Donating Breast Milk

What happens when, at even a mere little stature, you make more breast milk than you could possibly ever feed your child with? In fact, your "loved" ones, while you attempt to contain your overflowing boob fountain, exclaim "you could feed an entire maternity ward" and expect you not to hit them.

What do you do? You donate it, of course.

Baba was a good eater. And, I apparently, was a good feeder. Little chunk doubled her birth weight in something like three hours. That might be exaggerating only slightly, but one day I looked at her to see the cutest little muffin top growing above her diaper. As a new breast feeder (and soon to be huge advocate for it), I knew I must be doing something right.

Granted, it wasn't always sunshine and puppy dogs. Girl could eat. And, did she ever. It was exhausting. I couldn't eat enough to fuel myself. But, it was well worth every minute.

When I returned to work, I started a hate affair with my pump. And, I pumped with another woman from my office who gave birth a few days after I did. Funny how any sense of modesty is gone after having a baby and there's no hesitation in flashing boobs. Said pumping friend would marvel at how much I would get from each pumping session - upwards of 8 ounces - per side. Twice a day.

You do the math.

Baba consumed three 4 - 6 ounce bottles during the day, leaving me significant leftovers that I froze. Soon husband began commenting, "so...should we buy another freezer?" That got me thinking. Could I use this precious gift was nourishing my girl so well to benefit other babies that maybe hadn't gotten so lucky?

I wanted to donate some of this milk.  But, I wasn't sure where to start. I did know that I wanted to donate through a reputable milk bank and not through Craig's List or the like. Although perfectly healthy, I wanted to be sure that, in no way, did I put any other baby in danger with my milk.  I assumed I was in perfect health, and I knew a Milk Bank would do the work for me to ensure that fact.

Turned out there are Milk Banks all over the United States. I googled to find one closest to me. Even if there wasn't one in my state, they make it really easy for you to donate from wherever you are. There is a National Milk Bank as well - but, I found solace in the fact that my state's Milk Bank brought milk back to my town. More of an emotional decision, I suppose.

Once I contacted the Milk Bank, they really did the brunt of the dirty work. I had to fill out some forms and have my blood drawn at my local hospital. Cool part: Because of my decision to donate, my hospital became a partner with the Milk Bank and they drew my blood for free! They sent the blood to the bank and when all cleared, I was ready to donate.

Most Milk Banks have pretty strict rules about collection of milk; however, it honestly wasn't different than what I was doing anyway: wash hands before pumping, clean all pump parts after each pump, store milk of like temperatures only, etc. It wasn't complicated. They sent me a box and dry ice and I shipped off 230 ounces to arrive the next day.

At the end of the day, the Milk Bank processed and pasteurized the milk making it completely safe for any critically ill or premature babies that desperately needed it.

Call it a "feel good" decision, call it whatever you want. At the end of the day, if I positively impacted the health of one other baby in this country and gave that one baby a fighting chance to get stronger and grow healthy, it was worth every minute with my pump.

 

Pulled Over While Pumping...And Other Fun Adventures

Did you know pumping while driving is a thing?   I was a bit clueless when I started my journey into breastfeeding, pumping, and pumping at work. I did not know women did this.  I would not have thought it even possible and perhaps (definitely) a little gross.  But, necessity is the mother of invention after all.  And only a mother could have invented this one.  Plus, men could never take multi-tasking to this level. (Am I right or am I right?)

When I had my first baby, CJ, I was working at a job that required overnight travel at least once a month, usually for just a night or two.  And, when I went back to work I was exclusively breastfeeding.  So clearly there would be a lot of pumping required to keep it up.  And pump I did.  So much that I started calling my breast pump the "best friend I never wanted."  It was a happy day actually when I was able to retire that contraption.

At this point, after breastfeeding and pumping for two kids for 12 months (plus) each, I would like to consider myself a bit of an expert.  Definitely an expert in pumping while travelling.  All of that pumping and travelling though created lots of opportunities for me to now have interesting stories to relate - so I will just share a few of the best.

For my first trip back to work CJ was 10 weeks old.  Yes, I left my 10 week old at home with Daddy.  You see, Daddy is perfectly capable and responsible and I was literally gone for 28 hours requiring just a 2 hour flight.  I jam-packed a lot in those hours as you can imagine.  The highlight of this first trip was realizing that I would need to pump and drive since there would be no where else (and no time) to do it.  (Why that thought didn't occur prior to the trip I don't know.)  Next was realizing I didn't have anything to cover myself with while pumping and driving.  Let's just say I definitely noticed a few men in large trucks noticing me.  It was a learning experience. (Lesson learned: bring your nursing cover to pump and drive!)

