Something like milkshare?

[Khourtniey]

Not sure if this is in the right place or not.. so feel free to move..

I am curious if there are any other places out there like milkshare?

[CathMac]

Khourtniey,
I recently stumbled across a very old thread proposing an online Wetnurse service. It looked like that thread was revised a year or so later when someone told the OP about MilkShare. The OP then indicated she might try to coordinate with MilkShare's founder.

I don't know if that happened or not but I suspect that these types of resources are probably more effective if they work together. Otherwise they will be competing for donors and recipients.

The mere fact that the Wetnurse thread almost died suggests to me that there is very little like MilkShare out there, otherwise someone else probably would have chimed in sooner.

ETA: Here's the recently revived thread in Lactivism. If you look carefully you'll find a link to MilkMatch. I only went as far as the test forum.
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=342538

~Cath

[Khourtniey]

Thanks. Ill look into that. I posted an ISO on milkshare but have no replies. All of the donors seem quite far away and only want local people.

[CathMac]

Try posting in your geographic tribe for a local donor

Khourtniey,
I'm sorry you aren't having any luck on MilkShare. I'm sort of in the opposite position, I'm looking for a local recipient since I just don't have the time or wherewithal to deal with shipping let alone the anxiety of wondering whether it will arrive still frozen. Plus I'm not sure I'm ready to give up my entire freezer stash so I would have the option with starting with 1/4 to 1/2 of it while continuing to add to my stash and giving more later if I can.

If things work out I can then give relatively small amounts of fresh milk on an ongoing basis. I still pump at work for DD2 and her EBM intake varies so I'm not sure I could produce enough to make shipping it worthwhile, unless I froze and stockpiled that milk as well but that would take time.

Someone suggested I try posting in my geographic tribe and I am now in the process of working with a potential local recipient.

I would suggest that you do the same thing to find potential donors but that you use the recommended questionnaire and screening guidelines from MilkShare even if the donor doesn't actually go through the MilkShare registation process.

Would it be presumptuous to ask why you need donor milk? As a Working & Pumping mom I have a bunch of Supply and Pumping info. I also have a lot of info on inducing lactation and relactating. In fact there are a couple of recent threads along these lines (especially in BF'ing Challenges but on the other boards as well). I have contributed to a couple of threads like these recently with my usual spiel on these topics. If you think that info would be helpful but can't find it please PM me.

ETA: Link to your geographic tribe - Mississippi, Lousiana, Arkansas
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...splay.php?f=85

If you do post in your geographic tribe you may want to give a better idea of where you live in the subject. As an example mine read something like: Milk to Donate - Boston / South Shore.

Yours could go something like: Seeking donor milk - Metro Region / N, S, E, or W.

Good luck. ~Cath

[mary g]

Khourtniey, I am sorry that you haven't had any luck with milkshare. I was pointed in that direction by my LC. I also have low milk (only 6 oz a day), and relied on milkshare. My MIL is a lactation consultant, so believe me, I've tried EVERYTHING. I simply lack sufficient glandular tissue. My son just turned 1 this month, and we've been able to have donated breastmilk for that entire time minus about 2 or 3 weeks. Keep posting. Tell your story. I had donors locally ( a friend), and others from as far as LA (I live in southern Maine).

I'm now dealing with feeling guilty looking for more donor milk (as it's really important for the very young), and figuring out what to do now...I don't want to forcefully wean, either. Before DS was born, I had all these visions of extended nursing....

CathMac, don't feel too stressed about shipping. There are many folks with experience that guided me. Overnight shipping in a full cooler (or with newspaper in extra space) will keep it cold enough. If some does begin to thaw, the recipient can use that first. I initially shipped with dry ice until one donor suggested the overnight.

Good luck with this. I tried using this forum to look for a donor not too long ago, and was told it wasn't appropriate for this site. Feel free to contact me with questions about shipping, etc.

