Donating Breast Milk

While the topic may seem taboo to some, to others it is liquid gold. My son refuses a bottle but I still need to pump to maintain my supply. My son also has reflux so I have to watch what I eat and am on a low dairy diet. There are babies that can not tolerate even the most hypoallergenic of formulas. These babies needs mamas milk, sometimes milk from mommas that are on a very specific diet to eliminate allergens. There are a couple of different ways to donate. Milk banks which screen donors, pasteurize the milk and sell it by prescription for 2-5 dollars an ounce. Or, places like MilkShare (http://milkshare.forumotion.com/forum.htm), where recipients screen their own donors and pay to have the milk shipped to them or find a local donor to meet up with. I have gone through MilkShare. Once I donated over 200oz to IFs of twins via surrogacy. I packed all the milk up with dry ice and shipped it overnight to Washington state. It cost about $150 to ship it. Then my supply crashed from being sick. I still continue to donate what little extra I pump to a local mom with twins who also have reflux and do not tolerate formula. There are many reasons people choose breast milk. In my opinion "Breast is Best"