Latest news with #AustralianBreastfeedingAssociation
ABC News
2 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Tasmanian mum finds breastmilk donors on social media to help feed triplets
Since her triplets arrived in January, Tasmanian mum Keely Walsh estimates her three girls have had access to between 500 and 1,000 litres of donor breastmilk. She has sourced the milk privately, relying on a network of donors like Jess O'Dwyer, who has supplied Ms Walsh with breastmilk for about six months. Ms Walsh said using donated milk required trust. Ahead of accepting an offer, she has met with potential donors to build rapport and ask screening questions about their diet, habits and overall health. The Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) is not involved in private breastmilk sharing but is aware of informal agreements often formed through social media. ABA lactation and breastfeeding information advisor Jennifer Hocking said the association strongly encouraged mothers to ensure they were well-informed about potential risks and benefits of donated breastmilk. Ms Walsh learned of donor breastmilk from a lactation consultant when the triplets, Aurora, Niara and Moana, were newborns. Donor breastmilk can be accessed in a healthcare setting if a hospital has access to a milk bank. It can be offered if a baby is premature, sick, born by surrogate, adopted or fostered, or if there is an insufficient milk supply. Donors are screened, and the milk is tested and pasteurised to ensure it cannot cause harm to a baby. Ms Walsh said she felt there was stigma attached to using donor breastmilk, but strong support from her family, friends and partner helped her accept it as an option for her three girls. Since leaving the hospital, Ms Walsh has relied on a private network of donors, found mostly through social media. She supplements her own supply, which is impacted by her history of polycystic ovary syndrome. Ms Walsh asks each donor to commit to supplying at least 10 litres of milk. She said she experienced "relief" at the positive response to her requests for donor milk for her identical triplets. "Most mums are over the moon to be sharing breastmilk and helping to feed our identical triplet girls," Ms Walsh said. Ms Walsh was not aware of a milk bank in Tasmania from which she could purchase or be given donor breastmilk. But she said the cost of ordering freeze-dried human milk from interstate that had been screened and pasteurised was prohibitive. "The reality is it's a huge cost to purchase freeze-dried human breastmilk," Ms Walsh said. "I can't afford that [and] you can screen your own donors for free on Facebook." ABA shares informal network details online that could connect donors to parents and carers seeking breastmilk, but does not directly facilitate private milk sharing or take responsibility for breastmilk donated by members. Dr Hocking said the Australian College of Midwives provided guidance about donor screening and testing through its position statement on the use of donor human milk. In the statement, the college said the manner in which a community donor collected and stored milk was important. ABA offers guidelines for storing and transporting expressed breastmilk online. Hospital milk banks only provide donor milk for babies in hospital, and there are limited options available to families once outside a healthcare setting. Non-profit Mothers Milk Bank Charity offers donor breastmilk for a fee to cover the cost of donor screening, milk pasteurisation, cold storage and staffing. The ABA acknowledged that access to breastmilk followed a social gradient and said it encouraged milk-sharing initiatives that improved donor milk access for everyone who needed it. A 24-hour breastfeeding helpline staffed by qualified breastfeeding counsellors is available through ABA to assist with breastfeeding queries. Ms O'Dwyer, a breastmilk donor to Ms Walsh, started donating milk to the mum of triplets after birthing as a surrogate for a single parent in Tasmania. Ms O'Dwyer is a mum of eight kids, with six biological children of her own. She had previously seen a request on social media by Ms Walsh for milk and knew she would have an oversupply after birthing her surrogate baby, Mason. When her milk supply came in, Ms O'Dwyer donated 14 litres of milk to Ms Walsh, but has donated many more litres since. She has organised for other mothers to donate milk to Ms Walsh through a social media page she administers called Launceston Mums Network Chat. Ms O'Dwyer will soon stop supplying milk to prepare for an egg donation to a couple in Victoria, to meet ovulation requirements for the donation. "My older kids, they see that I'm a giver, that I like to help others," Ms O'Dwyer said. She said her younger kids were used to her pumping and saw it as normal. "Some people make a funny face about it … but it's such a natural thing," Ms O'Dwyer said.
