Become a milk donor - and save a life!
If you find breastfeeding a doddle and your freezer is overflowing with expressed milk, then why not donate your milk to a Milk Bank and help save a new life? Alison Perrett tells us how...
- A life-saving experience
- How to provide donated milk
- When can you start donating?
- Find a milk bank near you
I felt so fortunate to give birth to a healthy, full-term baby. The overwhelming experience of childbirth makes every mother feel great empathy for those who are not so lucky and have a sick or premature baby. That is why I became a milk donor. Your milk can be the elixir of life for a sick or premature baby and can take some pressure off a stressed out new mother at a very difficult time.
Lucy, age 37, is a mother who experienced the benefits of the Milk Bank first hand. At 32 weeks pregnant Lucy fell ill and was admitted to Queen Charlotte's Hospital. Tests revealed that her baby had a very low blood count and she had to have an emergency C-section. Myfanwy was born in July 2001 weighing only 4lbs 1oz. Miffy was anaemic and being too young to suckle she was fed intravenously initially and then also by suckling for her first three and a half weeks. While Lucy was recovering and waiting for her milk to come in Miffy received her first few feeds of milk from the stores of the hospital's Milk Bank.
Lucy was discharged from the hospital after three days but her daughter remained behind. Lucy visited all day, every day to be by Miffy's side and express precious milk for her feeds. It was whilst expressing her milk in the hospital's neo-natal unit that Lucy became aware of the Milk Bank. 'I was easily producing more milk than I needed,' recalls Lucy. 'But there were new mothers around me who desperately wanted to feed their baby with breast milk but had difficulty expressing. One of the nurses mentioned that I could donate my excess milk to the hospital's milk bank.'
Having benefited from the Bank's precious resources, Lucy was only too pleased to become a milk donor. 'The care we received at Queen Charlotte's was wonderful and I am full of praise for all the staff,' she says. 'Because we were given so much it is great to know I can give something back. Giving milk is such a simple act but every drop is so precious."
Once Miffy had settled in at home, Lucy began donating her milk to the Bank. Miffy is now 18 weeks old and fighting fit at 8lbs 5oz and Lucy still provides regular milk donations to Queen Charlotte's.
And how did she feel when she finally took her beautiful daughter home? 'It was the greatest feeling in the world!' says Lucy.
It's easy! Express your milk once a day, place the milk in plastic containers provided to you by the Milk Bank and store in the freezer. I find it's best to express from one breast while my baby is feeding from the other. You should find that expressing milk every day still leaves you with an ample supply for your baby. When you have built up a store, someone from the Milk Bank will usually visit your house and collect the milk. If you feel your supply is getting low, don't worry - you are under no obligation to continue and you can stop donating at any time.
Once you have established a good milk supply for your baby you can start donating. A month or two after your baby's birth is a good time for you to make this decision. Before you start donating you will be asked questions about your health and lifestyle. You will also need to have a blood test to ensure you have no infections that may be passed on through the milk.
Further information about becoming a milk donor and your nearest milk bank can be found at www.ukamb.org or email info@ukamb.org.
Where to next?
- Talk to other mothers about breastfeeding or milk donations on our Feeding discussion forum
- For more information on how to breastfeeding, check our expert advice
- Check on your baby's development, with our guide
- Start saving for your baby with the help of our interactive tool