[CathMac]

Mary g,
Thanks for the input. I should note that I have a touch of OCD when it comes to certain things, and I am really pressed for time these days. The combination of those two things makes it hard for me to imagine dealing with the whole shipping process. Although I would do that if I needed to rather than see my stockpile go to waste. Of course I'm not at that point yet since DD1 is still drinking EBM.

Just to be clear, I wasn't suggesting Khourtniey seek donors on this forum but rather at her "geographic" tribe (which includes Arkansas). Since so many donors would rather give locally I thought she might have better luck finding someone that way; perhaps someone that hadn't heard of MilkShare.

I would emphasize however that I think the MilkShare guidelines are important and recommend that anyone seeking Donors follow them even if they find the Donor elsewhere.
~Cath

[Khourtniey]

Thanks for the suggestions. It does seem that most people want to donate locally because of the shipping and I can completely understand that. I spent $80.00 myself to ship milk from California to Arkansas when my youngest was little and I moved... I will have to try and post in my local area to see...


I am seeking milk for my youngest son. He is 25 months old and has a TON of health issues. He does not tolerate normal formulas. He is 100% tube fed and receives breastmilk with neocate added to fortify it to 30 cal/oz... I am still pumping for my son (have been since he was born) just do not produce enough for his feeds. He is receiving about 10 oz per day of formula as a supplement. Ive tried all of the tricks out there to increase my supply...no luck.. Im stuck producing between 15-25 ounces per day.

[CathMac]

Link to thread with two posts from me with Supply & Pumping Tips

Khoutniey & Mary g,
NAK

I'm sure you've both tried virtually everything but just in case please check out this thread (link below) with two posts from me, one on Supply and one on Pumping. Some of the links may be inactive but I tried to give them descriptive titles for searching the current links. If there are any you can't find please let me know and I'll try to find them for you. You might want to PM me to make sure I see it.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...light=inositol

I would draw your attention to the Inositol & Choline supplement regimen in particular, since I haven't read it anywhere else; but please take the caution on dizziness seriously.

My heart goes out to the both of you. It makes me realize how petty my basic issues as a Working & Pumping mom are.

One more thing, I can't emphasize enough the importance of using Milk Bank &/or MilkShare screening guidelines against pathogens, **HOWEVER** you might find more potential donors if you are willing to relax Milk Bank restrictions against herbs &/or certain medications. You might want to note that in any geographic tribe "Milk Donor Wanted" posting you might place. That's one of the reasons I didn't think I could donate the milk I had left with DD1.

ETA - Regarding medications, have you considered taking Domperidone yourself? See the last post by "Rootsnort" in the thread I linked.

Good luck.
~Cath

[mamaverdi]

Khourtniey if you have health insurance or the boys do, have you looked into calling a milk bank? Even calling one that is not as close to you. 303-869-1888
is the one in Denver. They have a 1-800 # through www.hmbana.org

[CathMac]

FAQ on Domperidone

Khourtniey,
Mamverdi has a good suggestion but if it doesn't work out and you are willing to consider Domperidone here's a FAQ on it.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=461626
~Cath

[Khourtniey]

I am doing some inositol and choline right now.. still nothing. The only drug/herb I have not done is domperidone simply because I can not afford it. I have looked into milk banks but insurance will not cover it and again.. cant afford it.

Have any of you ever heard of trying water pills? Or Shatavari?

I think Ill post another ISO on milkshare with a bit more of my story.

[CathMac]

Khourtniey,
I'm going to take the liberty of doing a separate post on this board asking about the most affordable source of Dom. I know it's probably very expensive in the US because you need to have it "compounded" (custom made), but I have read about reliable internet sources out of Australia. Have you looked into that? It seems to me that could easily be more affordable than paying for the materials and actual expense involved with shipping.

Have you tried posting in your "geographic" tribe yet for local donors yet?

I'm holding out hope that you can get some affordable Dom &/or find a suitable local donor.

