Please Note: This post may contain sponsor, affiliate, and/or referral links. Read my full disclosure statement. 

Disclaimer: The information in this post is for educational purposes only. I am not a doctor. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. None of the opinions are meant to diagnose or treat any disease or illness. You should always consult your healthcare provider.


Mother Donates Thousands of Ounces of Breast Milk, Part 2

Mother Donates Thousands of Ounces of Breastmilk, part 2   BreastfeedingPlace.com #donate #breastmilk #preemieIf you missed the first part of this story – how this mother has donated thousands of ounces of breast milk, you can read it here.

Mother Donates Thousands of Ounces of Breast Milk – and How You Can, Too!

In what ways has this been a rewarding experience for you?

There are not enough words to describe how rewarding the experience has been for me over the past 16 months. The honor of helping three Minnesota families has been amazing. Having the ability to help is indescribable, I’ve even donated to people I’ve never met! I sent three dry ice packages down to the victims of the 2013 Moore, Oklahoma tornados through the Eat on Feets – OK chapter because I saw that people were posting they had lost their entire freezer stash. My mother drove the donations down, with loads of other goods for the people there, and met up with the ladies in between volunteering and clean up. I’ve had the joy of watching children I helped nourish grow up strong and healthy, and seen the parents have a weight lifted because they knew their child was getting the best possible nutrition. I’ve seen others become interested and look into donating milk. It has truly been a fabulous experience.

Do you have any advice for mothers thinking about donating breast milk?

My advice would be to do your homework. Read up on the informed consent, ask questions and just absorb all you can about the process. Don’t be afraid to ask questions of donors and encourage them to question you. Take care of yourself! I never pumped specifically to donate, but I knew that I needed to rest, hydrate and eat well to keep my supply up. Ask for the donors to replace bags, and meet in a location that makes both parties comfortable. Make sure you are practicing safe milk-handling procedures and check your lipase before you get a ton of ounces put away.

What advice do you have for mothers in search of donated breast milk for their babies?

First and foremost, I want them to know that what they are doing is a hard thing and as donors we are 100% here for you. There are so many societal hurdles in the act of accepting breast milk from a veritable stranger, and the mental acknowledgment is usually hard, too. I think many parents are in a low place emotionally when it comes down to the choice of accepting a low supply or a baby that simply has exhausted formula options. Just know that donors are here for you and we want to help! Ask us questions about our medical history, what we eat, how active we are and how we are doing. Any reputable donor will answer those questions immediately or provide them even before you have the chance to ask.

There are now so many resources for milk-sharing. The NICU, Labor & Delivery or Lactation Consultant at any hospital should be able to point you in the right direction. Eats on Feets has many state-run chapters on Facebook for easy networking and Human Milk for Human Babies is another great resource. Even asking on any natural parenting page on Facebook can help guide you to an informed milk-sharing community.

Anything else you would like to share?

Thank you so much for asking for my story. Breastfeeding is something that is dear to my heart (my son is nursing now, actually!) and I am so pleased it is becoming something that people talk about and accept. Just imagine all the babies it is helping! It has truly been the most rewarding experience.

Are you a milk donor? How many ounces of breast milk have you blessed others with?


Jennifer Gerlach is an Army wife and homeschool mom with three children born in three different states. She loves encouraging other mothers, learning more about national living, going on field trips with her kids and sharing homeschool activities and everything that comes to mind for moms on UpsideDownKids.

Trackbacks

  1. […] are so many babies in the world who are in desperate need of the health benefits of breast milk. Donating privately or to a milk bank is an excellent reason to consider pumping breast […]

Speak Your Mind

*