Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Got Milk?

 
Today is finally the day I'm sending my donation of 332 oz. of breast milk to Mothers Milk Bank!


Now before you say "Eww" or think that's weird...hold on a second

because

Breast Milk Saves Lives!!

When babies are born premature and sick, the best medicine for them is breast milk. Now most mother readers know this, but it contains nutrients, colostrum and antibodies crutial for tiny little bodies' wellness. Plus, it's easier to digest, making it easier on sick little tummies. A new mothers milk is "Liquid Gold!" Unfortunately, some mothers cannot not produce milk because of stress from having a premie that is sick, or due to their own ilness.

And they use it for medical research, too...because of it's nutritional properties, it's used for illnesses for adults too. Research shows that it's been benefitial for cancer patients and boosting their immnue system.

Parents of adopted babies sometimes prefer breast mil, and rely on donated milk because they can't produce their own.

So that's where I (and other donors) come in.

All this 332 oz. of milk was all pumped within the first 2.5 weeks...meaning I was almost literally, bursting with this Liquid Gold. It was sickening to just dump it down the drain, so I bought boxes and boxes of storage bags (You are welcome, Medela) and put in the deep freezer.

Now this isn't just a free-for-all type of thing. I had to have blood drawn, extensive medical background questioning, and a well check for both Kase and myself. Once it's to the milk bank (in a hospital in Denver, CO) it's pasturized. After each pasturization, it's tested again for bacterial counts, to ensure it's free of any bacteria that may be harmful to infants, especially sick premies.

Still think it's weird?

It feels awesome!

So to the question, "Got Milk?" I will answer YES I do!

10 comments:

Unknown said...

I think this is absolutely amazing, Liss!! That is a lot of milk, too;]

Alison said...

That's great elissa! Not weird at all! The extensive testing made me feel better about giving it to my own baby if I ever had to for some reason. But if you think about it... We drink cows milk without a second thought. milk from a healthy human source would be any parent dream come true if they couldn't produce it themselves. When lita was newborn I wasn't producing enough for her so we supplemented with formula and the soy content/ added hormones made her break out time after time. I looked for brands with no soy but couldn't find any. Luckily that didn last long. Good job to you!

Ashley said...

I agree! SOOO cool Elissa! It's so so so important!!!

Jessie K said...

That's great! I'd never heard of it before. I could've probably donated several times over when I nursed Deysi! However I produced just enough for Kale. Kinda weird, but that's the way it was. Wonder how it'll be this time around.

Alicia "Al" Krisher-Behm said...

LOL! Very cool...especially coming from me who barely produced a drop... :(

tjp said...

Good for you--I am amazed at the quantity! I always wanted to do that (our local hospital accepts breast milk after all the testing, etc) but barely had enough for my own babes. That would've taken a lot of extra time, but you're probably helping several babies because of your generosity.

RodneyAmanda Braaten said...

hats off to you elissa!

Burchibunch said...

Awesome!!

Heather said...

good job, love it! Bummin that I missed out on meeting Kase on sunday, come again soon!

Paige's Parents said...

Wow - that is so awesome that you are able to do that! Like others I am lucky to have enough for my own baby and actually don't for long. But I think that's probably because I go to work and pumping all day just doesn't keep up the supply like the 'real' thing. Good for you and yes, it is wonderful that you will help many little babies :)