Appeal for Milk donations

liliq

Hi All,

The UK milk bank is currently really really low on breastmilk supplies and are seeking donations.
The Fermanagh branch of the milk bank is the only milk bank in Ireland, and is where breastmilk for sick and premature babies is sourced when a babies mum can't yet meet the milky needs of her baby.

I know it can be a real pain to express, but if any breastfeeding mums of babies under 13 months have an abundant supply and would be willing to express and make a donation, I'll link the details below.
They usually require quite a lot for a first time donation, but they are in desperate need at the moment, so I think they're willing to take smaller amounts.

Please consider donating.

http://www.ukamb.org/

Thanks

How Strange

If there is a next time I'll definitely do this.

January

I forgot all about this when I stopped breastfeeding I had milk for months afterwards. Damn...

Ericaa

Awww, just saw this in the FAQ


"I’m going to be staying near a milk bank on a visit to the UK from abroad. Can I donate while I’m there?

Thank you very much for considering donating your precious breastmilk while you are staying here in the UK. We regret that we will be unable to accept it as all milk donors need to be UK residents and registered with the health care system here. "

wmpdd3

That doesnt sound right, members of the cruidu group i go to are donation, they have been sent bags and boxes already.

TwoMums2Be

It sounds spot on to me as there would need to be medical protocols in place before accepting breast milk from a donor - HIV for instances is present in breast milk if the woman producing it is living with HIV.

dublinlady

TwoMums2Be wrote: »

It sounds spot on to me as there would need to be medical protocols in place before accepting breast milk from a donor - HIV for instances is present in breast milk if the woman producing it is living with HIV.

Yeah I think it's similar to donating blood? As in you have to be a resident? I know I was refused to give blood in Ireland as i had lived in the uk, even tho I'm Irish.
There would have to be a big element of traceability for something so important ?
Would hepatitis etc also be passed on if the mother had it? Not sure if that's just blood borne or all bodily fluids? Anyway I'd say it's right too!

liliq

Ericaa wrote: »

Thank you very much for considering donating your precious breastmilk while you are staying here in the UK. We regret that we will be unable to accept it as all milk donors need to be UK residents and registered with the health care system here. "

Milk from UK donors is used in UK hospitals, milk donated from ROI donors is used in ROI hospitals, so if you're in ROI you can send donated milk to the Fermanagh milk bank (it's the only one on the island), they process it etc, and it's used in the HSE system.

dublinlady wrote: »

Yeah I think it's similar to donating blood? As in you have to be a resident? I know I was refused to give blood in Ireland as i had lived in the uk, even tho I'm Irish.
There would have to be a big element of traceability for something so important ?
Would hepatitis etc also be passed on if the mother had it? Not sure if that's just blood borne or all bodily fluids? Anyway I'd say it's right too!

If you've lived in the UK in a certain period you can't donate- that much is the very same as blood donation.

crissire

I just finished my breast milk donation sent it last week 14 bottles..!! It was hard at times considering I have a 8 month old and a 3 year old and busy as you all can imagine but happy I did it and hoping my efforts will help many little babies I hope they get more donors

liliq

crissire wrote: »

I just finished my breast milk donation sent it last week 14 bottles..!! It was hard at times considering I have a 8 month old and a 3 year old and busy as you all can imagine but happy I did it and hoping my efforts will help many little babies I hope they get more donors

Wow, that's brilliant! How did you manage to find time to pump? I haven't really got into a routine yet. I'm on my 6th bottle in as many weeks!

crissire

I was in the process of weaning my baby off breastfeeding (well,I still am..!!) so the feeds I didn't give her because I gave her a bottle instead I will pump I also used to get up very early in the morning around 7 to pump as I used to be quite full in the morning and by the time she was up I had a big supply again so it took me about a month to finish off it was hard going at times but worth it

holding

Bumping this thread rather than starting a new one, hope that is okay.

