Saturday, March 9, 2013

Dear Milksharing Community

Thanks for visiting Modern Milksharing!

Please pardon the appearance of our website.

This page was created by Laura Moore and Bekki Hill in 2010, in hopes of providing some helpful information about milksharing based on our experience at the time.

As the milksharing community has grown, so has the mission of Modern Milksharing.  We are currently working on a fresh, new website, with more comprehensive information and support.  We see a greater need for support, and we have made it our mission to help.

Until the new website is up (hopefully in the next few weeks), please feel free to click around what we have on this blog right now.  We've got some helpful tips on how to freeze and ship breastmilk!

If you have any questions about milksharing that are not answered on this blog, please visit our Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/modernmilksharing

It has been an honor to serve and support the milksharing community for the last couple of years, and we look forward to the years to come.

Sincerely,

The Modern Milksharing Team

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Preservando Su Banco de Leche Materna Congelada en Caso de un Apagón Eléctrico



 ( Español / English )

En caso de un agagón, ¡es importante asegurar que su leche materna congelada se mantenga segura!    Aquí hay unas sugerencias útiles en caso de este tipo de evento.

1 – La mejor protección es obviamente mantener una fuente de energía eléctrica operando su congelador.  Si está dentro de su presupuesto comprar un generador eléctrico, ésta será su mejor solución.  Puede comprar uno pequeño, a hasta uno grande que energice su casa entera.  Pero el mantener la electricidad conectada a su congelador asegurará su banco de leche.

Puede comprar un generador pequeño (de 3000 vatios más o menos) por tan poco como $400.  Eso es suficiente para mantener fríos a uno o dos congeladores.  Si se preocupa que se le pudiera acabar la gasolina para correr el generador, sencillamente préndalo solamente una horas al día, y luego apáguelo para ahorrar combustible.  Recuerde que el material térmico del congelador mantendrá su contenido frío por mucho tiempo.

2 – Si no tiene los fondos para un generador, verifique si tiene amistades o familiares  con espacio en un congelador.  En caso de un apagón general, tendrá que encontrar a alguien que tenga su propio congelador.  Si sabe antemano que viene mal tiempo, empiece a hacer llamadas para ver quién estaría dispuesto prestarle espacio en su congelador.

Nota: Si almacenará su leche en un congelador junta a la leche de otro bebé, ¡asegure que la suya esté en bolsas y claramente identificada!


3 – Si se encuentra sin luz y sin congelador operacional para utilizar, hay medidas que puede tomar para asegurar su banco por días – ¡y hasta semanas!

Los congeladores están diseñados para mantener frío por períodos de tiempo extendidos.  Con menos frecuencia que se abran, entonces más fríos se mantendrán.  Si su leche está en un congelador profundo, lo primero que va a querer hacer es sacar leche para 2-3 días y ponerla en el congelador de su refrigerador.  De esta forma no tendrá ni tan siquiera la necesidad de abrir su congelador profundo por unos días.  Aún sin electricidad en el congelador, esas bolsas deben descongelarse de forma bastante lenta.

Lo próximo que querrá hacer es asegurar que las bolsas están empacadas de una forma apretada para de esa forma mantenerse frías por más tiempo.

Lo primero que quiere considerar es dónde almacenar su leche:

En un congelador vertical, almacene la leche en la parte de atrás.

En un congelador profundo, almacene su leche en la parte de abajo.

El espacio abierto se calienta más rápido que la leche.  Con menos aire que haya adentro del congelador, tomará más tiempo descongelarse.

En un congelador vertical, ponga cuantas cosas posibles que pueda, directamente en frente de la leche.  En un congelador profundo, póngalas todas encima.  Esto incluye toda la comida del congelador, comidas que se pueden congelar (harinas, granos, etc.) y hasta sábanas, mantas, y toallas.  Querrá ocupar cuanto espacio vacío que pueda para que no quede aire.

Si tiene  tiempo anticipado para planificar, otra buena alternativa es crear sus propias compresas frías de hielo.  Compre bolsas plásticas de almacenaje para congeladores y llénelos de agua.  Échelos al congelador antes de apagón y tendrá hielo adicional para mantener su leche fría.

4 – Si su congelador empieza a descongelarse (y lo sabrá cuando el exterior de sus artículos congelados se ven mojados), ya no puede contar más con el frío residual para mantener su leche congelada.  Lo mejor que se puede hacer en este momento es añadir hielo seco para bajar la temperatura.

Dónde encontrar hielo seco:

-         -  Supermercados (o los Walmart o Target que contienen supermercados adentro de la tienda)

-          - Llame a su autoridad de energía eléctrica.  Muchas distribuyen hielo seco en casos de apagones extendidos.

