Milk Donation!
So I got my donor number from the milk bank, and started writing it on the baggies of milk I pumped and then froze. (I was also labelling them with the date and how many ounces.) Then, after the milk bank had gotten approval from my doctor and Squiddle's, they sent me the paperwork for a blood test, so I went down the street and did that. At no cost to me, mind you; they paid for it. And when my test results came back all good, the bank called me to let me know, and sent me an ice chest for me to be able to ship the frozen milk to them. Again, at their expense; they cover the cost of FedExing the chest both ways. The only cost for me in this endeavor is the cost of the milk storage bags, which is pretty minimal. Pennies per each.
Yesterday at my parents', I dug through all the baggies they had in their freezer (they have much more freezer space than I do, so were storing some of it for me). And today, I dug that milk back out of my freezer, along with all the milk that I'd been holding onto. I put it all in the bag that came in the chest, stuffed the remaining space with crumpled newspaper, sealed the chest back up, and called FedEx for a pickup. It'll be express shipped overnight, the cold of the milk keeping everything frozen, and arrive at the bank tomorrow morning for them to process.
Forty-six bags of frozen milk, totalling 179.25 ounces. That's almost three gallons!
Packing the milk in the ice chest.
The ice chest all sealed up and ready to go.
And a closeup of that red label for those wondering what it says.
I have about a dozen bags left in my freezer, and about a half-dozen left in my parents'. They're from dates when Squiddle had a rash, and when I was on antibiotics. The Squiddle being a healthy kid, this milk is perfectly safe for him to drink, but given that the donated milk is going to sick and premature babies, the bank did not wish for me to donate my expressed milk from those dates.
When I have enough milk pumped to make another donation (100 ounces minimum), I simply need to call them and they'll send me another ice chest. Lather, rinse, repeat. Overall, this is an entirely painless process, and it makes me feel good. Anyone who happens to be a nursing mother producing enough milk for their child's needs, and considering this, I say go for it! And if anyone has questions, I'm happy to answer.
Yesterday at my parents', I dug through all the baggies they had in their freezer (they have much more freezer space than I do, so were storing some of it for me). And today, I dug that milk back out of my freezer, along with all the milk that I'd been holding onto. I put it all in the bag that came in the chest, stuffed the remaining space with crumpled newspaper, sealed the chest back up, and called FedEx for a pickup. It'll be express shipped overnight, the cold of the milk keeping everything frozen, and arrive at the bank tomorrow morning for them to process.
Forty-six bags of frozen milk, totalling 179.25 ounces. That's almost three gallons!
Packing the milk in the ice chest.
The ice chest all sealed up and ready to go.
And a closeup of that red label for those wondering what it says.
I have about a dozen bags left in my freezer, and about a half-dozen left in my parents'. They're from dates when Squiddle had a rash, and when I was on antibiotics. The Squiddle being a healthy kid, this milk is perfectly safe for him to drink, but given that the donated milk is going to sick and premature babies, the bank did not wish for me to donate my expressed milk from those dates.
When I have enough milk pumped to make another donation (100 ounces minimum), I simply need to call them and they'll send me another ice chest. Lather, rinse, repeat. Overall, this is an entirely painless process, and it makes me feel good. Anyone who happens to be a nursing mother producing enough milk for their child's needs, and considering this, I say go for it! And if anyone has questions, I'm happy to answer.