I recently started donating to the milk bank, it has been a great experience. I rang them on 0044 2868628333 and answered a short questionnaire over the phone (things like do I smoke, how much coffee/ alcohol do I drink, age, etc). Your baby must be 6 months old or less to donate, and the minimum donation is three litres. A couple of days later they posted me a box with 12 7oz bottles that had been pre-sterilized. Once I have filled those, I give them a call to organise sending them back. The lady on the phone was very nice and helpful. They are extremely grateful for any donation. There is so little milk that it is prioritized for very sick preemies and can really turn their chances around. I had no idea this existed until a couple of months ago and would have done it sooner had I known. Thought a post here might spread the word a bit

Oral Slang

I donated some milk to a mother that was travelling from the US to Ireland and needed it for her child. 32 weeks pregnant now, so depending on supply this time round, I might try donate to the milk bank!

Ericaa

I completely forgot to thank OP for letting me know about this!

Was so thrilled when this came in the post! There was also a thank you letter. I couldn't imagine a better way to start the day!

Moonbeam

That is lovely:)

olaola

Just kind of bumping this thread, as I'm interested in donating milk. Himself is only 8 weeks, but I've managed to store up a bit in the freezer for an upcoming wedding, so I reckon I could definitely do the same for donation. I can't donate blood at the moment, and they're sending me pleading texts! So donating the milk would ease my guilt

Andso

I've just sent in my first donation. My lo is 5 months old and exclusively bf so I pumped in the morning after her feed. It took 2 months to get the 15 bottles so I doubt if I'll be able to do another 15 in one month as you can't donate once baby is over 6 months. Thrilled I did it as it's something I've always wanted to do.

ThisRegard

Fair play. My wife gave 2 donations and got a letter a week or two ago mentioning that her milk was given to 2 babies who had gut surgery which touched her.

Hotchkiss

Hello all, just wondering if this is a new thing about baby being six months old? I donated about 2 years ago and my baby was 9 months old at the time ... I did send them the 15 bottles and after doing all the tests they did send it to two hospitals in Dublin and I was informed by post that all my milk was used and that it did help 5 babies..! I was thrilled about the news, I do encourage everybody that can to do it because it's a very rewarding experience and of course to know that you are helping others.. Great thing

kandr10

I would have loved to do it but didn't realise the baby had to be under 6 months. I'd say most would be lucky to make one donation at that rate. Would it not be a waste of energy if they only test the milk when you've the full donation made? Imagine you went to the trouble and they rejected it?
Fair play to any of you ladies who did it. Amazing thing to do.

IvyTheTerrible

My sister-in-law gave litres of breastmilk on each child (she was VERY productive!), I'd love to have done it but it was hard just having enough milk for my baby. Maybe next time?

looksee

Bit off topic, but 40-odd years ago when I had my first, breast feeding was extremely unusual, to the extent that I was the only person in the nursing home who was breast feeding. A nurse came to me and asked me if I would express milk for prem twins (I never saw them) which I was happy to do. A couple of days later another nurse (a very cheerful and pleasant West Indian lady) saw me feeding my own and said 'Ah you're the lady with the beautiful breasts!'. It has always stayed with me, I am so glad it is possible now to collect breast milk for children who need it.

Sligo1

Seriously thinking of doing this aswell. Focusing on trying to get my 12 week old to take EBM from bottle and when she takes it i'll have time to give them a call and express some extra for donation.

Andso

It's not something that is put out there, not sure if there is a slight taboo or something.
Maybe it has to do with our very poor uptake of breast feeding in this country. If I could have taped the look on my post mans face when he gave me my box of bottles to sign for. It had a label on it which read
HUMAN MILK BANK
He was scarlet!
Gonna make sure I'm right about the 6 months because I feed mine till 14/16 months so would be able to do another few donations. I think it has to do with the nutrients needed are no longer present in the milk after 6 months.

