I just want to send out a big Thank You to a fellow blogger, and follower of mine, over at
http://counterfeitfake.blogspot.com/
First, I want to say that I love this blogger. I have been following her for a while (in my world anyways, so almost as long as I've been blogging), and I can always depend on her for a good laugh. I just really love her blog.
She's been following me for a bit too, and she is great and is constantly commenting, makes me glad to know that someone is reading LOL.
Well, to the main reason for the post! She commented on my post from yesterday, and I just had to share. My post was about milk sharing again through Eats on Feets, and here is her comment:
~~~Hey, because of your post about Eats on Feets, I was able to pass info along to someone on Facebook yesterday. Now some mama in Indiana will have more milk to give her little one. Thought you might like to know. ~~~
This makes me so happy. This is the point of Eats on Feets, to hook up mama's that have extra milk with those that need it. It is such an amazing thing, watching relationships build because of these gestures of kindness. To know that something as simple as my posts on my blog about sharing helped to familiarize someone with EOF, and that person was able to spread the word. In turn, another baby gets this liquid gold!!
These are not small gestures, babies on the receiving end are able to get what their mama feels is best for them, they are able to get off of formula which is sometimes causing them problems - gastro, reflux, exczema, you name it.
Mama's on the giving end are taking the time out of their day to pump this liquid gold, and then are willing to give it away. Let me tell you, the time commitments are not small. I pump right now 3 to 4 times a day, and between pumping, cleaning up, and packing alone I think I spend an hour and a half or more every day. Then every few weeks I take another 30 or so minutes to rotate the milk so that the oldest is either what I use or donate to another mama. For me, I would be doing it anyways. I would be buying the bags for storage. I would be taking the time to pump. For someone like me with such a great supply, I don't have to cry as I am throwing overage away. Instead I outreach to my mama's. If they are not in need I go back to the EOF facebook page and find myself a new mama. It is an amazing page, please go check it out if you have not already.
I'm not here to give myself kudos, but really to remind everyone of Eats on Feets. To mention it to your nursing mama friends, or those that are talking about problems with their supply. This is a kudos to all those mama's out there that are giving, and all those mama's out there that are receiving.
I will stop pumping when Bug is 12 months. In many ways this makes me sad, as it will end this portion of my relationship with these mama's that I have come to know. The good thing is that these relationships have taken on a life of their own. We are friends now, the mama that is in my same city and I have dinner together, let our little girls play together. We enjoy each others company.
Thank you to Eats on Feets. Thank you for starting up just when I was realizing I needed to do something with all my extra milk. Thank you to those mama's that are willing to give away this liquid gold to a baby in need. Thank you to those mama's that are more than happy to take that liquid gold off of our hands and feed it to their precious, deserving babies.
Thank you Shan, for reading my blog and sharing what you have learned.
(PS - as I've mentioned before in my posts about milk sharing, I am NOT saying that formula feeding is bad, if that is what is right for you and your baby, then I am 100% behind you! This is just what is right for me, for Bug, and for those babies out there that I am able to help feed)
Showing posts with label breastmilk sharing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breastmilk sharing. Show all posts
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Milk
So, the other week I gave my number one mama some more milk. My freezer has two parts, the main part, and then a drawer on the bottom. When I move my milk around I always put the oldest in the drawer (and some in the regular freezer) and use that first. Well, when I got this mama some milk, I must not have fully closed the drawer all the way.
Almost two weeks later I realized it, and of course, had to throw all the milk in the drawer away as it had started to thaw. It made me so sad.
The reason that it is crossing my mind again is because my second milk mama sent me a message to see if I would have any to give her in a couple of weeks. It saddens me that neither of my mama's got to use this bit of gold, instead I had to throw it away.
Luckily, the drawer was the smaller part, so while it was a lot, it didn't deplete my stash too much. In fact, I think that in a couple of weeks I should even be able to give her a hundred ounces, not as much as in the past, but anything I can give this little girl, the better.
On another note - I love heat, I love summer. BUT, I would rather be weaned into it. not jumping to this high 80's with crazy humidity. I mean really, my car read 95 degrees when I got in it after work yesterday! And the A/C at my office is deciding not to work right... the rest of the office is fine, but a couple of our offices inside of it are HOT HOT HOT.
Happy Hump Day everyone!!
~Emms
Almost two weeks later I realized it, and of course, had to throw all the milk in the drawer away as it had started to thaw. It made me so sad.
The reason that it is crossing my mind again is because my second milk mama sent me a message to see if I would have any to give her in a couple of weeks. It saddens me that neither of my mama's got to use this bit of gold, instead I had to throw it away.
Luckily, the drawer was the smaller part, so while it was a lot, it didn't deplete my stash too much. In fact, I think that in a couple of weeks I should even be able to give her a hundred ounces, not as much as in the past, but anything I can give this little girl, the better.
On another note - I love heat, I love summer. BUT, I would rather be weaned into it. not jumping to this high 80's with crazy humidity. I mean really, my car read 95 degrees when I got in it after work yesterday! And the A/C at my office is deciding not to work right... the rest of the office is fine, but a couple of our offices inside of it are HOT HOT HOT.
Happy Hump Day everyone!!
~Emms
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Eats on Feets
I started to write this blog back on 2/9/11. Needless to say, I have been crazy busy. So here it is LOL.