ETA - I wound up not posting for info on affordable Dom since the FAQ included a posting with a vendor link that seemed to address that issue. See my next posting.
~Cath

[CathMac]

FAQ thread on Domperidone

Khourtniey,
I checked out the Dom FAQ thread I posted above. The first post includes a link to an online supplier and some info on usual dosage. If my math is correct it could cost you as little as $1.00 to $1.15 per day if you were to buy 900 or 1200 pills at $115.00 or $140.00 respectively. That would last you about 3.33 to 4.44 months (assuming the usual dose of 3 pills, taken 3 times a day).

According to the FAQ, most women only take it for 3 to 8 weeks, so that might be more than you need. If you wind up needing to take it longer they do sell one quantity larger than 1200 (1800 for $190.00).

I tend to buy in bulk so I did the math on the larger quantities. There are smaller quantities available but that costs you more per dose.

If I am reading the vendor's site correctly, the price includes shipping and handling but I think you would need to input purchasing data to confirm that. If it does include shipping then it could cost about $30.00 a month, assuming you buy in larger quantities. If you can’t pay for the larger quantities up front you could get 300 for $50.00, which would last a little more than a month.

To put this in perspective, you might not pay much less than that on reimbursing a donor mom for her bags, if she is using bags specifically designed for storing EBM. I used to be able to get a box of 25 Lansinoh bags for about $6.00 at Kmart. That worked out to be about $0.25 a bag. Lately I've had to buy a different brand at Babies R us for $1.00 more per box. Assuming your baby is taking 24 to 30 oz a day and that it is stored as 3 to 4 oz a bag, that would be 6 to 10 bags a day or $1.50 to $2.50 a day; or $45.00 to $75.00 a month on bags alone. Again, this is for the bags alone, it wouldn’t include shipping. Even if the storage amounts were doubled the bags would cost $22.50 to $37.50 a month.

There is a warning about the affect on the heart which is especially important if you might wind up taking another drug with a similar effect (e.g.: Diflucan, which is noteworthy since it is used to treat thrush).

One other potential issue, I think I remember hearing that occasionally these types of shipments will get hung up in Customs. But I believe that is very rare. Perhaps someone else can comment on that.

I hope I don’t seem overbearing. I just want you to have the info you need to do a thorough cost benefit analysis.

Finally, re: Inositol and Choline (I&C). I tried this myself with mixed results. The second time around I seemed to have a fairly dramatic increase. I don't want to exaggerate but it was at least a 50% increase, but possibly as high as 100%. Although it's hard to say with complete certainty if it was entirely because of the I&C since I may have been trying some other things as well.

The regimen that worked for me was one (1) 500mg pill of Inositol and (1) 250mg pill of Choline daily for about one or two weeks before it seemed to take affect. So be patient if you haven't been taking it that long. Also, please be aware of the possiblity of dizziness. I didn't notice dizziness the first time I tried the regimen but I may not have stuck with it that long (which could explain why it didn't seem to do anything for me the first time).

If I wind up donating on an ongoing basis I might try an I&C regimen using 1/2 a pill per day, or taking a full dose every other work day. If you notice dizziness you might want to cut back to a 1/2 dose or take them every other day.

Good luck and please keep us posted. FWIW, I'm feeling optimistic for you.
~Cath

[Khourtniey]

Originally Posted by CathMac

Khourtniey,
I checked out the Dom FAQ thread I posted above. The first post includes a link to an online supplier (snip...)
~Cath

I did look at that thread and noticed the post for the cheapest one and even that was a little expensive for me. I just can not afford to spend that much money at one time on something Im not sure will even work. But I am going to save up and see. I have not posted on my local tribe yet. I have not written up his little story yet.. I got busy with school work

No need to feel overbearing or anything. I am glad that you are taking the time to try and help me out as much as you can. I really appreciate it. Most people Ive asked would just say give him formula and stop pumping, but for me that is just not an option. I already cringe when I have to supplement with formula so all formula is just not going to work for me.

Alas if the post I make does not work on the tribe I have set up a myspace for him


http://www.myspace.com/breastmilkforalo