Getting the word out...

I recently started a Facebook page to continue to get the word out about milk donation. I'm hoping to build a community via social networking. I'm not trying to set up milk sharing, as there are several organizations for that. I want to get the word out, inform, and educate.

I recently made a post on a mom networking site that asked for peoples thoughts and opinions on milk donation and the answers were varied and very enlightening. Over several blog posts, I hope to address several of the responses I received to my inquiry.

There is still a lot of work to do to get the word out. For now, check out my Facebook page here.

A matter of perspective

Not too long ago, my oldest brother and his family were over for dinner. It's no secret to most people that are close to me that I'm a milk donor and the topic came up. As we discussed it, my brother asked how much I had donated, jokingly asking if I had been able to collect a couple gallons. I let him know it was more than that and the last count to date from the milk bank was about 3800 ounces. "What's that?" He asks as he pulls out his phone with it's handy calculator. "Divide by 128," I tell him (this is the number of ounces in a gallon). As he calculates it up and sees the result, he practically chokes on his food and sheepishly puts his phone away with an approving nod. "How much is it?" his wife inquires. "About 30 gallons," he responds. Now, this sounds like a lot, and it is. Imagine thirty gallons of milk. This is not hard to do since many of us have milk in our homes and even if we don't, often we can recognize how much a gallon is. 30 of those is a lot. It is something I am proud of. When I consider this journey, I look at what I have been able to collect, and it's a good amount (and growing). I certainly do acknowledge that this is a significant amount, and not everyone will be able to contribute this. Although, from what I've been told by the milk bank, some donors have even contributed far more! Though tempting to make a competition out of this, I really can't. All I can do is keep doing what I'm doing. The final number doesn't really matter. What matters is that I'm giving. And here's some more perspective to consider. In a previous post, I described how in one week, the milk bank was short 3000 ounces. That's not the total amount requested in a week, that's just what they couldn't provide. I don't know how much they actually did provide or the total amount requested. What I do know is that the amount they were short was almost the entire amount that I had donated over 8.5 mo. Yes, my 30 gallons, used in a week's time, and then some. 8.5 mo of "work" gone, just like that. So, while it seems like a lot, it really is just a blip compared to the demand. Assuming that most donors don't offer up 30 gallons over their time donating, it makes it especially important that more donors come forth. A minimum donation for my milk bank is 100 ounces. 30 moms making this minimum donation will equal that 3000 that the milk bank was short for that week. The higher likelihood is that donor moms are able to donate more, like between 150 and 200 ounces and that means that 20 moms can fill that demand or that those same 30 could offer up 4500-6000 ounces. See how big of a difference that is? Every little bit helps.

"Booby Traps" in the NICU and How Donor Milk Can Help

I recently read an article from a great site, Best for Babes, that discussed challenges to breastfeeding that moms encounter when their baby must spend time in the NICU. The article was one of many in a series that brings to light societal challenges to breastfeeding that almost leave breastfeeding moms defenseless and defeated. In any case, one of the NICU challenges the article discussed mentions lack of donor milk.

The lack of milk available in NICUs is multi-facited. Some hospitals don't offer donated milk at all forcing moms of fragile babies to depend on artificial feeding if she experiences difficulty or is not allowed to provide milk herself via nursing or pumping. Some hospitals offer donated milk, but it may not be a feasible option if the patient's insurance does not cover the cost (despite the fact that treating illnesses that donated milk can help fight could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars more in comparison). Only a few hospitals provide donated milk (if the mother can't/doesn't provide it) regardless of insurance (at cost to the hospital) but typically this is based on the gestational age of the preemie. Fortunately this number of hospitals is growing, but it is still very low. The cost of donated milk itself can be daunting if insurance refuses to pay for it. Donated milk can cost $3-4 per ounce. That means if parents choose donated milk regardless of the insurance company's refusal to pay, parents could spend $16-60 PER DAY their baby is in the NICU. Depending on the age and development of the baby, that could be several months worth of milk. In addition, physically having the adequate quantity needed on hand to provide to babies is necessary as well, which is a huge concern considering that over the past several weeks, the milk bank I donate to was several thousand ounces short of requested milk. They physically could not supply what was needed by the hospitals they provide milk for.

