Tomorrow morning when I go into town to run errands with the boys, we’ll be stopping at the local hospital to drop of 17 bags of breast milk that I’m donating. It will be pasteurized and combined with milk from other donors, and then distributed to sick infants in NICUs across the country. I’m going through an HMBANA Milk Bank – even though there isn’t an HMBANA location very close to us, they have a drop-off depot in the town where I normally go to shop, so it’s very convenient.
I started thinking about donating milk a few months ago. I read about the process and where the milk goes, and I found this article to be particularly helpful when I was figuring it all out (if you’re thinking about donating, definitely read that article – lots of good info). I knew that I didn’t want my milk to be sold to a pharmaceutical company that would turn around and make a profit from it, so I double checked that the local milk collection depot was part of the HMBANA Milk Bank program. I had several good conversations by email and phone with the lady who runs the Milk Bank, and felt very comfortable with her and with the program.
I never pump for our son, since I’m with him all the time – he just nurses. But I had a little mini-electric pump that my sister-in-law gave me before our first son was born. So I tried it out, and it worked just fine. The milk bank sent me paperwork to complete, release forms that needed to be signed by my midwife and our baby’s doctor, and milk storage bags. They also sent a bag that I can use to sterilize the pump parts in the microwave after each use so that I don’t have to boil them every time I use them. In addition to the paperwork, I had to stop by the lab at the local hospital and have some blood drawn, just to make sure that I don’t have any illnesses that would prevent me from donating.
Once all that was finished, I was cleared to start donating. I’ve been pumping a 4 – 5 ounce bag of milk approximately every other day, and tomorrow I’ll be dropping off the milk I’ve collected and frozen over the past month.
It feels great. It only takes me 10 – 15 minutes to fill a bag and stick it in the freezer. It’s a unique and special way to “give back”. I’m providing something very valuable, but it’s very easy and convenient for me. I don’t have to go anywhere, and I can pump anytime I want. I’m planning to drop off milk once a month, and the hospital isn’t really that far from where I normally go in town when we’re running errands. I didn’t get involved with this program until our son was 9 months old, and they only accept milk until the donor’s baby turns one. So I only have a couple more months of pumping and donating. But at my current pace, I’ll be able to donate somewhere around 220 – 250 ounces of milk. That feels good.
Obviously this isn’t something a mom should do if she’s overwhelmed with other stuff, or if she’s having difficulty nursing her own baby or producing enough milk for her own baby. But for those of us with a plentiful supply and well-established nursing relationships with our babies, donating milk is a pretty cool volunteer opportunity for new moms. And it’s a very frugal way to “give back” too. You might not have money to donate to causes that are close to your heart. And you might not be able to fit volunteering into your schedule (especially with a new baby!). But you can donate milk. It doesn’t cost anything except a little bit of time for pumping and a few extra snacks here and there to keep up with the additional milk-production demand. All in all, it’s a pretty great volunteer opportunity for new moms.
I’m sharing this to spread the word about milk donation. If you’re a nursing mom (or will be someday), it might be something you’d like to try. After going through the enrollment process and pumping for a month, I definitely give it two thumbs up.
Regina Wade says
Great post! I’ve been looking around for other moms’ experiences with pumping for donation because our state Mother’s Milk Bank (part of HMBANA) just put out a call for new donors to sign up because they have a severe shortage. I’m currently nursing a 5 month old and in the last couple weeks we’ve finally gotten to a place where I feel I can think about pumping for donation. Our little guy won’t take a bottle, so I’m not used to pumping much and the milk bank is asking for a 200 oz. commitment. But I figure if I can just get 5-7 oz a day (once I build my supply up), then I can get 200 oz. once a month or so–sounds do-able. :) It’s probably only one extra “feeding” a day.
Frugal Babe says
Our milk bank asks for at least 150 ounces. At first, I didn’t have any idea how long that would take me, because I never pump for our son. But once I tried it and did the math, I realized it would be easy to donate at least that much, even though I only had three months before they’d cut me off. Best of luck to you! If you end up donating, I hope it’s a wonderful experience.
Frugal Vegan Mom says
That is so awesome of you! I’ll keep this organization in mind if I hear of any moms with some to spare. In fact, I’ll link to this on my La Leche FB page right now!
Frugal Babe says
Thanks!
mpfrugal says
One thought… make sure you know where your breast milk really is going. I am the daughter of a doctor and I know from my father that breast milk is often used by the farmaceutical industry because they use the hormones in breast milk to make medicines. They hang posters in waiting rooms of doctor’s practices asking to donate milk, but “donating” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s for a good cause.
Frugal Babe says
The article I linked to has a long discussion about making sure you know where your milk is going – and making sure that it’s not going to a pharmaceutical company. This is definitely something that you want to educate yourself about before getting into it. I feel good about the fact that I’m donating to an HMBANA facility. And my conversations with the facility director (prior to enrolling as a donor) made me feel very comfortable with their program.
Northwest Mothers Milk Bank says
Thanks Frugal Babe for this great article! I also want to reassure your readers that Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) affiliated milk banks are all non-profit organizations and uphold very stringent standards. Milk donations are truly saving the lives of vulnerable babies.
You can find the milk bank closest to you: https://www.hmbana.org/milk-bank-locations
Even if you don’t live in driving distance to a milk bank, contact the one that’s nearest to you and if you qualify as a donor, they will work with you to ship your milk.
Frugal Babe says
Thanks for adding your comment! I feel very comfortable with the HMBANA milk bank I’m working with, and I’m happy to recommend this as an option for moms who want to donate. It’s a huge bonus that they have a local collection depot where I can drop off the milk. I dropped off 18 bags today, and it only added a few minutes to the errands I was already doing in town. Shipping would also be a great option for people who live far away from the nearest collection depot.
Jerry says
Absolutely wonderful! My wife did the same thing when we had our first daughter 6 years ago. But, my wife donated her milk to a couple who’s wife had trouble nursing. It’s amazing feeling knowing that you’re providing a substance unlike any other that is insurance for their health and might lead to saving the lives of those little babies! Good for you!
Frugal Babe says
That is so great! I love hearing stories like that. I considered Milk Share as a possibility, and I think it would be a wonderful to see exactly where the milk is going and know the family that is using it.
Ms Life says
This is an interesting topic for me. I had never heard of milk banks as we did not have them while I still lived in my home country. However, what usually happened was that a neighbor or relative would nurse an ailing mother’s baby until she got well enough to nurse herself or the baby grew strong enough and started eating solid food. Sometimes, the healthy mother would even take the baby and raise it with her baby. When the visiting baby was strong enough, it would be taken back to its own family.