So you know I have been blessed with udders that spring forth eternal, right? Well, I went to our Nursing Mothers of Raleigh meeting last Thursday (yes, men... there are actual meetings out there that exist solely for the purpose of talking about breastfeeding) because last time I was there, one of the moms told me that I should consider donating my breast milk.
So I decided to do it.
Moms out there - this is SO easy. They just do a blood test to screen for disease, and then you're good to go. If you have a baby under one year old, are willing to pump an extra one time per day (beyond what you might already be pumping for your own baby), and are willing to stay away from alcohol and medicine (at least within 12 hours of pumping milk intended for donation), you can help premature babies, or post-op babies, or babies with immunological problems.... I can't believe I wasn't doing this earlier.
You're probably thinking this sounds very weird. And yes it sounded weird to me at first, too. Seems odd to give a baby breastmilk from someone else... at least at first glance. But it turns out there are a lot of babies out there who want or need it, and can't get it from their mothers. So the more I think about it, the more sense it makes. Especially considering I've had overproduction issues from the start (any of you who have spent more than 3 or 4 hours with me since July can attest to the leakage problems... ahem). Also, more than one person has told me my freezer already looks like a milk bank.
So if you have extra milk, or are willing to pump extra milk, and are interested in more details, go here.
Do you think I can get a tax deduction for a non-monetary charitable gift?
7 comments:
I don't think its weird at all. I think its awesome that you are taking your abundance and blessing others with it. I've also heard you can send it to Africa but I don't know how to do that.
What an excellent idea!!! I never even considered it... but hey, if you can do it with blood and kidneys, why not breastmilk... I don't think it's weird at all, I think it's great.
I wonder how it works... so one individual baby could get, say 5 to 8 meals a day from 5 to 8 different donors... does this mean the baby's immune system will be that much stronger because it will get antibodies from all these women?
I hadn't thought about that.. but maybe. I think the way it works is similar to how they mass-distribute cow's milk. They mix it all together and pasteurize it (one big difference from getting it directly from your mom's breast or your home fridge!), and then ship it out to hospitals, etc. (Maybe even Africa!)
Very cool.
I will never forget that time in Barnes & Noble. Your cup runneth over... and over... again... some more.
I think it's great what you're doing. :-)
Like Kelley, I don't think this is weird either. It's a continuation of the wet nurses of the past. You go, girl!
I had the same question Ashley had... I had never heard about this type of donation. Very cool.
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