Certainly, it is up to the administrations of individual hospitals to determine if they will make donor milk available to their patients, but likely lack of supply could be a leading factor in the decision. Obviously, one of the biggest contributing factors to helping babies thrive in the NICU is encouraging and supporting the moms to breastfeed and pump for their infants. Donor milk can help fill in the gaps to protect these babies from life-threatening diseases. The more moms that are willing to become donors and the more milk that is donated will help relieve some of the stress on hospitals meaning they have more to provide to their patients. If these hospitals are able to receive adequate supplies, perhaps more hospitals could be served by milk banks, helping more babies.

It's a lot of pressure when the big picture is examined, but every ounce counts - in more ways than one, and every donor can help new moms break free from a very common "booby trap."

Milk Shortages - How it All Adds Up

I recently received an e-mail update/newsletter from the milk bank i work with that described continued shortages of donor milk. The situation is so dire that they describe being short by several thousand ounces PER WEEK of the demand of the hospitals they work with. This situation is so bad, they are starting to offer incentives for referring donor moms.

To put things into perspective, let's look at how this divides up. They listed a shortage of 3000 ounces for this week. A baby weighing 6.5 lbs takes in 18 ounces per day. That amount that they are short could feed 166 babies in a day, or one baby for 166 days, or 5 babies for a month. Now take into consideration that most preemies that receive this milk are much smaller than 6.5 lbs and take in less milk. Think how far that amount goes. Or look at it and consider how desperate the need really is.

You may ask what the big deal is when formula is available. Well, the truth is, formula is inadequate. Babies in general stand the best fighting chance from receiving breastmilk to keep them healthy and protect them from pathogens. As many moms know hospitals and doctors offices can pose risks to young children with little or no immune system because that's where other children go to be treated for illnesses. Combine that with a pre-mature baby whose system isn't as developed as it should be and you aren't just dealing with a new immune system, but the whole body that is developmentally behind. Preemies are especially susceptible to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) which basically equates to death of their intestinal tract. The longer babies are kept in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) the longer they are at risk for getting NEC and the higher the mortality rate. The goal is to get babies as healthy as possible in the shortest amount of time possible so they can go home as soon as possible. The fastest way to do this is to feed breastmilk to these babies. Sadly, in many cases the early birth of the baby often doesn't allow the mother's system to catch up hormonally so she is making milk as she would with a full term baby. Also, given the need for the babies to be monitored and restricted from potentially harmful pathogens, these babies don't get the full benefits of skin to skin contact and unlimited access to the breast which also can inhibit optimum milk production for the mama. This means that donor milk is the preemies' best chance of getting to a healthy weight and developmentally mature enough to go home in the shortest amount if time (not to mention the immune components of breastmilk that help form a protective barrier from NEC).

Lives can be saved from donor milk, but if it is unavailable, in cases where the birth mom is unable to provide milk, formula must be used. This means the preemies may remain in the NICU for longer and don't have the added protection from NEC because formula cannot provide any immune components. Donors are vitally important. Spread the word to healthy nursing mamas you know that may be able to help. A little can go a long way.

Freezer Stash

My deep freeze is not typical. Most people have meat and other foods. My deep freeze? It has milk. Ok, sure, it has some of those other things too, but more space is taken up in my freezer by pumped milk than any other item. I have a collection of bagged milk for my own use. In addition, I have rows of containers for the milk bank. Granted, they are constantly rotated as I drop off donations every 3-4 weeks, but it certainly takes up space.

About 4 gallons waiting to be donated. I usually don't let
it build up this much, but my freezer is often stack two
high on this shelf. =)

If you are planning on donating, don't be daunted by the space it may take up. There are many things you can do. First, you don't need a deep freeze. A regular freezer is just fine, but you'll need to make sure that your samples are taken in more frequently. Remember, they have to be able to receive and process your milk before it expires. A deep freeze simply allows you to collect more at a time since you can hold onto it longer. The initial donation (at least for the milk bank I work with) is 100 oz. That equals out to about 20-30 storage containers depending on the size. The good thing about smaller containers is that they fit in more nooks and crannies making this a pretty easy task. After your initial donation, you don't have to worry about quantity and you can just make a donation when the milk starts taking up too much space.

After a couple months, you'll begin to start a system of how the containers all fit and where they "go" in your freezer. You'll figure out how to maximize space and how often you'll need to drop off your donations. You develop a system and the more you do it, the more routine it becomes. Happy freezing!

