Donating Breast Milk: How I Got Started

Introduction

Breastfeeding is an amazing opportunity for a mother to feed and bond with her baby. But what if a mother can’t breastfeed? What if they have tried everything and yet they are not able to produce or cannot produce much? Those moms who would prefer not to feed their babies formula, can give their babies donor breast milk. If you’re an adoptive mom who are not lactating / cannot stimulate successful lactation, or a biological mother not producing any or small amount of breast milk, you should consider find local groups in your area that support free donation of breast milk or breast milk banks for donor breast milk. And if you are a mom with the ability to breastfeed and feel comfortable with donating any unused breast milk your baby has not eaten or are willing to take the time to donate to mothers in need of breast milk for their babies, you should consider donating your breast milk.

Breaking Apart Myths
It is expressed by organizations such as UNICEF and World Health Organization that the best food for a baby that is unable to be breastfeed is breast milk expressed from the mother's breast or from another healthy mother. Getting breast milk from another mother is not nasty or odd. I think it takes great courage for a mother who is struggling or unable to breastfeed to accept another mother's milk. Both are a labor of love and humbling experience for both women.

How did I hear about it?

One day I was reading a magazine in child's pediatrician office. At the time I was extended breastfeeding my first child who was over a year. I saw the ad asking women who were willing to be screen and donate to babies in the NICU (neo-natal intensive care unit). This seemed almost perfect, since my goal is to be a NICU nurse. I pumped for my first when I went back to school full time, but she prefered to be exclusively breastfed on the breast. The breast milk I had pumped for her sat in my deep freezer for over a year before I had to throw it out. Again, it was brought to my attention, it could have been donated to a mom in need if I had known about it before I let it sit so long and expire. This seemed to be a reoccurring theme.

How did I get started?
Milk banks charge families for breast milk they need, since it is an extensive process. Most of them are associated with hospitals. Those who donate do not get paid for the milk they give. It is a process where the donor must be screened and does have certain guidelines and limitations, such as mothers who have nursing children under a year. This process seemed overwhelming, as well as heart breaking. I doubt every family in need could afford to pay for breast milk. I joined a local group in my state, where mothers willing to donate freely shared information about themselves with mothers who were in need for breast milk and mothers in need of breast milk freely shared information about what their needs were for their children. It was here that I met the two moms I would be pumping for. I was one of many donors helping these two women give breast milk to their children for the first year of life.

My experiences with donating
I was contacted by both of these women and asked if I would be willing to pump milk to them. With the first mom, we corresponded through e-mail until I had my first donation to give her. After our first meeting, we exchanged numbers. I kept her updated through text on how little or how much milk I was able to pump for her during the week. I also made courtesy phone calls to ask if the milk had made it home safely and if it was agreeable with their child. The second mom messaged me and we discussed how the process of receiving donor milk was coming along. She had a stash that was running low, so I offered to pump a little to help her as well. We correspond through e-mail and chat about how life is going. 

Why do I do it?
It is a blessing for me to have the opportunity to serve these women and their families. To see these beautiful children, sometimes with health issues growing healthy and strong and to know the breast milk I donated played a small part in that. I am just doing what I hope someone would do for me if  I needed it.