Many months down the road in this experience, I landed at an airport I had never been to before, hopped in the rental car, hooked up the pump, and headed to my meeting.  Leaving the airport the road was under construction plus I had no idea where I was going so was a bit distracted, in my defense.  Before I knew it there were lights flashing behind me.  Yep- I got pulled over for speeding in a work zone.  Crap.  I could immediately tell the police officer was definitely one of those old school cops.  Luckily, I did have my cover this time.  Remember, pumping was currently in progress but it just didn't seemed appropriate to say, "sorry officer, hold on while I disconnect my breast pump."  So, I played the "lost" card and strangely he barely questioned me. Meanwhile, I noticed that the guy he pulled over right before me was in fact getting a ticket.  I still have no idea if he realized what was going on underneath that cover but if it got me out of a ticket I am completely ok with this.  I can only imagine what he went back and said at the station that day to his fellow officers. I was just glad to get out of it and if the pump was why that's even better.

Another fond memory (although not about driving) is the time I was departing my home airport with pump and ice packs in tow.  In going through security, as was usually the case with the pump, my items were flagged for inspection. While many TSA officers I encountered had no idea of TSA policies for breast milk and pumps, this one was especially clueless.  He could not possibly understand why I was travelling with a breast pump yet with no baby and no pumped milk.  I explained numerous times I was departing on my trip and the baby was home with it's Daddy.  He repeatedly asked me again where was the baby and why wasn't it with me? Where was I going? Why didn't I have pumped milk? And on and on.  Seriously, I think he questioned me for 10 minutes.  I basically ended the conversation on him, said thank you for the concern and went on my way because he wasn't letting it go.  Of all my experiences with TSA, and their were several doozys, this was definitely the worst.

Side note: What is with the older male business traveler always using the family restrooms at airports!  Seriously. I cannot tell you the number of times I had to wait to use these restrooms to pump and out walks a single, older male dressed in a suit.  Gross.

Please tell me I am not alone in these experiences - do you pump and drive? I can't possibly be the only one these crazy things happen to. I would love to hear your hilarious adventures so feel free to share!  Pretty please?

The usual view from the driver seat

I'm Supposed to do WHAT at Work?!

Breastfeeding. It's a commitment - no question about it. And an even bigger commitment if you've decided to go back to work and continue your journey in nourishing your little one in the best way possible.  I nursed AK for 13 months and 9 days when we ended on her terms and in great peace.  I also worked full time starting at 3 months, so I pumped consistently during the work-day for 10 months.

As I was going through this, I wish I would have had the wherewithal to ask the questions that I never knew to ask.  (Yeah, I'm not sure that makes sense either).  I did a little bit of googling, but nothing really geared toward building and sustaining a relationship with your pump while at work.  And a relationship it is.

So, here's all the stuff your mother never told you about pumping at work:

1.  It's not all that much fun. Let's call a spade a spade. You're hooked up to a machine, by the breasts once or twice a day.

2.  It is required - by law - that your workplace allow you to pump while at work.  Here are the specifics (from the US Department of Labor's website). Four months after I finished my nursing experience, I still wish I knew some of these when I was going through it:

• Employers are required to provide “reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for 1 year after the child’s birth each time such employee has need to express the milk.”

• Employers are also required to provide “a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.”

• Employers are not required under the FLSA to compensate nursing mothers for breaks taken for the purpose of expressing milk. However, where employers already provide compensated breaks, an employee who uses that break time to express milk must be compensated in the same way that other employees are compensated for break time.

• While pumping, the employee must be completely relieved from duty OR compensation is required.

3. Eat and drink and then eat and drink some more.  I know, I know.  It's hard enough to just stay upright at work when you're sleep deprived and missing your kiddo. I didn't eat enough, my weight plummeted (it's not as glorious as it sounds, I promise) and my supply dropped. You may very well end up pumping during your lunch break. That's fine, but be sure to actually eat your lunch.

4.  Speaking of lunch - for the first eight months of being back to work, I rode a little moped about six blocks to AK's school where I nursed her. Committed I was and I understand this is absolutely not possible for everyone. But, if it is, I would highly recommend it. It keeps you connected to your babe, gives you a little break and keeps your supply higher.

5.  And while we're on the topic of supply... the pump is not nearly as efficient as your baby.  Period. When I first started, I was pumping anywhere from 10 to 12 ounces once per day (in addition to the lunch feed). Please understand that this is higher than normal from what I have heard.  By the end of the eight months, I was down to about four ounces once per day. It was shocking, but it is natural. To keep supply as high as possible:

• Relax. A sure-fire way to negatively impact your supply is to worry.  So, stop that now.

• Put up a picture. Hang a cute (aren't they all cute?!) picture of your little one somewhere in your pumping area. It helps.

• Mother's Milk Tea. I'm not really sure how much it helped, but it made me feel better.

