© 2010, Carol Peterson, ICCE, CD(DONA) Erie, PA
Birth Journeys
Carol Peterson, ICCE, HCHI, CD(DONA)
Instilling Confidence in Birth Since 2004
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Got Milk to Spare? Share It!
At my Hypnobabies training in July, I roomed with a girl who was an occasional wet
nurse. I was intrigued, and of course full of questions. She nursed a newborn three
times a week, and pumped a few ounces in-
Likewise, my sister-
Recently, I had the privilege of helping a former student donate a freezer-
I know human milk banks exist, but never met any one who had donated or received milk from others. It is amazing that in the last few months, all of the above stories came to my attention, so the feature article this month is on the topic of milk banks and milk donation. If you are breastfeeding, won't you consider donating milk, so that other moms might benefit?
Who Can Donate Milk?
After passing a careful screening process, similar to the process used for donating blood, donors must also meet the following criteria:
- be non-
smokers - not regularly consume any meds (including mega-
vitamins) - not consume excluded meds or alcohol during the specified donation period
- not consume excessive amounts of caffeine during the specified donation period
Donors are given instruction on how to properly label and freeze the milk to prepare it for shipment.
What Happens to Donated Milk?
Because breast milk changes to meet a baby's specific nutritional needs as he gets
older, milk from several donors is pooled together. This helps make the milk better
suited for any aged child. After it is pooled, it is heat-