Happy Friday: Giving Back By Donating Milk
Sent from reader, Megan:
Our 3rd baby boy was born 2.5 months early in November. In spite of all that we went through over the course of his 11 weeks in the NICU, we are so blessed to have him. I breastfed my other 2 boys and wanted to provide this new little miracle with the same start, so I began pumping as soon as possible after the emergency c-section. At first the baby was on IV nourishment and when he started getting my milk through an oral-gastric tube it was less than a teaspoon each day.
Although I was initially concerned that I wouldn’t be able to establish an adequate milk supply using only a pump, I soon filled up the freezer at my house…and then the industrial size freezer in the NICU! When I realized that I would need somewhere to put all that milk when our baby was discharged, I began exploring options other than throwing it all away. My mom sent me a link to a milk bank in California that uses human milk to make a milk fortifier for premature babies in the NICU. I decided to go through the process of becoming a milk donor (blood testing, DNA profiling..etc) for the milk bank in California as well as for one in Texas and was able to donate over 1,621 ounces of milk that would have otherwise been tossed.
All costs were covered by the milk banks. The milk bank in California even sent me $300 for “breast pump reimbursement” and donated $1 to Make a Wish Foundation for every ounce that I donated. Being able to donate my excess milk helped me look outside of my own crisis as well as give me something to feel good about as I left the hospital day after day without my baby. I’m happy to report that my 3 lb 2 oz preemie has grown into my milk supply and now weighs close to 11 lbs!
HAPPY FRIDAY! 😀
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Hey we always in our family would say “There’s Gold in them there Hills” We were able to breast feed all of ours and felt so blessed to do so.
It can truly be life saving for some of these little guys. Thanks for all the breast feeding Mommas that donate to them!!! Great Friday post.
Haha, love that! That’s hilarious. I may have to steal that line. 😉
Too funny, mine was dubbed “Miracle Grow” 🙂 Breastfeeding really does wonders!
that is funny
PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!!
enjoyed you sharing this! Very awesome!! glad baby is doing well:)
Well done Mama! Glad to hear your baby is doing so well!
god bless you!!!
Bless you mama… The good karma will look after you and your child . You need a really great job
I’m so glad that you were able to do that! I tried to breastfeed exclusively with both of my children and health issues shrank my supply and forced me to supplement them. I nursed and supplemented for as long as possible before weaning. I’m so glad to see that breastfeeding worked out for your baby and then some!
As a mom of two preemies, I say thank you! That right there takes hours of dedicated time and energy to do. It’s a badge of honor!!
good job momma!
Love this! I’m glad this post is raising awareness about this service! We formula fed 2 of our 3 and I’m hoping we can use this service for our 4th!
Way to go! I’ve never heard of milk banks. Way cool.
How amazing of you to do! I have a friend being treated for cancer, and uses the milk banks to feed her infant. It eases her mind so much!
Wow that’s great, as a mom of two boys one of which was in the nicu I know how hard it is to get up and pump all night without having your baby home and not being able to feed him yourself. Good for you for keeping it up and helping other babies in need. Breast is best!!!
Amen!!! Mom of 3 soon to be 4. Number 2 was in nicu and I struggled every single day to make milk and pump for her. Not because I didn’t want to but becausenot having your baby around really really takes a toll on your milk production.. it was aggrevating only pumping half ounce but I kept at it and fed her for 9 months. Good job mamas!!!!
There is also the option of informal milk sharing with local people. Eats on Feets and Human Milk for Human Babies both have great facebook groups to connect with. I am unable to breastfeed and have been able to use donated milk for 2 of my 3 children.
I do milk sharing also! I am so grateful for my donors and wish I could return their kindness and generosity.
A woman I met in the NICU lost her baby after 4 months. She gave all of her pumped milk to my little girl who was born at 28 weeks. My daughter is absolutely fine and we always joke that she’s now part Italian (we’re black)!
This is a great encouraging post. Thank you so much for sharing!!!
What an awesome post! Thank you for sharing your story Megan! Congrats on your healthy family!
How nice of you to think of such a wonderful way to help other:)
This is so heartwarming. To share liquid gold with those in need is an incredible gift. I commend you Megan!
This is probably one of the nicest things I’ve seen on Hip2Save. I breastfeed our son until he was two and it was the best decision I ever made. BREAST IS BEST!!
my baby was a 1lb preemie and was in the hospital for 106 days, so I know the roller coaster ride you were on. that’s a wonderful thing you did, I also pumped but didn’t have any leftovers. good for you!!! and I hope that baby of yours is a healthy kid. we’re very blessed with our micro preemies.
