مواد
Carine, 36, mother of Erin, 4 and a half, and Noël, 8 months (Paris).
“My way of repairing, a little, the injustices of nature. “
“I gave my milk on the occasion of my two maternities. For the eldest, I had made large reserves so that she could drink it at the nursery during the day. But she never wanted to take the bottle. So I ended up with ten unused liters in the freezer and I contacted the lactarium. They performed bacteriological tests on my stock, plus a blood test on me. I also had the right to a questionnaire both medical and on my lifestyle.
مون ڏنو my milk for two months, until my daughter was weaned. The procedure to follow seems restrictive but, once you have taken the fold, it rolls off by itself! In the evening, after having previously cleaned my breasts with water and unscented soap, I expressed my milk. Thanks to the double-pumping electric breast pump provided by the lactarium (must be sterilized before each draw), I was able to extract 210 to 250 ml of milk in about ten minutes. I then stored my production in sterile single-use bottles, also supplied by the lactarium. Each print should be carefully labeled, with date, name and, if applicable, medication taken. In fact, a host of treatments can be taken without any problem.
The collector passed every three weeks or so, to collect a liter and a half to two liters. In exchange, he gave me a basket loaded with the necessary quantity of bottles, labels and sterilization materials. My husband was looking at me a little strangely when I took out my gear: it is certainly not very sexy to express your milk! But he always supported me. It went so well that when Christmas was born I started again. I am happy and proud of this gift. For us who were fortunate enough to have healthy babies at term, it is a way of fixing a little the injustices of nature. It is also rewarding to say that without being neither a doctor nor a researcher, we bring our little brick to the building. “
Find out more: www.lactarium-marmande.fr (section: “Les autres lactariums”).
Sophie, 29 years old, mother of Pierre, 6 weeks old (Domont, Val d’Oise)
“This blood, half mine, half the baby’s, might save lives. “
“I was followed for my pregnancy at the Robert Debré hospital in Paris, one of the maternity hospitals in France that collects cord blood. From my first visit, I was told that donating placental blood, or more precisely the donation of stem cells from the umbilical cord, made it possible to treat patients suffering from blood diseases, leukemia… And therefore to save lives. As I expressed my interest, I was invited to a specific interview, with other mothers-to-be, to explain to us concretely what this donation consisted of. The midwife responsible for the sample presented us with the equipment used during childbirth, in particular the bag intended to collect the blood, equipped with a large syringe and tubes. She assured us that the puncture of the blood, which is done from the cord, did not cause pain to us or the baby, and that the equipment was sterile. Some women were nevertheless rejected: out of ten, there are only three of us who have decided to continue the adventure. I did a blood test and signed a pledge paper, but I was free to retract whenever I wanted.
D-day, focused on the birth of my baby, I saw nothing but fire, especially since the puncture is a very rapid gesture. My only constraint, if my blood was taken, was to come back for a blood test at the hospital, and to send them the health examination for my baby’s 3rd month. Formalities that I easily complied with: I could not see myself not going through to the end of the process. I tell myself that this blood, half mine, half my baby’s, might help save lives. “
Find out more: www.laurettefugain.org/sang_de_cordon.html
Charlotte, 36, mother of Florentine, 15, Antigone, 5, and Balthazar, 3 (Paris)
“I have helped women to become mothers. “
“To donate my eggs was first of all to give back a little of what I had been given. Indeed, if my eldest daughter, born from a first bed, was conceived without any difficulty, my two other children, fruits of a second union, would never have seen the light of day without a double sperm donation. I thought for the very first time to donate my eggs when I saw a television report on a woman who had been patient for more than four years, while I myself was waiting for a donor for Antigone. It clicked.
In June 2006, I went to the Parisian CECOS (NDRL: Centers for the Study and Conservation of Eggs and Sperm) who had already treated me. I first had an interview with a psychologist. Then I had to make an appointment with a geneticist. He established a karyotype to make sure that I did not carry genes that could transmit an abnormality. Finally, a gynecologist made me undergo a series of tests: clinical examination, ultrasound, blood test. Once these points have been validated, we have agreed on a meeting schedule., depending on my cycles.
The stimulation took place in two phases. First an artificial menopause. Every evening, for three weeks, I gave myself daily injections, intended to stop my production of oocytes. The most unpleasant were the side effects of this treatment: hot flashes, low libido, hypersensitivity … Has followed the most restrictive phase, artificial stimulation. For twelve days, it was no longer one, but two daily injections. With hormonal checks on D8, D10 and D12, plus ultrasounds to check the proper development of the follicles.
Three days later, a nurse came to give me the injection to induce my ovulation. The next morning, I was greeted in the assisted reproduction department of the hospital that followed me. Under local anesthesia, my gynecologist performed the puncture, using a long probe. Strictly speaking, I didn’t have pain, but rather strong contractions. While I was lying in the rest room, the nurse whispered in my ear: “You donated eleven oocytes, it’s wonderful. »I felt a little puff of pride and told myself that the game was really worth the candle…
I was told that the day after the donation, two women came to receive my oocytes. For the rest, I do not know more. Nine months later, I had a strange feeling and I said to myself: “Somewhere in nature, there is a woman who has just had a child and it is thanks to me. But in my head, it’s clear: I have no other child than the ones I have carried. I only helped give life. I understand, however, that for these children, I can be seen, later, as part of their story. I am not opposed to lifting the anonymity of the donation. If the happiness of these future adults depends on seeing my face, knowing my identity, that’s not a problem. “
Find out more: www.dondovocytes.fr