Motherless baby breastfed by rotation of 20+ women

[coffee achiever]

Strange, but sweet. :)

http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/archive/2009/03/25/motherless-baby-breastfed-by-six-women-each-day.aspx


A baby without a mom. A bunch of moms still breastfeeding their own babies. It was just meant to be.

You don't hear about death during childbirth much anymore, (and thank goodness for that), but when Susan Goodrich lost her life shortly after giving birth to her son, one of her most important wishes for her child was fulfilled by a band of impromptu wet nurses, moms who heard a baby needed their help...

For the record, I would totally do this.

[Nell]

My son was in the NICU. They fed him donor milk, because i wasn't making enough. But it is pasteurized and tested for viruses and stuff.

[coffee achiever]

I understand why donated breastmilk has to be pasteurized, but unfortunately, pasteurization also kills some of the beneficial stuff in there too.

[Peeperann]

Wow, that is very cool and very kind of them. How sweet.

[hotcnymom]

My son was in the NICU. They fed him donor milk, because i wasn't making enough. But it is pasteurized and tested for viruses and stuff.

I was wondering that myself,if any of the women were tested for hiv,hep,ect...i think what they are doing for the little angel is wonderful though...i would def do that too.

[Nell]

I think I would rather have my kid on formula than take the chance on unpasteurized breastmilk. But it was sweet of them.

[dougxthexwookie]

I would totally do this as well, without a second thought even...If I'm making booby juice and someone's baby needed that booby juice. I'd be right on that shit like a fat kid on cake.

[Silvahalo]

A friend had adopted a baby girl and was taking meds to get her milk production going. I had never heard of this at the time, but sure enough after a couple of weeks she was making her own milk. During the time prior I helped by pumping my milk and giving it to her for the baby. It was unconventional and we did try breastfeeding from me at first, but the lactation nurse was concerned baby would have a harder time taking and bonding with mama if I did so for an extended period of time. Besides, I was pretty busy still feeding my baby and breastfeeding directly would be very time consuming.

Anyhow, it was a very special experience for all of us and I would do it again, if I had the milk to do so.

Very sweet story Coffee.

[AngelFire]

I would so do this for a motherless baby. Why not? It allows the baby not only to feed, but the baby bonds with someone. I don't see it as disgusting or strange. Hell in the old days that's what some women would do. My grandmother and my aunt were both preggers at the same time,(now that is weird but okay), and when my aunt had my uncle, she had to go back to work. So my granny would nurse both of them.

[mae]

This is such a sweet story.

I also have no problem pumping and sharing my milk. And I would nurse a baby if needed. It serves a purpose, why not use it if needed?

[skeptik]

This made me bawl this morning.


The day Charles Moses Martin Goodrich entered the world, a new community was conceived.

As the newborn breathed in life, his mother, Susan Goodrich, began to die. Less than 12 hours after having her son, the 46-year-old mother of four was gone. The cause was a rare amniotic fluid embolism.
It was January, and shell-shocked widower Robbie Goodrich was forced to immediately think of the baby's most basic need: milk.
For $5 an ounce, he could have purchased frozen donor breast milk, the kind of sustenance he knew his wife wanted for the boy. There was talk of tracking down a wet nurse. A friend left a message offering to breast-feed the newborn herself.
What evolved in the coming days still touches Goodrich. More than 20 mothers in Marquette, a city of 20,000 in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, volunteered to nurse baby Moses.
All these months later, they're still at it.
"It's been such an incredible outpouring of community love for this child of mine," said Goodrich, a 44-year-old history professor at Northern Michigan University, where his late wife worked, too, teaching Spanish and Portuguese. "This has certainly stretched the parameters of what is public. I've had to open the door to complete strangers, inviting them into the most private, intimate part of my life."
Carrie Fiocchi, 29, was first to breast-feed Moses. She'd received a call from a nurse midwife who belonged to her Unitarian Universalist church.
When she heard what had happened to the Goodrich family, both she and her husband, with whom she immediately shared the story, fell apart. They were first-time parents to a 6-week-old girl.
They'd realize later that they had met Robbie years before. But in that moment, they didn't hesitate to help a stranger. The next morning, Fiocchi walked into Goodrich's home, where grieving family members had gathered in preparation for Susan's funeral, and took Moses into her arms.
"It was awkward and very sad and really wonderful at the same time," said Fiocchi, who has nursed Moses at 9 a.m. every day since then, with daughter Siri in tow.
Her husband, Matt, has developed a friendship with Goodrich and tags along with his wife and daughter at least once a week. He added, "Not being able to do anything myself, feeling kind of impotent, for me it was a matter of wanting to help and feeling privileged to be involved in any way."
The inclination to volunteer similarly drove Kyra Fillmore, 31.
"Ever since I became a mother, I've felt a connection with other mothers," said Fillmore, who has three children. "I was nervous. It was very emotional. I didn't know what to expect. But I felt like I needed to do this for Susan, even though I didn't know her."
A handful of mothers did know Susan and loved her for her brilliance, wit and passionate spirit.

I'm having more issues with my mouse--- please read the rest at this link. Beautiful picture too!

http://news.aol.com/article/moms-breast-feed-baby-moses-after-mother/792474

:bawling:

[Nell]

This was posted before and i commented on it.

http://www.dreamindemon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21252&highlight=Susan+Goodrich

While i feel for him as his wife died, and breast milk is the best, I think he took a huge risk with his sons life. None of the women that nursed his child were tested for anything. You can get donor breast milk, i did for my preemie son. But it is pasteurized and tested for disease. If you can't afford that just use formula. As nutritious, and less chance of Heb B or HIV being passed on to your child.

[Pene784]

BEAUTIFUL!! This story gave me chill bumps and made me cry. I don't care what anyone else says, this is a wonderful story of women coming together to nurture and care for a baby who lost his mommy too soon. (They did check with a doctor before they started according to the article). I would love to think that my community would come together like this for my family. Just the kind of story I need around Christmas time

[Nell]

Before they started. That is the key here. And you can think it is the cutest story, that is cool. But with my own child i just wouldn't take the chance that one of these women had aquired a disease or a drug habit in the meantime that could affect or kill my child. Doing meth once and breastfeeding can kill a baby. Nope, not gonna take the chance when formula is available.

[Pene784]

Well to each his/her own. I am not going to take this heart warming story and try to find any negative in it.These women were selfless. They gave their time and their bodies for this baby. The baby was not harmed he was nurtured. Something we very rarely get to say here. And yes formula was available, but I doubt he would have gotten all of the extra love from a bottle of formula.

[backlash]

This was posted before and i commented on it.

http://www.dreamindemon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21252&highlight=Susan+Goodrich




Merged.