Perth Now
04-08-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Perth artist opens up about mum struggles & return to music
Scarlett Stevens has opened up about her struggles with breastfeeding amid plans to return to the stage with her band San Cisco. The Perth rockstar, who sings and plays the drums in the band alongside Jordi Davieson and Josh Biondillo, gave birth to her baby daughter, Donnatella Cynthia, in May. The first time mum has now shared her experience of early motherhood and her 'wild' breastfeeding journey in celebration of World Breastfeeding Week. While her 'huge life change' has been 'amazing', caring for her baby hasn't all been smooth sailing as she struggled with low milk supply. Stevens said she thinks there is still a common perception that every woman can naturally breastfeed without trouble, but getting to feed her daughter was 'exhausting, messy and incredibly challenging'. 'I think the assumption is that breastfeeding is the most natural instinctive thing that will just happen to you naturally and it'll go smoothly, but actually it's a skill that requires a lot of practice,' she said. 'It's physical labour, and, of course, it's so special, you get to bond with your baby. But there's so many barriers. And a lot of it is learning. Scarlett Stevens has become a voice for breastfeeding awareness. Credit: Supplied 'I had really low milk supply, and I've basically tried everything to get my milk supply up, from drugs to triple feeding. I guess it just surprised me how there was so little information about why I might be experiencing low milk supply. 'The sheer the amount of hours that go into practising this skill and trying to make it work. It's really mentally and physically taxing, but I've gotten to a place where I'm able to mix feed, and it meant a lot to me to be able to breastfeed, so I've really persevered.' To help spread awareness about the unpredictability of motherhood and how breastfeeding is seen and supported, Stevens has partnered with Mumma Milla — a WA brand and post-partum support network. Stevens believes the support for breastfeeding mothers is an area 'really underfunded'. Scarlett Stevens with her daughter Donnatella. Credit: Supplied 'It's a really wild experience... there's a lack of research in women's health in general. And it feels like during pregnancy, there's so much ongoing support, and I felt amazing during my pregnancy, and then you really drop off this cliff in the postpartum period, your hormones are going crazy, and that's when I think you need a lot of support as well. 'I just want other breastfeeding mothers to feel seen and to get the support that they need, because not everyone's journey is straightforward, and mine certainly hasn't been.' The Australian Breastfeeding Association, during the recent federal election, called on the Government to deliver four-year funding for ABA's breastfeeding helpline, legislation of new controls of the marketing of breast milk substitutes, a repeat of the National Infant Feeding Survey in 2025 and to improve access to continuity of care. The Federal Government responded in April that it will consider the recommendations to guide future funding decisions. Josh Biondillo, Scarlett Stevens and Jordi Davieson of San Cisco. Credit: Ian Munro / The West Australian The talented musician was still playing San Cisco gigs while she was pregnant with Donnatella — her name inspired by her mum's Italian heritage — and said it was the 'coolest experience'. 'I genuinely surprised myself with what my body and mind were capable of. 'It's like the most rock and roll thing I've ever done, because I guess it's not a way that mothers are portrayed in our society, they're not often celebrated in that way, and it felt almost rebellious to be on stage performing pregnant.' She broke the news to her bandmates while on a regional tour, and she said it was a special moment as Davieson and Biondillo had been on the pregnancy journey with her. 'I was actually on tour, and I was given some news that I might have a hard time falling pregnant. And so they were with me on this whole journey. So it was really emotional for me to break the news to them that I'd fallen pregnant,' she said. Stevens is hoping to return to the stage with San Cisco at the end of the year but she isn't in any rush. 'I think I'll just ease back into it, I'm not in a mad rush, but I'm also really excited to play again,' she said. 'I know that the boys have started working on the next album, so that's exciting, and I'll hopefully join in as soon as I can.' As for adorable Donnatella: 'She's very curious about the world. She's very chatty.' Who knows, she might be on her way to picking up her first drum sticks and following in her mother's footsteps.
