NORTHEAST WISCONSIN (NBC 26) — As store shelves continue to be stripped of baby formula, two Northeast Wisconsin moms are sharing their own supply of milk.
“Being a mom is stressful enough and then not being able to find formula is stressful enough, so just trying to make it a little bit easier,” said Breanna Grey, a Green Bay mom.
For Aysha Grunske, an Appleton mom and Breanna Grey they say they’ve overproduced breast milk.
“I would say I’ve helped approximately six different families with about four thousand ounces of breast milk,” Grunske said.
“I have donated to about six families,” Grey said.
To help with the formula shortage, they’ve been offering their milk to those who’ve been asking for help on Facebook pages.
“Most of them are local and some of them drive from 20-30 minutes away,” Grey said.
“The family that I donated today actually drove an hour one way. She didn’t share specifically why she needed it but I’m assuming it could be that it was dairy free or not having the formula she needs,” Grunske said.
So if you’re a parent receiving breast milk from another mom, doctors say it is if you give that milk to your child. They just recommend you ask a few questions to your donor first.
“Ask what medications they’ve been taking, ask if they have any infections they should know about,” said Dr. Brittany Goodrich-Braun, Family Physician and Medical Director at Partnership Community Health in Appleton.
She said the biggest risk of sharing breast milk among women you don’t know is the risk of transmitting infection.
“Things like HIV, hepatitis, or if the milk has not been stored properly it can get contaminated with certain bacteria that can make babies sick,” Goodrich-Braun said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends using milk from a source that has screened donors.
