'Breast milk banks' gain in popularity....

[slowpoke]

Aesop, if they screen the donors why would you care? Now, I don't think pasteurizing it is a good idea - babies are meant to digest intact breast milk protein, not denatured ones.

But, why not get a, tested, au pair, etc, and give her a shot to induce lactation?

You dont actually need a shot. Most women will start to lactate from stimulation, so hook her to a pump five times a day for 20-30min a time and shell start to lactate with no shot.
If it wasnt so uncomfortable and time consuming I expect it would have turned into a weight loss fad.

[Aesop]

Aesop, if they screen the donors why would you care? Now, I don't think pasteurizing it is a good idea - babies are meant to digest intact breast milk protein, not denatured ones.

But, why not get a, tested, au pair, etc, and give her a shot to induce lactation?

Working in the field, my trust in the systemic safeguards is far less than absolute.
This is a needless risk of exposure for utterly superfluous purposes.
Just a for instance, but you can have active HIV for six weeks or longer without testing positive for it.
They're playing Russian roulette with babies.
What could possibly go wrong with that where nursing infants are concerned?

[Denis]

But, why not get a, tested, au pair, etc, and give her a shot to induce lactation?

I understand that the chances of daddies giving the au pair "a shot" is one of the reasons why mommies tend not to want to have an au pair

[Netpackrat]

Yeah.... no. What could possibly go wrong?

And to hell with the #$%&^#%$^& breastfeeding mafia. If they had their way, my kid would likely have starved to death.

[Greg]

But, why not get a, tested, au pair, etc, and give her a shot to induce lactation?

I understand that the chances of daddies giving the au pair "a shot" is one of the reasons why mommies tend not to want to have an au pair

Heh. An au pair *is* like a walking 'impregnate me' sign- young, healthy, nurturing and likes children.... somebody has to do it. Though I've heard women joke that what children need is a manny. Preferably a young, energetic one.

Anyway, there were probably some good reasons wet nurses went out of style.

[Jericho941]

My understanding is that an au pair is "nanny" translated into nouveau riche.

[Greg]

My understanding is that an au pair is "nanny" translated into nouveau riche.

I've known nouveau riche types to use 'nanny'. In practical terms nowadays which vocabulary you use seems to be dependent on how pretentious you are.

Technically 'au pair' means something specific, it's almost like an H1B visa child care worker, with overtones of 'child care facilitation engineer' status inflation. But I'm not sure how many people actually know that, they just seem to like that 'au pair' sounds more modern and European.

[Windy Wilson]

I thought clothes on dogs was Buck Henry and Alan Abel.

[HTRN]

"Seen one set of tits, you've seen 'em all."

That's an interesting Hypothesis. How to test it I wonder?

[Aglifter]

Au pair is, supposed to be, a foreign woman, usually young, who watches the kids and teaches them a foreign language.

I had nannies growing up, who were, usually, lovely - but I don't know that women that age can lactate.