Milk sharing

When I was not a mom yet, I will admit, i was probably pretty ignorant to alot of issues that motherhood presents. One in particular is milk sharing. If you  would have ask me 5 years ago maybe even 3 (after my daughter was born!) If I knew what milk sharing was, I can say with all honesty that i would have had no clue.

Since I didn’t breastfeed my daughter for long, I can admit that I didn’t know much about breastmilk in general. I tried pumping but looking back now, truely didn’t put in time or effort it required.

When my son was about 6 months old I can across a mother in need of donor milk, I didn’t really know her expect that we had friends and generally the same interests in common. I had a decent freezer stash and remember thinking, “it would be really nice to help her out!”. I went to my freezer stash, and dug out 60  ounces. The mother would I was donating to was out of town and traveling in to the area, I met a family member of hers and the deed was done.

I really can’t even begin to tell you how I felt in that moment. I beamed with pride that I not only provide the nourishment for my own child but helped feed another, even if it was only a few days. I beleive its goes without saying that I didn’t donate for the credit, but sometimes in the shuffle of life especially in parenthood it’s easy to feel unappreciated. I know that this mother genuinely was thankful for this gift of liquid gold and knowing that it helped her daughter was really special moment  for me. Anyone who has ever had or wanted to pump knows how much time, dedication and love goes into each and every pumping session, and it certainly isn’t something that comes easy for all lactating mothers.

It is truly a a selfless act to donate and as weird as it may sound, I offer it up to any mother in need. Don’t get me wrong, I do not think that there is anything wrong with formula or giving it to your baby, I also think that’s it’s great for whoever needs it for whatever reason. With that being said, I think that’s why milk sharing is so important. If you have the extra supply and the means, I promise milk sharing will be a rewarding exprience for all parties involved.  You can do it informally or privately, through an organization such as Eats on Feets and Human Milk for Human Babies and a more formal setting such as a milk bank.

Lindsey

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article sponsered by Northern Michigan certified lactation consulting and Mother Hubbards Country Cupboard