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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Donating breast milk

43 replies

Liz79 · 14/07/2010 18:04

I have just started doing this and would like to hear from other mums about their experiences of it. My baby is 3 months today and I started expressing for the Chester milk bank on Monday.

OP posts:
moaningminniewhingesagain · 14/07/2010 21:48

Oh well done. I only realised there was a milk bank locally that I could have donated to when DS was too old - IIRC baby needs to be under 6mo when you start donating.

It's so important for premature babies, they should definately publicise them more!

MoonFaceMama · 14/07/2010 23:28

i'd love to donate but my nearest bank is thirty odd miles away and doesn't collect.

good on you though!

Original poster
Liz79 · 15/07/2010 08:31

I emailed 3 closest, glasgow, wirral and chester. I live in carlisle but chester are willing to collect from here! Must be desperate!

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MumNWLondon · 15/07/2010 09:19

Well done. Wow, I should look into it as can easily express 3oz each morning, might email them now. As I live in London will be no shortage of local milk banks.

mamasunshine · 15/07/2010 09:23

Well done, I looked into donating with ds2, but again I was too late (over the 6 months). But due dc3 in Jan so definately going to donate this time!

duplotogo · 15/07/2010 09:25

Well done. I signed up when DD was 2m but it took AAAGES to get the blood results back to OK it (4m!) so I still have 12 mini bottles to fill and put in the freezer now!

JellyBabyLady · 15/07/2010 10:57

I'm due to go to have my blood test done for donating,, so hoping to get started soon.

Can anyone tell me what I freeze the milk in? Will they give me bottles/bags or will I need to use my own?

hildathebuilder · 15/07/2010 14:06

This is in part a shameless bump

I had a premature baby, but never had a problem with supply even from his first day. This is very unusual and the milk banks are crying out for milk and very many people can't get milk for a good few days. I met many mums who were struggling with milk which was adding stress to a very stressful time for them. Donated breast milk can literally be a lifesaver for these babies (and is a pyschological lifesaver for the mums)

As I always had plenty of milk for my teeny tiny baby when he was discharged from hospital after 8 weeks I donated all the milk which I had in the hospital freezers (which was several litres by then). It was all in their bottles they gave me- they reuse them after they've used the milk. They took it before I had done the blood tests as it was in date (they keep it up to three months- or 6 months once its pasteurised which they do nefore giving it to other babies), but once they had it they used it when the results came back.

I popped back into my nicu and scbu recently and know that they are using this milk several months later on the new preemies, and are very grateful for it. I've been struggling to decide whether to keep on bf for the last few days and just going in and reminding myself how much benefit it has at the beginning gave me more of a lift and more confidence to carry on than anything else I tried - even mn.

I can honestly say its one of the best things I have ever done. It was no bother and i firmly believe it has eased the pain and worry of other preemie mums who may be having problems with milk. Preemies struggle to digest any formula due to the very undeveloped digestive system so anyone who can express and donate please please do.

cfc · 15/07/2010 15:54

I donated tons (well maybe not! But I had lots and lots of milk) of milk for SCBU. A local midwife picked it up from me. I had frozen it for them.

They provided the bottles to store it in, I recorded the details on a sticker and popped it in the freezer. I was a hardcore expressor! I used a Medula Swing single pump. The best present I (and the SCBU babies) received from my lovely MIL. It was £82 and worth every single penny.

I'll have to dig it out for number 2.

I heard from one of my mum's friends recently, she's a SCBU nurse, that they pay a fortune for it. So I donated it to the NHS, they take it off with the bloods and get them checked and the milk is then pasturised and they sell it to the actual hospital when it's needed. I don't get that really.

You could sell it online in America for a lot too, but strange men buy it sometimes - I would never sell it to anyone. It's free, give it away to those that need it.

Original poster
Liz79 · 15/07/2010 19:11

All my admin has been done over the phone and by post. I got a big box with 50x 100ml bottles and 50x 200ml bottles. Happily they fit my medela swing The box also contained stuff for blood tests and I got a midwife friend to take it before posting it back (in special packaging, pre-paid). I also got a marker pen to label the bottles with my surname and date, a bottle of radox anti-bac soap (!) and a mug with their logo. So I can have a cuppa after presumably! oh and a freezer thermometer and record sheets for daily temps.

