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Donating milk - how much should I keep myself?

MksbcMksbc member
in Breastfeeding
I am a SAHM to a four month old little boy. I EBF and have had slight oversupply - I pump twice a day (about 9-12 ounces per day) in the morning and evening and have been freezing the milk from those pumps. I don't use the milk on a regular basis but I like to have a stash just in case.

Recently a friend had a baby and found out she is not producing enough milk. I offered to donate some of my milk to help them out, which I am so excited to get to do. My question - how much should I keep for my own emergency supply? Do I need to be concerned about my supply lowering in the next six months causing me to need some of the supply myself? I want to help them out as much as possible but I want to make sure I am planning for the future as well. Thank you for any advice!
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Re: Donating milk - how much should I keep myself?

  • jillyjill1026srjillyjill1026sr member
    I stayed at home with DD as well. I always kept 75 ounces (around 3 days' worth of milk) in the freezer and donated the rest. Always donate the older stuff first and keep the newest for your stash. I never had to use my freezer stash, but I felt like it was a good idea to have some for DD incase something happened to me (like I needed a medication that wasn't BF friendly, or I got stuck in traffic and didn't make it home in time for her next feeding, etc.). I never had an issue with my supply while breast feeding, until around 8 months when she was really getting the hang of solids. I could BF her just fine, but my pumping output decreased by 4+ ounces per day. In the end, I ended up donating over 2,000 ounces to mommas and babies in need. It's a great gift to be able to give!
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  • 88sharonlee88sharonlee member
    Have you considered making smaller reoccurring donations to her.

    Giving her smaller amounts over time will ease your fears of stash getting too low and you can adjust the amount if anything changes for you, or for her.
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