Thank you Colin for highlighting this issue! It is a passion of mine – as a milk donor also myself. So many people don’t realize that this is a possibility and just dump their extra milk down the drain 🙁 I am so glad you chose to use your voice to help shine a light on this! Breast milk is NOT a biohazard and as great an invention as formula is breastmilk is once of the best substances ever 😉 I mean, it kills cancer cells in a petri dish…what else does that?! 😉
WOW! I love breastmilk for my babies, but I didn’t know it can kill cancer cells in a petri dish….that is so awesome.
I’m glad you were able to pump and donate. but I dislike how much milk banks charge….$5-$8 per ounce!!!
It is expensive, because of the costs associated with the safeguards. They test the milk when it comes in, and then when they send it out. If it grows any bacteria either time, they have to throw away the whole BATCH of milk that was grouped together. I really think they do a great job, and I don’t think they are for profit (but not for sure). The only way they can even be able to provide breast milk is by donation; can you imagine the cost if they paid mothers to pump?
Erika is right…the donors have to be blood tested and screened to make sure the milk they donate isn’t contaminated with drug by-products, communicable diseases (hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, etc), or bacterial infections. All the blood work, shipping costs on ice (out of state in my case), and supplies are paid for by the milk banks. They have to then process and test the milk to make sure its safe for the critically ill babies…all of which costs more money. The milk bank I donated to in Texas is a non-profit organization and requires a physician prescription to receive the donor milk. https://www.texasmilkbank.org/
The milk banks affiliated with Prolacta Bioscience are for profit. Just like other companies that need to recover costs from research and testing, they need to make a profit. Prolacta makes Human Milk Fortifier (HMF) from human milk rather than cow milk. HMF is absolutely necessary to preemies like my son who need calories added to their milk in order to grow. The NICU my baby was in didn’t have the HMF made from human milk. If more human donor milk were available, more NICU babies would have access to the better HMF, rather than the stuff Enfamil makes from cow milk. https://www.milkforwishes.com/
Unfortunately when they process the milk it kills a lot of the nutrients in it, just like when we cook our food, depletes it of the good stuff. Very few medications even pass through to the breast milk and breast milk from someone on meds is still far safer than formula. For moms who are looking for donor milk, you actually know less about what went into that can of formula on the shelf versus donor breastmilk. Just talk to the donor mom, ask a few questions, check out her own baby (if she has one). All the donor moms I know donate out of love and compassion for another family. I’ve NEVER heard of a baby dying, or even getting sick, from donor breastmilk, but there are countless stories of infant deaths from tainted, and otherwise, formula. I just don’t want moms to be scared to choose the donor milk option, it’s called Liquid Gold for a reason. The best choice you can make for your baby and the benefits last their lifetime!!
Mary you are absolutely right…the pasteurization process does kill most of the bacteria in the breast milk. And unfortunately some of the white blood cells, etc are also destroyed. This process is necessary for the immuno-compromised NICU babies that are receiving it. The bacterial load of expressed milk grows as it sits out (which is why early freezing/refrigeration is best), and to sick babies in the NICU this can overwhelm their under-developed immune systems. Obviously, the best thing for babies,healthy or sick, is breast milk directly from the source. In the absence of that option, the next best thing would be donor milk. The kind of donor milk (processed at a bank or not) should depend on the circumstances of the baby receiving it. If you are wanting to give a HEALTHY baby donor milk and are confident that the donor doesn’t have communicable diseases, that is certainly a GREAT alternative to formula. As a former NICU nurse and the mother of a NICU baby, I DO NOT recommend giving unscreened/unprocessed donor milk to sick NICU babies. Even with all the processing, human milk is still a better alternative to formula for these tiny babies with suppressed immune systems, immature GI tracts/brains/etc. 🙂
I’m curious Megan, because I don’t trust anyone when the evil $$ is involved, did you personally witness NICU babies get sick from unprocessed breast milk or is this information you have based on what you were taught? Obviously babies are in the NICU because they aren’t doing well, but does unprocessed breast milk make them sicker?
I understand not blindly accepting breast milk from just any donor momma, but if the donor is appropriately tested and questioned, and the milk is properly handled, the donor breast milk should be fine and should avoid being processed.
What are your thoughts?
My state doesn’t have milk banks and the NICU that my baby was in did not facilitate milk sharing. The NICU I worked in also did not facilitate milk sharing. In the medical world, breast milk is a bodily fluid that is known to transmit certain communicable diseases. Just as with donated blood, there is a process to donate and to receive donated milk in a hospital setting to protect the patients receiving the product as well as to legally protect the medical professionals. If moms of babies in NICUs not affiliated with milk banking and/or sharing find their own milk donor and choose to bring that milk in as their own, the hospital is not liable. If you read through the comments, several NICU nurses also confirm how wonderful donor milk is for the babies. So, to answer your question…no, unprocessed milk does not make NICU babies sicker, which is why so many moms like me pump for months to provide milk for their own babies. There is a risk involved when dealing with donated body fluids though. Fortunately, there are many great hospitals that have policies in place that allow their NICU babies to receive donor milk in a way that is safe for both the baby and the medical professionals.
