I'm going to donate my milk to the milk bank in NC!

[Hannah's Mom]

I had posted in another thread that I had quite a bit of freezer stash that I didn't think dd would end up using and someone gave me info about the milk bank. The milk bank just sent me a package today with some containers and a kit to get my blood drawn and paperwork! Thanks to the people who gave me the info about this.

I do have a slightly OT question, though. Initially when I called and left a message, the voicemail said they were only taking limited donations, so I was afraid they wouldn't take it. I went to a LLL meeting before the bank returned my call and told the leaders that I had milk available to donate to any adoptive parents they knew of or anyone else who needed it. They acted like that was appalling - like no one they knew would be interested. Was my offering this wrong?

[DaryLLL]

Good for you for getting set up to donate to the bank! Lucky babies who will get your milk. You may save a few lives.

As for the LLL Leaders being "appalled" at your offer to donate to women in your town, well, I guess it is related to the wet nurse idea. Probably most women would only accept milk from someone they knew very well, knew their health status, lifestyle and other things that would affect the quality of their milk. That is why you are being carefully screened for the milk bank, and why your milk will have to be pasteurized. Would you accept milk for your baby from a "stranger," no matter how well meaning, if you weren't absolutely sure she had no communicable diseases, no drug or alcohol use, etc?

[lilyka]

LLl official position is that breastmilk is not something to b e shared because it has the potential to pas along diseases, and you never know what that person has been taking, eating, smoking that could be passed through the milk. *ON THE OTHER HAND*, I donated milk to a couple of moms in my group when the milk bank couldn't take all I had pumped. Once I started I had strangers (mostly adoptive moms) calling me to see if I had any extra. So the people you were talking t oprobably had there own issues because if they were just going with official policy they would have stated that politely.

Good for you donating to the milk bank!! I donated to colorado springs and San jose and it was such a rewarding experiance. Both sent stories of the kids that got my miolk. It was so touching.

[Quirky]

How much "extra" do you have to generate in order for a milk bank to be interested? I'm working 4 days a week, and so far it doesn't look as if my baby is going to drink everything I'm pumping while I'm away at work - he prefers to have some, but mostly wait for me. I'd be interested in donating, but we'd be talking about a couple extra ounces a day, not a huge amount.

[Hannah's Mom]

Jane - the packet I got said I had to wait to send it until I had 200 ounces. The woman I talked to said that I could send what I already had in the containers it was already in.

DaryLLL - I understand what you're saying and you're right, I wouldn't accept it from just anyone.

lilyka - that's so cool that you have been able to help others in that way.