Little My

They don't accept milk from mothers with babies over 6 months. Like Andso said, I think its because your milk changes as you start weaning your baby. If anyone is thinking of it definitely follow up with a call to the office in Irvinestown, Co.Fermanagh. I always found that there is usually someone around in the mornings, and if you leave a message they always get back to you.

olaola

I've just signed up to donate. Himself has started to drop two feeds at night, so before I drop them myself I'm going to donate! Should get about a litre a week, so hopefully I'll have the 3 litres by Sept

Andso

I just got a beautiful letter back from the milk bank to say my milk helped 3 babies. So happy I did it.

hypergirl

Can I ask how large each bottle is?

Andso

Each bottle is 7oz and they take 15 bottles minimum.

happywithlife

Am hopeless at expressing and only a few ozs at a time - not sure I could get 7oz in one pump - am I right in thinking you'd have to fill a 7oz bottle in one pump and freeze it straight away

Hotchkiss

happywithlife wrote: »

Am hopeless at expressing and only a few ozs at a time - not sure I could get 7oz in one pump - am I right in thinking you'd have to fill a 7oz bottle in one pump and freeze it straight away

Hello happywithlife, no you don't have to fill it in one go, you express what you can and leave it in the fridge if you are going to express again that day or in the freezer if you are not and then the next time you express just get the milk you have express and storage in the fridge for a while and then refill the one in the freezer you had start it and so on.!
Good luck and fair play, it was one of the most rewarding things I ever did

Pataman

Ladies, as one of the blood bikers that deliver this milk to the hospitals, I tip my hat(or helmet to you).
We see first hand the size of these poor creatures you are helping. When you see a tiny baby, some no bigger than your fist, with more pipes and wires, it is truly humbling to see the difference you make.
We often get calls to deliver at short notice as the hospital has run short, when a few new premature mothers present themselves.

Keep up the good work and spread the word.

Andso

No, you pump what u are able and freeze it then next time you pump, put it in fridge for 8 hours and then add to your frozen milk. I was only able to get 4oz at a time and that's what I did. The only thing you can't do is add warm milk to frozen milk

Sligo1

How long do you get to fill the 15 bottles? LO is 21 weeks now... Think I might be running out of time to donate if they have to be under 6 months?

lynski

To ladies who are having trouble expressing it is possible your pump flange, breast bit, is too small. If you are a second time + mom this can often be the case. Do some research and you might find your output increases.

Hotchkiss

It took me about 7 weeks to do the 14/15 bottles so that wasn't too bad.!

Sligo1

Hotchkiss wrote: »

It took me about 7 weeks to do the 14/15 bottles so that wasn't too bad.!

Thanks. And was it definitely stipulated your baby needed to be under 6 months? I might just give them a bell

Hotchkiss

Sligo1 wrote: »

Thanks. And was it definitely stipulated your baby needed to be under 6 months? I might just give them a bell

My baby at the time was 8 months going into 9 and I didn't have any problems donating they knew about it of course... It's more my milk went to help 5 little babies and they contacted me a few times after to see if I could donate more but at that stage I already had stop breastfeeding or just finishing If you know what I mean but I think for what some posters said here things may have changed when it comes to the age of your baby, best call them and ask them I did it around 2 years ago

hypergirl

Qq. I just got the starter pack but confused how to throw away the first few drops. I collect direct into a bottle from the pump. How did you manage this?

olaola

hypergirl wrote: »

Qq. I just got the starter pack but confused how to throw away the first few drops. I collect direct into a bottle from the pump. How did you manage this?

Me too! I tried to throw away the first few drops, but when I took the pump off after the let down my boobs just sprayed milk everywhere!!

hypergirl

Yea this happens to me too. Glad I'm not alone.

hypergirl

Yea this happens to me too. Glad I'm not alone.

olaola

I just rang them today to organise sending my milk back. And they somehow inveigled me to donate more! They need milk for older than 6 months old at the moment. So if you were thinking of donating, but thought it was too late - give them a ring.