Well, for the third time yesterday (2/8/11) I donated milk to a mama who BF's but doesn't make enough. I think I donated a couple hundred ounces yesterday, and that was after donating around 600 ounces the other two times. All 3 times I have donated to the same mama. Her sweet little daughter, S, is younger than Bug, but it is SO great knowing that I can share something with her little one that she cannot fully give herself.
Why would I donate one may ask? Why would someone use donated milk another may ask? In many parts of the world there are still wet nurses. What is so different? Yes, this mama and I found each other online, but that is it. We have met in person, I do not charge her for the milk, in fact, I ask for absolutely nothing in return. The feeling that I get being able to give another baby breastmilk instead of that baby having to drink formula is an amazing feeling. The first time we met, we met at Starbucks. Bug got hungry while we were waiting. So, as I sipped on my (decaf) tea, I NIP. Mama walked in to see me nursing Bug. I think that even helped make her feel comfortable, that much more a guarantee that Bug was getting the milk that I was sharing with S!
Don't get me wrong, I am not downing on formula. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it! I am just so happy that I can breastfeed, and even happier that I can help another mama that wants to exclusively feed breastmilk. In her case, they tried supplementing with formula and it gave S a lot of gastro problems. Since they have been supplementing with my breastmilk they have gotten rid of all of her gastro problems! That is amazing!
We get so many tests when we are pregnant, and this other mama knows that. I have been honest with her all around. Yes, I was drinking one cup of caffiene a day. Now I don't everyday, but whatever. Yes, I will have a glass of wine after Bug goes to bed sometimes. But you know what? I don't pump again until morning! One glass of wine is out of my system in about an hour, especially considering how much water I drink. So, if I'm not pumping until 8 hours later the wine is LONG gone. Don't forget that there are many theories that a glass of dark beer or wine at night actually help your supply! Yep, I take Zyrtec for allergies, and Fenugreek to make sure that I remain a crazy milk making mama. I still take a prenatal vitamin and a DHA supplement. She knows all of these things and is comfortable with them. Why? Because I breastfeed my own Bug. Bug is growing healthy and strong from my milk. If I can help nourish S, and make sure that she grows healthy and strong and is not in pain from gastro problems, why wouldn't I?
Forever I will know that I have helped a little one get what her mama feels is best for her, in her specific situation. I have had other options to give to other mama's, but this mama and I have a relationship now. I will give to her until she no longer wants it or has no more room for it. Then, and only then, will I offer my overstash to another mama.
On that note, I think it's about time to text them. My deep freeze is full again, I have no more room. Ahh the joys of sharing. The feeling of contentment knowing that I am doing right.
Oh yeah, it's about time to pump :-)
Well, for the third time yesterday (2/8/11) I donated milk to a mama who BF's but doesn't make enough. I think I donated a couple hundred ounces yesterday, and that was after donating around 600 ounces the other two times. All 3 times I have donated to the same mama. Her sweet little daughter, S, is younger than Bug, but it is SO great knowing that I can share something with her little one that she cannot fully give herself.
Why would I donate one may ask? Why would someone use donated milk another may ask? In many parts of the world there are still wet nurses. What is so different? Yes, this mama and I found each other online, but that is it. We have met in person, I do not charge her for the milk, in fact, I ask for absolutely nothing in return. The feeling that I get being able to give another baby breastmilk instead of that baby having to drink formula is an amazing feeling. The first time we met, we met at Starbucks. Bug got hungry while we were waiting. So, as I sipped on my (decaf) tea, I NIP. Mama walked in to see me nursing Bug. I think that even helped make her feel comfortable, that much more a guarantee that Bug was getting the milk that I was sharing with S!
Don't get me wrong, I am not downing on formula. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it! I am just so happy that I can breastfeed, and even happier that I can help another mama that wants to exclusively feed breastmilk. In her case, they tried supplementing with formula and it gave S a lot of gastro problems. Since they have been supplementing with my breastmilk they have gotten rid of all of her gastro problems! That is amazing!
We get so many tests when we are pregnant, and this other mama knows that. I have been honest with her all around. Yes, I was drinking one cup of caffiene a day. Now I don't everyday, but whatever. Yes, I will have a glass of wine after Bug goes to bed sometimes. But you know what? I don't pump again until morning! One glass of wine is out of my system in about an hour, especially considering how much water I drink. So, if I'm not pumping until 8 hours later the wine is LONG gone. Don't forget that there are many theories that a glass of dark beer or wine at night actually help your supply! Yep, I take Zyrtec for allergies, and Fenugreek to make sure that I remain a crazy milk making mama. I still take a prenatal vitamin and a DHA supplement. She knows all of these things and is comfortable with them. Why? Because I breastfeed my own Bug. Bug is growing healthy and strong from my milk. If I can help nourish S, and make sure that she grows healthy and strong and is not in pain from gastro problems, why wouldn't I?
Forever I will know that I have helped a little one get what her mama feels is best for her, in her specific situation. I have had other options to give to other mama's, but this mama and I have a relationship now. I will give to her until she no longer wants it or has no more room for it. Then, and only then, will I offer my overstash to another mama.
On that note, I think it's about time to text them. My deep freeze is full again, I have no more room. Ahh the joys of sharing. The feeling of contentment knowing that I am doing right.
Oh yeah, it's about time to pump :-)
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