donating BM

SanHawaii08 · February 2011

i also posted on the breastfeeding board, but i know Lori, and at least one other person here iirc, has donated, right?

i have about 45oz from the very end of Nov (just about 3 months old) that I can't use anymore. i gave some to E today, thinking I really needed to start rotating out my frozen stash if I was going to do so, and he immediately reacted to it. it pains me to think of tossing it all out, when it could possibly benefit another baby.

however, every milk bank i've found online requires at least 100oz at a time, not to mention the 2-3 week screening period.

given the quantity and how old it is, anyone have suggestions on how I might find my little stash a good home?

update: nevermind, a friend just told me about Eats on Feets! yay.

MrsNicole&Brian808 · February 2011

Thanks for posting this. I also have a freezer stash going back to Nov and was wondering what I was going to do with it. So the FB pages are just a place where donors and requestors can get in touch with each other. And once they find each other they just make the arrangements on their own?

SanHawaii08 · February 2011

MrsNicole&Brian808:
Thanks for posting this. I also have a freezer stash going back to Nov and was wondering what I was going to do with it. So the FB pages are just a place where donors and requestors can get in touch with each other. And once they find each other they just make the arrangements on their own?

yup, i think so! i posted, i'll let you know what happens if/when someone contacts me...

jaymers99 · February 2011

Just curious...what kind of screenings or precautions should you take when using someone else's milk? I guess it is more of a concern if you get milk from someone you don't know, but is it normal to ask them about their diet and medical history? Do you get a blood test or milk sample tested before you start feeding it to baby?

Married2MrWright · February 2011

I went though MilkShare, but I've heard great things about Eats on Feets too. Hope you find a great match! It's been really fulfilling to donate my milk and to see how it's benefitted the baby that's been getting it.

I am not sure all donors/recipients develop friendships in the process, but we have and I am so grateful! That family has been babysitting Libby this week for us while my mom is in Oregon with her sister (who just had a double bypass yesterday). BM is bonding for mamas and baby and ALSO for mamas and mamas, if you donate!

Married2MrWright · February 2011

jaymers99:
Just curious...what kind of screenings or precautions should you take when using someone else's milk? I guess it is more of a concern if you get milk from someone you don't know, but is it normal to ask them about their diet and medical history? Do you get a blood test or milk sample tested before you start feeding it to baby?

When I posted at MilkShare I mentioned the age of my baby and my diet/basic habits (i.e. polyvore, no alcohol, etc.) Mainly so if someone is looking for milk that is from a vegetarian or someone who is dairy or nut-free, etc. they would know I wasn't the one to conatct.

The woman who found me from MilkShare and I e-mailed privately. Once we felt it might be a good match, we talked on the phone. We talked more about my lifestyle and medical history and the health of my baby. Once we decided to move forward with the share, I copied my bloodwork results from my OB and gave this mom copies. I wanted her to be able to SEE that I don't have any STDs or other issues that would affect my milk and her baby.

I also told her about my excess lipase and that I heat-treat all of the milk I express. I sent her links about it from KellyMom and LLLI. In a way, it's kinda perfect for a milk sharing situation since heating it can also kill off many pathogens. In fact, I recently read that lactating mothers with HIV have had their milk expressed and heat-treated and it kills off the HIV virus in the milk, while still retaining healthy nutritional benefits for the baby. Anyway, she felt comfortable and I did too, taking my frozen stash. I am sure one of the MAJOR points was meeting each other and she met Libby too and saw how healthy she is, etc.

jaymers99 · February 2011

Thanks for the info. I'm new to all this and never knew, or even thought about, donating BM. It sounds like a great way to give/get some help. Glad to hear you found such a great match!

mrspresley · February 2011

I don't know about the donation process but i think you already got some info from pp about that.... just wanted to comment on the age of your frozen BM... it's not too old at all... I know I found conflicting info online about how long the BM was good for but ultimately I settled on the 6 month cut off.... we never had any issues w/using my milk that was 5 months old....and they say a baby won't ever drink bad/spoiled BM and we never had issues. so, your milk should be just fine until you find a mama and baby that needs it

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