Low Yield in My Region

Several weeks ago, I dropped off a donation the the drop site in my area for the milk bank. After waiting for a nutrition profile to be sent to me and not seeing it, I began to get worried that there was either a problem with my sample or it hadn't made it to the milk bank. I sent out an e-mail inquiring about it. Later that day, I received a phone call and got some disturbing news.

No, there wasn't anything wrong with my milk. They actually had picked up some donations the day I had dropped mine off, but they hadn't received mine - I probably dropped it off after they had been there and left. What was disturbing was what the representative told me about picking up the milk in general.

My drop site is one of three in the Houston area. Over the two week period spanning from the time I last made a donation (and the last time they picked up milk) to the phone conversation I was having, only 700 oz. was being reported for pick up in the entire Houston area. More than half of that was mine. That means that in that two week period, one donor was providing 68% of the milk being reported for pick up.

I was shocked and appalled and felt like the weight of the world was upon me. How was it possible that the amount collected in a two week period from the largest city in the second largest state in the US was so low and most of it came from one mom? After a further conversation with the representative, I was assured that it was a particularly low time. A normal pick up occurs roughly every 10-14 days and anywhere from 1000-3000 oz. is normally collected. Though better, that still doesn't seem like enough. And it's not. There is a huge demand and not enough donors.

Though I technically am not "carrying the city," I kind of feel like I am. I want to do something, I want to get the word out. I want to pump more in what little time I have before my little one turns one year old and I can no longer donate. The low point is not over. When I made my most recent donation, it seemed like a similar issue. The log book where we "sign in" our donation was still on the same page from my last two visits. We need to rally mamas now to help those fragile babies if they can. A small amount from a bunch of moms can make a huge difference.

Scheduling Pumping

In a recent mom group meeting one of the moms noticed that my baby was wearing a body suit that had been sent to me from the milk bank with their logo and slogan on it. On seeing it, she seemed to express concern about how pumping would work with scheduling if she did it, especially now that she has two young kiddos.

As many moms know, pumping with one little one is difficult enough. Moms that work rarely can depend on only the milk they pump while they are away from their baby. This pumping's primary purpose is to maintain milk production while away from the baby rather than provide the amount the baby would consume in that same time. It's well known that pumps are far from being as efficient as a baby at emptying the breast. A mom that works often must pump at home too, which may or may not cause scheduling conflicts when it comes to time with the baby. Add another munchkin into the mix and you can understand the difficulty.

When figuring out how pumping for the milk bank was going to work out for me, I had to consider my current schedule and how our typical day goes with both my toddler and my baby. I found that the easiest way to work in pumping was at times when my precious kiddos were either asleep or otherwise occupied and it has work out well so far.

In a normal day, I pump three times a day. I pump in the morning while my toddler is eating breakfast. He's typically pretty occupied with his breakfast and with the help of a little bit of children's television programming (which usually is all the TV he watches in a day), I'm able to keep him distracted enough so that he doesn't interfere or get too curious with the pump components. With the baby, I usually do one of two things. I can either place him in a bouncy seat close by (which now has become letting him play on the floor nearby now that he's a crawler) or nurse him on one side while pumping on the other. My mid-day pumping session occurs while the toddler takes a nap. Again, the baby is either nursing or playing nearby. If I'm really lucky, he's napping too. At nighttime, I typically wait until both boys are sleeping and take that opportunity to pump. With this schedule, I take advantage of times when the children don't need my undivided attention and they are less likely to be getting into things they shouldn't or hurting themselves while I'm "tied down." It allows me a reasonable amount of pumping. I occasionally add a second pumping session in the evenings, but it isn't part of my normal "routine."

I would say that for anyone interested in pumping for donation, this is an ideal way to approach pumping realistically. While we all want to feel like supermom, it's not always realistic. Each of us has obligations and our children and families must come first. When donating, it can be hard to set limits, but it really is to everyone's benefit. We (or at least I know I do) want so hard to make a big impact, donate all we can to help those little babes that depend on our contributions, but we have to be honest with ourselves and what is realistic. The best thing to do is look at a normal day and see when down times are. Those are the times to work in an extra pumping. Making sure we are taking care of our children and families (and of course, ourselves) is our first priority. Without that, pumping won't happen and those babes won't benefit at all, or significantly less. It is possible to work it in with multiple kids without your family suffering as a result, it's just a matter of finding the times that work best for you and setting realistic scheduling goals.

Happy pumping!