Oversupply - What to do with milk

[set81616]

After not being sure if I could BF I seem to be able to feed the entire block. I'm not sure if this is because twins and triplets run in my family (my poor great grandmother had triplets and they were big boys) or it's just me. I was told some places bought milk or I could donate it. I'm in Orlando. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Shannon

[jillc]

Hi Shannon,

Congrats on a strong supply. :) Not sure how old your DC is, but assuming that he/she is still a newborn, your supply should mellow out after a few months. So not to worry. I was the same way for about the first 4-5 months. I would pump one side every morning a couple hrs after feeding my DD, and I'd get about 6 oz each time. I'd freeze it for future use. That's my suggestion to you. Best to freeze in 2 or 3 ounce portions. I learned that tip here on the boards. That way you don't have to waste a bunch if you have some fresh pumped but just need to add a little frozen to make the right sized bottle. I ended up w/a big freezer stash that I never needed b/c I'm a SAHM, but I was always glad it was there incase I had to be separated from Abby unexpectedly.

There are several regional milk banks here in the US. I've heard that the requirements are quite stringent & there may be some costs involved w/making donations (shipping maybe?). If you search for "milk bank", you are sure to find a somewhat recent message thread. I remember seeing it not too long ago.

HTH,
Jill

[BarbieSmith]

Oh my goodness, we adoptive moms would LOVE to have a mom's excess breast milk! We could arrange for 2nd day air and pack it in a hard cooler, and it stays frozen... if anyone would like to help out, my own daughter would love it, and I also know of a woman who matches adoptive moms with donor moms (informally). Please feel free to email me :)

I adopted Ava 6 months ago, she was a super preemie - 3 months early. I have been doing a little breast feeding myself, but not having been pregnant I can only produce a precious few ounces a day. Every drop we have had so far has been so wonderful for her.

Regards,
Barbie
www.SmithAngels.com

[Judegirl]

Put a feeler out on the boards; I'm sure someone would love it!

But I have to warn you - not sure how old your dc is or how long you'd like to BF, but I had major oversupply for the first 6 months (pumped about 60 oz a day) and very real supply problems for the last 3. If I hadn't bought a chest freezer - and used all of my friends' freezers! -in those early days, we wouldn't have made it to a year on EBM. I had looked into donating, couldn't in my area, and ended up being glad for it, as terrible as it sounds.

HTH,
Jude

[jerseygirl07067]

Shannon, I would hang on to it. I too had oversupply in the beginning, but sometimes things happen that you don't expect. I got sick when Julia was about 4 months old and my supply dropped a lot for about 5 days. Luckily I was able to keep up with her, but having the stash gave me peace of mind. Also, my supply dropped a bit recently due to the return of my cycle, but luckily is back up to par. I did have to tap into my freezer stash a bit because of this.

There have been people on the boards who have gotten sick and their supply has dropped a lot for a few days. I don't want to take anything away from any moms who might want your BM, but you may need it later.

Marcy