6.  Storage.  I recommend transferring your milk into plastic milk storage bags. It's easier to store and easier to transport. Any of these work just fine. You can do one of two things:

• Store it in a fridge somewhere. It'd be great if we all had our own private fridge at work, but that's not always possible. If you do use a public fridge, it's a nice idea to find something covert to store it in. I used an ice bucket that was not in circulation at my hotel. But, you could also use a lunch box or cooler.

• Store it in an insulated cooler. Use an ice pack and it will stay cool enough to get home and get into the fridge or freezer.

7.  Turn the other way.  There will be naysayers. There will be people who give you attitude or funny looks or whisper. Who cares, really? I held a pretty big job during AK's first year of life and I remained steadfastly committed to continuing our nursing relationship. And, am I ever glad I did. You don't have to explain anything to anyone about your choice. Congratulations for making this choice!

8 Real Tips for Pumping While Travelling without your Baby

For the past four years, my job required that I travelled overnight one or more times a month, mostly requiring air travel.  Also during the past four years I had two babies, each of which I breastfed for 12 months.  The bright side of this is that I have become quite experienced travelling with my pump (hilarious stories about my travels told separately).  I see so many questions about this subject in various message boards, so below are my tricks of the trade, so to speak, for managing this endeavor.  Happy Pumping!

1.     Ice Packs.  Bring ice packs proportional to the amount of pumped milk you plan to carry home.  For example, if you will be gone a week, then 1-2 ice packs is not enough.  If you plan to carry ice packs on the plane, make sure they are frozen to avoid extra screening through security.  I usually would pack my extra ice packs in my checked bag if possible to avoid having to carry them on plane before I needed them. 

2.     Milk Storage and Transport.  Depending on the length of your trip, you will need more space than your pump cooler bag allows.  I purchased a foldable, neoprene cooler bag of medium size and packed it in my suitcase.  On my return trip home, I packed it full of milk and ice packs allowing for plenty of space to bring home the milk.  No need to dump any milk!

3.     No place to Pump, No problem.  During much of my travel, I was driving from meeting to meeting.  Because of this I either had no time or no place to pump.  Out of necessity, and this may sound crazy, but I had to learn to pump and drive.  This endeavor is actually quite easy.  Hook up your pump as normal and place it in the passenger seat.  Ideally, instead of using a battery pack (I always found the pump wasn’t as powerful when run off batteries), purchase an appropriate cord to connect pump to the car’s lighter outlet. Bonus if the car has an actual outlet.  The key to this scenario is to also bring your nursing cover so once the pump is going, cover yourself up and pump away!  No one you drive by will be the wiser.

4.     Pumping at the Airport. The best place to pump without a doubt is a family restroom.  There is always an outlet, usually a bench and/or shelf, and is completely private.  Do not feel guilty for hogging the family restroom for 20 minutes.  I have seen many a pumping mama exiting the family restroom as well as the male business traveler. Hmm. 

5.     Carrying Home Pumped Milk.  Ideally, try to freeze the pumped milk before you depart.  This is especially helpful if your travel home is relatively short (1-3 hours) and you will freeze the milk upon your return home.  Frozen milk packed with enough ice packs will stay mostly frozen in this time and if you can get it right in the freezer when you get home, it will be fine.  Travel of longer time periods you may not want to freeze as it may fully defrost, so just make sure you have enough ice packs to keep it cold.

6.     Have a Schedule.  I always found it easiest to stick to my baby’s normal feeding schedule in order to time pumping sessions, whenever possible.  The reason this is important is that you don’t want your milk supply to be negatively affected by missed feeding sessions.  Milk production is truly supply and demand and since your baby is not there to drain the boobs, sticking to a pumping schedule could be the most important part of your travel.  Case in point, if your baby is still feeding at night, you might want to still get up at night to pump.  If you can’t resist a full night sleep alone in a hotel room (Ahem), pump immediately before sleep and right when you wake.  One or possibly two nights of missed night pumping is not the end of the world, however, more than that could create a milk shortage during the day. 

7.     Drink and Eat.  Don’t forget to take care of yourself and this includes enough calories and plenty of water to produce enough milk.  Work travel can be busy and it is easy to forget this, or not have access to enough sustenance.  I avoided this by packing snacks, a refillable water bottle, and stopping at a grocery store when I arrived to my destination to stock up on food for meals and snacks.  

8.     Get Home and Nurse Your Baby.  When you get home, your first priority is to nurse your baby.  This is important for a few reasons.  Baby has missed mommy and you want to re-establish the connection and let baby know you are still open for business. Also, depending how long you were gone, your boobs may need a good draining.  In my experience, more than 3-4 days solo-pumping and I would get a bit tender.  One good nursing session and my boobs were always back to normal. 

 

Are these tips helpful? Do you have a lot of experience travelling and pumping? 

What would you add to my list?

  



A "Lactation Station" was recently installed in Vermont's Burlington International Airport!