I now have about 600ml in the freezer

I think they use it within their own hospital first and any surplus is sold to other hospitals at a price which covers all the costs eg collecting it, testing it, pasteurising, screening mothers, storing it. I read somewhere it costs about £100 a litre. The NICE guidelines on this say it could become a cost-effective alternative to formula if it were more widespread and there was a national bank similar to the blood bank.

OP posts:
Original poster
Liz79 · 15/07/2010 20:14

sorry, about 800ml

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KickButtowski · 15/07/2010 20:37

My prem twins were in SCBU for 8 weeks and reliant on bank milk. It saved their lives in the early days when they were on 10ml every 2 hours!

Any of you who do this are amazing and should know what a vital service you are providing. I sent thank you letters via the SCBU to some of the local mums involved who could be identified and I hope they got them and knew how appreciated they were.

weasle · 15/07/2010 21:03

i am trying to donate to st thomas;s milk bank. i'm finding it difficult to find enough time to express with 3 pre-schoolers, and can never express very much. but i am determined to do it and hearing these stories help motivate me, thanks.

they gave me bottles and labels and will collect via courier when i have 2 litres. will take me a month to get that at this rate!

it should definitely be pubilcised more so more people can donate to help those tiny babies.

MoonFaceMama · 16/07/2010 12:09

Right, have had a think and rekon I could do the drive to huddersfield every so often, so have emailed them afterall! Also CHester, who apparently will collect all the way from leeds, so you never know... That info was turned up from another parenting forum which will go unnamed...

Original poster
Liz79 · 16/07/2010 12:22

well done moon face! I know on the 'who's who' on Chester's website it says they have volunteer drivers so I'm sure you could deliver to Huddersfield every so often. My in laws live near Chester and they will take the milk down to the hospital when they visit us. The bank is going to lend us an insulated bag and freezer blocks. The bank will collect it too if they are in the area.

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MoonFaceMama · 16/07/2010 12:56

yay! I really hope it works out....tbh it might come down to who is quickest (ds is five months) and if they can lend me a pump as don't have one and am skint!

JumpingJellyfish · 16/07/2010 13:06

Just also wanted to thank all the Mums here who donate breastmilk- and encourage anyone able to do so to try!

DS was born 10 weeks early and relied of donor breastmilk for first 3-4 days (at first only 0.5ml every 30 mins!) until my milk came in and until I was well enough to express for him myself. Premature babies fare much better on breastmilk than on any types of formula, and makes them less like to develop NEC (necrotising enterocolitis) which is a serious risk to preemies and often a cause of death.

Sadly with each of my pregnancies I have ended up on blood pressure meds that mean I cannot donate milk, in spite of having a huge supply- so it makes me especially grateful to the Mums who do donate. Thank you!

JellyBabyLady · 16/07/2010 21:31

Bottles arrived from the hospital today and I've expressed my first contribution!!

BikeRunSki · 16/07/2010 21:40

IF you want to donate milk, but can't get to your nearest milk bank, contact your local NCT branch. Our branch collects milk from ladies who can't get to the nearest milk bank and delivers it for them.

MoonFaceMama · 17/07/2010 11:57

That's interesting BRS . Chester have already been back in touch and will collect they collect from as far as hull

Original poster
Liz79 · 17/07/2010 20:18

me thinks chester are desperate! Wonder how far south and west they go! Holyhead and southampton?

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mcflumpy · 17/07/2010 20:26

I donated when DD was @ 6 mo had about 1 litre frozen all dated etc it was so easy to do & wish I'd known about it earlier. My local bank were great said ordinarily they prefer milk not be in bags but they did accept it from me as I think they were desperate. I'd def do it if I have another baby. It's nice to hear that it does help.

FrozenNorth · 17/07/2010 22:26

I'm in County Durham. Does anyone know whether it's possible to donate around here? On the UKAMB website the nearest bank seems to be Huddersfield, which is probably too far for them to want to collect milk from me. Ugh. I have loads of extra milk (still feeding toddler as well as new baby but toddler's consumption is decreasing).

notsotinybaba · 17/07/2010 22:36

Donating milk is fantastic. DD was prem and only small but I had enough milk for the entire scbu. So I donated lots. I will definately do it again next time. Such a brilliant cause.

thelittlebluepills · 17/07/2010 22:45

I donated 5 litres of milk after DS2 was born - it has brought a tear to my eye to hear of some of the stories of how it can help

It's just a shame that they don't really want your milk after 6 months as it would have been great to keep eating so much cake without guilt help out more

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