to her nipple in order to allow her child to still nurse directly at the breast, and perhaps receive what milk she does have while also receiving the donated supplement.

Here at EnWraptured DFW, I wanted to take a minute to share my own story with shared milk. I was diagnosed, after having three children whom I was unable to nurse, with Insufficient Glandular Tissue and Hypoplasia of the breasts. I have used wrapping as my source of bonding. As many mothers cherish the time they spend quietly nursing their babies, I wanted the same experience. Unable to nurse, I found my middle ground. With my first, I'd wrap him up and feed him with a bottle while he was wrapped on me. With my second, I did the same. With my third, I was able to take it a step further. I would wrap him, skin to skin, and feed him expressed, donated breastmilk with a bottle. I was able to give my baby breastmilk (thanks to some amazing mothers who shared their breastmilk with my baby), experience special skin to skin bonding, all because of wrapping.

Wrapping gave me the bonding I was missing when I sat with a broken heart, unable to nurse my baby. I'm currently pregnant with my fourth child, and we'll be doing even more this time! We'll be using a lact-aid supplemental nursing system, along with donated breastmilk, and skin to skin wrapping.

What about you? Have you struggled with nursing and used wrapping as a way to increase your bond?

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