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hvparent.com n Hudson Valley Parent 33 1955 South Rd POUGHKEEPSIE 296-1069 300 Kings Mall Ct KINGSTON 336-5541 249 Main St SAUGERTIES 246-9614 motherearthstorehouse.com Since 1978 Mom's Love Us Because KIDS EAT US UP! *LY[PÄLK6YNHUPJ7YVK\JL )\SR0[LTZ‹+LSP)HRLY` Visit us for all your holiday shopping needs sites such as Milkshare.com and the Facebook pages Modern Milksharing and Human Milk 4 Human Babies help people learn about breastmilk sharing, the precautions to take, safe handling techniques and helps connect donors to families in need. These sites also offer community resources and support. How do I know it's safe? Hill recommends three import- ant steps to take when considering using donated milk. First, once you've made a connection and have a donor, get to know the mom. "This mother is feeding her baby this milk too," she says. "If the baby is healthy and thriving, you can assume that the donor mom is confident in the safety of her own milk." She also suggests that donors have nothing to gain. "Pumping is hard work," she says "Why would you lie about it?" This is different from milk banks, in which money is paid for the milk. With breast milk donors, there is no money being exchanged. There is simply a network of mothers with excessive supply wanting to help those in need. Second, most mothers are blood tested during pregnancy. It's okay, and somewhat expected, for you to ask to see the results from those tests as well as other lab work. Sometimes you can get a note from the donor's doctor or midwife stat- ing that this mother is healthy and able to donate milk. Finally, the most important step is safe handling. The milk needs to be shipped frozen and used within the expiration date. "Women have been doing this pretty much since the beginning of time," says Hill. "We have thousands and thousands of babies in need and thousands and thousands of ounces of unused milk out there." Websites like Milkshare. com help connect the two. You can stock the freezer Galisha Fleming of New Windsor was fostering a newborn boy while (Continued on Page 34) NO HOT WATER? Call Us 845-219-7887 We'll call you right back! No waiting... Guaranteed. We know what it is like when the kids are home and you have no hot water. Call us and we will have your hot water working in no time flat. VITEK Plumbing, Inc. 845-219-7887 Value. Integrity. Trust. Experience. Knowledge. Since 1901 Ask about our new customer special discounts