The Snarky Momma occasionally (okay, sometimes) reviews products on her review blog related to parenting, domestic goddess-try, and personal care. Her opinions are honest, based on her own experiences, and will be published even if she does not find the product satisfactory. She will always disclose how she got a product and whether she was compensated to talk about it. If you want to send her a product, contact her via email at tiffany [at] snarkymomma [dot] com.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Moo.
One of the things I’m really good at is making milk. Trust me - this was a shocking discovery for me. I just assumed that given my body composition and the way that I metabolize what I intake that I’d make just enough to keep my kid from starving.
No.
I guess this is where I haven’t evolved all that much from my stone age ancestors. Even if my diet sucks and I’m not taking in that much liquid, I still make a lot of milk. Fatty milk, too. (Bet you’re wondering how much pregnancy weight I’ve lost, huh? I won’t share that, though some of you who’ve seen me lately could probably make an educated guess.)
Women make milk at the expense of their own bodies, and my body is just particularly willing to throw me under the bus. It’s a wonder I haven’t passed out yet.
Anyway, I’ve been thinking about doing some extra pumping and donating milk to the non-profit human milk bank at WakeMed. Basically they gather milk from moo-cows like me, combine it with other people’s donations, treat it for bacteria and such, and then package it for use by sick and premature babies.
Before I can even be screened to donate I have to have 150 ounces of milk stored. It would probably take most people a while to pump that much, you know? Well, I could get it together in a couple of weeks with no adverse repercussions to Em. I can have her nurse on one side in the morning and then still be able to pump another three ounces off. Yeah. Add that to the other side and I can easily get seven or eight ounces in one sitting. (I really don’t have enough free time to pump multiple times per day, though.)
After I’ve met the 150 ounce minimum I have to have my OB and Em’s pediatricians fill out some paperwork that’ll vouch for the fact that my milk is good-quality stuff. Then I have to mosey down to LabCorp and let them have some of my blood for testing. After they decide I’m sufficiently clean, then they’ll take my milk. I’d have to drive it to Raleigh (which almost certainly means I’ll get lost and spend the rest of the day pissed off).
It’s a lot of running around and I’m still kind of on the fence about it. If this had been one of my causes (and there ain’t that many of those), I’d be all gung-ho, but having to navigate miles of red tape to do something benevolent doesn’t really fit into my mommy-of-two schedule. Then, if I want to donate again after six months have passed I’d have to get screened all over again.
I need to make a decision about this soon. I have my six week OB follow-up looming in a few weeks and Em is due back at the pediatrician next Wednesday. I’d need to get on board before then so I don’t have to make separate trips out to Chapel Hill to get those forms completed.
*sigh*
Have you donated milk before? Is it worth the pain in the ass?
Donating through milk banks is a serious pain in the ass and I was not willing to jump through the hoops. However, there are rather a lot of women who are very interested in donor milk because they cannot produce enough for their children. I gave 100+ oz to the friend of friend who had twins who wasn’t up for trying to do full time nursing. If you look on places like http://mothering.com/discussions/forumdisplay.php?f=78 (That’s a direct link to people in your geographic area) there are pretty much always people who are interested in donor milk. If you deal with private women there is significantly less hassle.
So yeah. There are other options. And the private transfers of milk are really awesome because milk banks charge insane amounts of money for your milk but they don’t really pay donors anything after making you jump through huge hoops. It costs ~$100/day to buy donor milk if you need it for your child. That’s just outside the budget of the average family. Yet donor milk is hugely beneficial under an enormous range of circumstances.
Yeah, I feel like it is kind of a racket which is why I chose to donate privately. If you have a chest freezer you can store frozen milk for a year or more without it negatively impacting the milk, inside the house the time length is much shorter because the temperature is less consistent. I have no idea what your feelings are on how long you will nurse (not judging in either direction) but if you feel like you are likely to wean at six months or a year it can be a good idea to have a huge stash of frozen milk so that you can keep giving your kiddo breastmilk daily long after you are actively nursing. That way your kid gets the ongoing health benefits even though you are no longer actively nursing. I know a few people who have done this.
And when your kids are just a tiny bit older (between 1 and 2ish) it’s really kind of awesome to make breastmilk ice cream for them because you can do it with less sugar and they get this ‘special treat’ that is also really good for them. :D
[ok, maybe that last bit is getting into the weird hippy end of things…]
I think it is pretty cool to do. You can also log onto milkshare.org if you want to just give it to a mom. I woudl be happy to pick it up and deliver to Wake Med if you do go that route. I think it is a petty awesome thing to do. I didn’t make enough to donate.
Moo.
One of the things I’m really good at is making milk. Trust me - this was a shocking discovery for me. I just assumed that given my body composition and the way that I metabolize what I intake that I’d make just enough to keep my kid from starving.
No.
