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Breast Milk Donation: What You Should Know About Donating & Receiving

Some of you are probably thinking “yaaaas breast milk donation!” and others of you are probably wondering what the heck that really means. Everyone’s breastfeeding journey is totally different, but one fact remains. Breastmilk is like liquid gold and extremely beneficial to babies, especially premature babies. Because of this many women who are producing excess milk decide to use it to help babies in need. There are many different programs to go through that make this kind of thing safe and rewarding for all. Whether you are looking into breast milk donation for your own baby or looking to donate, we have gathered all the important information for you right here!

breast milk donation

Everything You Need to Know About Breast Milk Donation 

Reasons to Consider Donor Breast Milk

  • The most common scenario in which breast milk is donated is to newborns in the NICU. In this case, it is usually recommended by the doctors as the babies need some of that liquid gold. 
  • You can use a breast milk donation to supplement if your supply is low. 
  • Foster and adopted babies can use donated breast milk. 
  • Mamas who have had a double mastectomy and want their babies to receive the health benefits of breast milk can look into donor breast milk. 
  • Some moms are being treated with medication that makes breastfeeding unsafe making donor breast milk a great option. 
  • There are SO many different scenarios in which you may want to use breast milk that has been donated. However, before deciding anything you should reach out to a lactation consultant and speak with your healthcare providers. There’s no guilt in not producing enough milk, and there may be alternatives better suited to you than donor milk. Keep in mind, breastmilk isn’t always the answer either and sometimes formula is perfectly fine. 

Why Donate?

  • Why not? If you are producing enough milk, take the opportunity to help babies and their struggling mamas who desperately want this nutrition for them. 
  • What better way to use your excess breast milk than helping another baby.
  • Breast milk donation might actually help you! While having high production is definitely a blessing, sometimes it can be a pain in the booty. Pumping your donation milk can provide you some relief. 
  • Becoming a donor isn’t a big hassle. You will fill out a questionnaire and have a blood screening to make sure you qualify. The screening will check for HIV, hepatitis, and syphilis as you obviously don’t want to pass these things on. As for the questionnaire, it will be questions about your lifestyle like do you drink or smoke. 
  • Not that compensation should be a motivating factor, but you can write off the costs of your breast pump and the cost of gas related to donation. In some cases, you may even be compensated for donating breastmilk. Nice little perk!
  • Also, some companies provide a free breast pump if you donate milk.

Resources to Help You Find a Breast Milk Donation Bank 

  • Mother’s Milk Bank: They are located in Austin, Houston, San Antonio and more but you can also ship your milk as long as you are donating 200 ounces. 
  • HMBA: (Human Milk Banking Association of North America): This is a great network to help you find a breast milk bank near you. They also have tons of helpful information on their site!
  • Le Leche League International: This is another wonderful network, and I appreciate their mission to first help moms nurse their own babies if at all possible. 

 

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Emily Myers
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