The great thing about being the donor is that you get to choose which organization best suits your own idea of a worthy cause! 🙂
This makes me so happy! And your story hits close to home. We found out that our 2nd baby had a congenital heart disease at our 22-week ultrasound. We were able to continue with the pregnancy, but underwent emergency induction at 37 weeks. Breastfeeding is so important to me, and like you, I pumped right away while my angel was in the NICU. She was only in the hospital for 2 weeks, and all thanks be to God, I was able to begin nursing her when she was only 4 days old. Now she’s 9 months and still loving the breast! (And totally a miracle baby!) Anyone looking for a miracle…pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet!
I just sent this post to 30 mommas and soon to be mommas who all formula feed or plan to formula feed. I never thought to share the info with them before! <3
Don’t make people who formula feed feel bad, okay? Whether they choose to do so, or do it because they cannot breastfeed, there is no need to criticize. Moms have it hard already! How about being more supportive to your friends?
Hey, how about you don’t judge either. We’re all adoptive parents by choice! We CAN’T breastfeed. OK?
Wow! That is so amazing, Megan! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Well done mama!
That’s some good work right there! Well done!
God bless you and your little one. And I also thank God for all of those who were able to assist in your donation…. Let’s hope this inspires some others to do the same!
I donated breastmilk with my son several years ago. It felt really good to do something for other babies who were not as strong as my son. They sent me a great Ameda Breastpump for free after the Medela one i was borrowing died suddenly. I changed pediatricians after my son’s doctor called me “Elsa The Cow” to my face for saying I was going to donate. 🙁 I wasn’t able to donate again with my daughter but would have again if I could.
Thank God for you, your efforts, generosity, and love. From this NICU nurse.
I am a NICU RN also and you did so much to help the little ones. Thank you!!
Beautiful story 🙂 so glad your baby is doing well. Our second child was born 2 months premature due to HELLP Syndrome and preeclampsia and spent 5 weeks in the NICU. Pumping was the only thing I felt I could do for him everyday when I had to leave him in the hospital. The hardest time of our lives but the breast milk was essential to his development.
I gave birth at 35 weeks this past December to my baby girl. She wouldn’t latch so I’ve been exclusively pumping for 4 months now! My freezer is completely full. I would love to donate my milk!
Even if there is not a nonprofit milk bank in your area, you can still donate as they will handle the shipping arrangements and costs. Look up Human Milk banking Association of North America, or for local mother to mother milk sharing opportunities look up Eats on Feets or Human Milk 4 Human Babies.
Wow! Way to go momma! Awesome job! And congratulations!
so good!! great job!!
Wow, wish I could have had a milk supply like that!!
I know how you feel. I was lucky enough to squeeze what I could for my babies when they were nursing. That much milk is amazing. I wish I would have had that kind of supply when I nursed my now 22 year old for 3 years. I can’t believe anybody would ever throw breast milk away. I cherished every drop.
That’s a lot of milk
That’s awesome!!! Way to go!
Megan, you are amazing! Your boys are blessed to have you as their mother!
This brings back memories of my little preemie born at 3 lbs 6 oz and of all the milk that I pumped and stored for her. I wish I would have known about the milk bank! Kudos to you for blessing others with the blessings that you have received!
What a great mom!!!
That’s awesome! I wish I had had more information on donating when I had my twins, I had so much that didn’t get used.
That is absoutely wonderful!!! I am the proud mother of two preemies. I was not able to produce milk. My first boy was born at 23 weeks and 5 days, and my second was born at 33 weeks 6 days. God bless you for helping mothers and babies out this way!
Loved reading this. I’ve been exclusively pumping for the past 8.5 months and sometimes get discouraged pulling my pump out six times a day, sneaking away during work or while others are just relaxing, cleaning the pump, etc., but it is so worth it. I commend you on your hard work and amazing heart to donate your liquid gold!
So awesome 🙂
I also donate to prolacta. My baby is 1 yr old, and I still produce twice as much as he needs.
You brought tears to my eyes!!!!
God bless you
That’s a wonderful story:)
I had no idea this existed. How amazing!!
I lost a lot of my breat milk due to Hurricana Katrina and it killed me to throw away so I am glad you got a chance to donate it.