The Experience of Expressing and Donating Breast Milk Following a Perinatal Loss

Background: The continued ability for a mother to produce breast milk following the death of her baby in utero, at birth, or during the postpartum period is an aspect of perinatal loss that is rarely acknowledged. Objective: To explore the lived experience of bereaved mothers who chose to express and donate their breast milk to a milk bank to feed premature and sick babies following the loss of their own babies. Methods: Twenty-one bereaved mothers who donated their milk between January 2003 and December 2006 to the Mothers Milk Bank in San Jose, CA or Columbus, OH participated in an in-depth, semistructured interview process about their experiences expressing and donating their milk. Results: Each transcribed interview revealed 4 essential themes, as follows: (1) identifying as a mother, grieving the loss of motherhood; (2) meanings associated with the experience of pumping milk; (3) finding meaning in and integrating the experience of perinatal loss; and (4) the importance of addressing lactation with bereaved mothers. Various subthemes were explored within each essential theme. Conclusion: The experiences of these participants reflect the importance of addressing lactation more thoroughly with bereaved mothers who have lost their babies in utero, at birth, or during the postpartum period and providing them with adequate support and education during the healing process.