article on milkshare/breastmilk

[MamaMolly]

It is an interesting question. I would gladly donate, and I guess I'd accept milk from a mama I know, but since we are overseas I don't know if I'd be comfortable taking it from a stranger unless it were screened, just from a safety standpoint.

Yesterday I offered to pump for my neighbor's baby who is FF and was constipated. I don't know if it would help but I thought I'd offer anyway. Mama didn't want to give the baby juice or baby prunes this early and breastmilk was the only thing I could think of that might help (thinking of those runny wet BF poops!). She declined but appreciated the gesture.

You have now got me thinking. I may look into donating here. It is something small I can do for another mama and baby that would have a big impact. Thanks for the idea!

[MacMacMoo]

DS2 was stillborn. I ignored the OBs advice about binding my breast and let the milk dry up. I guess I wanted him to have some impact. We were told that he had been gone to long for him to be an organ donor. I felt the least I could do i help another baby with his milk.

We were going to be in town for five days before flying to our hometown for the memorial service. During that time I tried to line up a donor. I called the LC at our hospital to see if they accepted donations and their thoughts on Milk Share. They said they didn't accept and that I shouldn't take part in milk share. Something about liabilities and possibility of potential lawsuit, that I was better off dumping what I pumped.

Looked into the formal milkbank. I wasn't going to pump enough to meet their minimum and was shocked at how much the were charging for something that was donated.

I contacted a friend who is an apprentice LLL and she sent me back what her mentor said. which basically said not to pump.

20 oz already in the freezer at this point I wasn't going to stop and I wasn't going to dump it. Milk Share was the only route left. In the back of my mind I was hoping that I could help a family where the mom had died or that baby was sick. However the only person who contacted me was a mom who medically couldn't produce enough for her little one.

We exchanged a few e-mail regarding medical background, I'm a clean slate nothing wrong with me. only medication was the Ibprofen. So the day before we left for our trip her husband came an picked up the 60 oz I pumped.

While on the trip I fed the milk I pumped to DS1. I was only pumping twice a day and during the trip was lucky to get a singe pump a day so by the time we got back I was dry.

I wish i had known about milkshare with DS1. We moved cross country when he was 9 months and I had to dump my freezer stash. Next time around we will probably donate extras since we have a tiny freezer and can't built to big of a stash this time around.

(side note: after reading everything they do at the milkbank I was laughing to myself because I remeber with DS1 reading threads about people freaking about not to shake the bottles of the protein goodness would be gone. IF you can do all you do with the milk bank milk and it still is better for baby than formula then I think shaking the bottles to break of the cream is fine)

[doberbrat]

I donated about 1800oz with dd1 and so far have donated about 1000 oz w/dd2 via milkshare. I'm pumping right now milk that will be donated to a baby in need.

I also have used donated milk, albiet from a close friend for dd2 when she was first born and had jaundice. she was dehydrated and the pedis were not going to release her w/o a couple of very wet diapers so I sent out a desperate email to all my friends asking for some milk.


I personally have a huge problem with taking DONATED milk and turning around and selling it for $3/oz as the milk banks are doing. I get it takes money to pasturize, process etc but its just wrong to me.

[heatherandlouis]

A friend of mine donated breastmilk for 4 months when we adopted our son. It was such a blessing as he has some serious food allergies. She couldn't produce much after that but I was thankful that he had some.