I was recently interviewed on why I choose to donate my breast milk. You can see the article here: http://www.immb.org/immb-stories/jen-and-dylan-a-love-story/
From my post below you can see that we actually raised over $33,000 for March of Dimes and with my last couple donations, I actually donated over 2600 oz of milk. :)
There are many ways to donate breast milk. You can do want I did and go through a bank. The banks screen the donors as well as test the milk. A draw back or argument for this route is that the banks may charge people for the milk (generally a minimal fee and they do help with financially struggling families). Another way is through local groups where a woman can post how much milk she has and where she is (location wise). This way scares me a little, mainly because you need to trust that this person hasn't done anything to this milk that you are giving to your child, and you met them online for all of 30 seconds. How do you know they didn't put anything in or that it really is breast milk? One advantage to this way? You might actually get to meet the baby and family that you are helping. And I think that is pretty cool. I will never know how many babies are being helped by Dylan's milk (I call it his since after all, he's the reason I was producing it!) and I will never get to meet them or tell them all about Dylan.
The other link is from our WKLH interview that we did during their Miracle Marathon, where a local radio station raises money for Children's Hospital of WI. We shared our experiences with programs and staff at Children's, and how they were in fact the reason we were able to have those two wonderful months with our son. That interview is found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tBS_b-S39Q
I saw your post on Hip2Save and just wanted to let you know that I think what you are doing is a wonderful thing. My son had heart failure at one week old and we were in the hospital for a month while he recovered, had surgery and recovered again. We were lucky enough to pull through (he's 13 months old now and the doctors say he'll probably never have any problems), but the small things like toiletries can make all the difference during those tough times. Thank you so much on behalf of everyone who you help, and you've inspired me (a couponer as well, obviously) to do the same.
ReplyDeleteSew,
DeleteThank you :) We will be thinking of you and your son, I pray that everything stays as uneventful as possible. Thank you also for reading and hope that you had a great weekend with you family :)
Jen
What a wonderful post! I was born in the former Soviet Union and sharing breast milk was quite a common occurrence. In fact, my mother shared her breast milk so that a family friend's daughter could feed. In Russia, children who share this bond are called "milk siblings". Yup, I have a milk sister! It is a very special relationship and comes from the most selfless part of a mother.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on all the good you are doing. I cannot imagine how many milk brothers and sisters Dylan has now.
J,
DeleteWOW! That is AWESOME! What a neat experience and fantastic example of love thy neighbor. Thank you so much for sharing! Thank you also for reading, hope you had a great weekend!
Jen
Well hello Jen, from another Jen, I just wanted to say that I'm very supportive of everything you both have done. I understand what it is like to have your little one taken away to the NICU so suddenly and not see them for hours, my only remorse is that you were not able to enjoy more time with Dylan than you were. I think it is a great thing that you have raised so much for the March of Dimes. I only wish that they would recognize the affliction my little girl experienced in the Womb (Neonatial Alloimmune Thombrocitopenia or NAIT). You all take care, and I hope that you are able to find peace in all the wonderful thing you all are doing. Take care.
ReplyDeleteHi Jen,
DeleteThank you so much for your kind words. I hope that your little girl is doing ok now, we will be thinking of you and your family. Thank you for reading, and I hope you had a nice weekend.
Jen
Just read your Hip2Save post; thank you so much for sharing your story. You are such an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading Gin :) and thank you, it's all because of our boy. He made us better people.
DeleteHope you had a wonderful weekend
You don't know me, but I'm a fellow hip2saver (couponer) and share a birthday with Dylan. I live in California, and I plan to make my own "Devoted to Dylan" Family packs in honor of him.
ReplyDeleteAmy,
DeleteThank you so much for writing :) and for doing that, it really means a lot to my husband and I. If you're up for it, please send me a picture of your packs. Hope you had a wonderful weekend and thanks for reading!
Thank you for sharing your experience about milk sharing! Very interesting. Although I would think a mama willing to pump and store milk, then give it to a stranger for free just to help another baby is probably taking good care of that milk. :)
ReplyDeleteGuggie-
DeleteI agree 100% that we would hope so, but who's to say that it's actually pumped breast milk? We both know that you or I would only give the liquid gold, but we both also have to agree that there are bad people out there. It just scares me is all. If anyone wishes to go that route, by all means, they should. I'm just not comfortable with it for myself or my baby. I've become close with a lactation consultant at a big hospital here and I've heard quite a few scary stories... enough to not donate that way. I would argue though, that there isn't enough education readily available for women either. One mom was completely blown away that the street drugs she was taking was getting into her breast milk, and in turn going to her baby. What if she had extra milk to donate? She had no idea it was getting to her own child, what would keep her from thinking it's affecting the other babies she gives milk to? The bank not only screens for that, but tests the milk. That's all I'm saying. I still believe there are pro's and con's to both ways. I would have loved to meet the moms and babies we helped. Thanks for reading! Hope you had a wonderful weekend! :)