I guess this is where I haven’t evolved all that much from my stone age ancestors. Even if my diet sucks and I’m not taking in that much liquid, I still make a lot of milk. Fatty milk, too. (Bet you’re wondering how much pregnancy weight I’ve lost, huh? I won’t share that, though some of you who’ve seen me lately could probably make an educated guess.)
Women make milk at the expense of their own bodies, and my body is just particularly willing to throw me under the bus. It’s a wonder I haven’t passed out yet.
Anyway, I’ve been thinking about doing some extra pumping and donating milk to the non-profit human milk bank at WakeMed. Basically they gather milk from moo-cows like me, combine it with other people’s donations, treat it for bacteria and such, and then package it for use by sick and premature babies.
Before I can even be screened to donate I have to have 150 ounces of milk stored. It would probably take most people a while to pump that much, you know? Well, I could get it together in a couple of weeks with no adverse repercussions to Em. I can have her nurse on one side in the morning and then still be able to pump another three ounces off. Yeah. Add that to the other side and I can easily get seven or eight ounces in one sitting. (I really don’t have enough free time to pump multiple times per day, though.)
After I’ve met the 150 ounce minimum I have to have my OB and Em’s pediatricians fill out some paperwork that’ll vouch for the fact that my milk is good-quality stuff. Then I have to mosey down to LabCorp and let them have some of my blood for testing. After they decide I’m sufficiently clean, then they’ll take my milk. I’d have to drive it to Raleigh (which almost certainly means I’ll get lost and spend the rest of the day pissed off).
It’s a lot of running around and I’m still kind of on the fence about it. If this had been one of my causes (and there ain’t that many of those), I’d be all gung-ho, but having to navigate miles of red tape to do something benevolent doesn’t really fit into my mommy-of-two schedule. Then, if I want to donate again after six months have passed I’d have to get screened all over again.
I need to make a decision about this soon. I have my six week OB follow-up looming in a few weeks and Em is due back at the pediatrician next Wednesday. I’d need to get on board before then so I don’t have to make separate trips out to Chapel Hill to get those forms completed.
*sigh*
Have you donated milk before? Is it worth the pain in the ass?
Posted by Tiffany on 07/19 at 09:22 AM
_______________________________________________________________Donating through milk banks is a serious pain in the ass and I was not willing to jump through the hoops. However, there are rather a lot of women who are very interested in donor milk because they cannot produce enough for their children. I gave 100+ oz to the friend of friend who had twins who wasn’t up for trying to do full time nursing. If you look on places like http://mothering.com/discussions/forumdisplay.php?f=78 (That’s a direct link to people in your geographic area) there are pretty much always people who are interested in donor milk. If you deal with private women there is significantly less hassle.
So yeah. There are other options.
And the private transfers of milk are really awesome because milk banks charge insane amounts of money for your milk but they don’t really pay donors anything after making you jump through huge hoops. It costs ~$100/day to buy donor milk if you need it for your child. That’s just outside the budget of the average family. Yet donor milk is hugely beneficial under an enormous range of circumstances.
Posted by Krissy on 07/19 at 10:41 AM
***Jeebus! $100/day!!!
The only thing I would recoup would be the bags I use to freeze the milk in.
Posted by Tiffany on 07/19 at 10:44 AM
***Yeah, I feel like it is kind of a racket which is why I chose to donate privately. If you have a chest freezer you can store frozen milk for a year or more without it negatively impacting the milk, inside the house the time length is much shorter because the temperature is less consistent. I have no idea what your feelings are on how long you will nurse (not judging in either direction) but if you feel like you are likely to wean at six months or a year it can be a good idea to have a huge stash of frozen milk so that you can keep giving your kiddo breastmilk daily long after you are actively nursing. That way your kid gets the ongoing health benefits even though you are no longer actively nursing. I know a few people who have done this.
And when your kids are just a tiny bit older (between 1 and 2ish) it’s really kind of awesome to make breastmilk ice cream for them because you can do it with less sugar and they get this ‘special treat’ that is also really good for them. :D
[ok, maybe that last bit is getting into the weird hippy end of things…]
Posted by Krissy on 07/19 at 10:56 AM
***Great article. Thanks for information a lot. I really like it.
Posted by bekircem on 07/19 at 11:48 AM
***Assuming my supply doesn’t go kerblooey I’ll probably nurse until Em can transition to whole milk like I did with Rosco.
(I feel like I become more hippie by the day, but I’m not giving up my leather shoes and store-bought toilet paper anytime soon.
)
Posted by Tiffany on 07/19 at 11:59 AM
***Sounds like something nice to do, but I would be too lazy.
Posted by Keya on 07/20 at 03:35 PM
***I think it is pretty cool to do. You can also log onto milkshare.org if you want to just give it to a mom. I woudl be happy to pick it up and deliver to Wake Med if you do go that route. I think it is a petty awesome thing to do. I didn’t make enough to donate.
Posted by Carly on 07/30 at 02:19 PM
***