-         -  http://www.dryicedirectory.com/  es un buen sitio para encontrar fuentes de hielo seco.  Debido a que es improbable que no tenga servicio de internet en esta situación, es buena idea investigar lo distribuidores ante mano y apuntar su número de teléfono.

Cuando empaque su congelador con hielo seco, recuerde dejar algo de espacio arriba.  El hielo seco no se descongela de forma líquida, sino que se sublimará en forma de gas y buscará una salida.  Si su congelador está muy empacado, pudiera abrirse la puerta con fuerza.  NO sobre-empaque el congelador si va a usar hielo seco.

Aquí hay una guía útil en ingles con información sobre cuanto hielo seco debe usar en su congelador. 

CONGELADOR
QUE NO ESTA FUNCIONANDO
No toque el hielo seco directamente.  Use guantes térmicos, agarraderas de cocina, toallas, etc.  Use las siguientes guías para cada tipo de congelador.  Por cada período de 24 horas:

(1) Congelador en la parte de abajo:
use 15 a 25 libras.
(2) Congelador en la parte de arriba: use 20 a 30 libras.
(3) Refrigerador/Congelador de lado a lado: use 30 a 40 libras. Ponga cada pedazo, comenzando con la table de arriba, encima de la comida que se mantendrá congelada.  Las tablas del fondo se mantendrán frías con el hielo seco de arriba.
(4) Congelador profundo: use 40 a 50 libras. Cuando saque la comida, cuidadosamente levantar el pedazo de hielo seco con guantes, agarradera, toalla, etc. sin tocar directamente el hielo seco.

IMPORTANTE:  NO maneje el hielo seco directamente con sus manos.  Utilice solamente guantes gruesos, agarraderas, o algo parecido.
También es importante que NO deje que el hielo seco toque directamente las bolsas de leche.  El frío extremo del hielo pudiera fácilmente romper el plástico y causar derrames en el futuro.

¡Al seguir estas instrucciones, puede fácilmente mantener su banco de leche congelada seguro!

Friday, October 26, 2012

Preserving Your Frozen Breastmilk Supply in the Event of a Power Outage

( Español / English )


In the event of a power outage, it’s important to make sure your frozen breasmilk supply stays safe!  Here are some handy tips to help you through such an event.

1 – The best protection is obviously to keep power flowing to your freezer.  If you have it in the budget to buy a generator, that is your best bet.  You can buy a small one that only runs a couple of appliances, or a large one that powers the whole house!  But keeping power supplied to your freezer will ensure that your breastmilk stays safe.

You can buy a small (3000 watts or so) generator for as low as about $400.  This is more than adequate to keep a deep freezer or two cold.  If you are worried about running out of gasoline to power your generator, just try switching it on for a few hours a day, then shutting it down to conserve fuel.  Remember, the insulation of the freezer will keep its contents cold for a long time.

2 – If you do not have the funds to buy a generator, find out if you have any friends or family members who have freezer space.  In the event of a widespread outage, you will have to find someone who has their own generator.  If you know in advance that bad weather is on its way, start making calls to see who would be willing to lend their freezer space.

Note:  If you are storing your milk in a freezer with another baby’s milk, make sure yours is bagged up and clearly labeled!

3 – If you do find yourself without power and no running freezer to turn to, there are steps you can take to keep your stash frozen for days – even weeks!

Freezers are built to hold the cold for long periods of time.  The less they are opened, the colder they will stay.  If your milk is in a deep freezer, the first thing you want to do is take 2-3 days’ worth out of the deep freezer and put it in the freezer on your fridge.  This way, you won’t have to even open your deep freezer for a couple of days.  Even without power to that freezer, those bags of milk should thaw pretty slowly.
The next thing you want to do is make sure that your deep freezer is packed as tight as possible to stay cold longer.  

The first thing you want to consider is where to store the milk: 

In an upright freezer, store the milk all the way in the back.

In a chest freezer, store your milk all the way on the bottom.

Air space warms up much faster than frozen items in a freezer.  The less air you have inside, the longer it will take to warm up.

In an upright freezer, pack as much extra stuff in front of the milk as possible.  For a chest freezer, put it all on top of the milk.  This includes food from any other freezer(s), foods that can be frozen (flour, grains, etc), even clean linens, blankets or towels.  You want to fill up as much air space as possible.

If you have time to plan ahead, one good option is to create your own ice packs to fill the extra space.  Buy some freezer quality plastic storage bags and fill them with water.  Toss them in the freezer before the outage, and you will have extra ice to keep your milk cold.

4 - If your freezer does start warming up (you will know when the outside packaging of your frozen items is wet on the outside), you can no longer count on residual cold to keep your milk frozen.  The best thing you can do at this point is add dry ice to bring the temperature down.

Where to find dry ice:

-         -  Grocery stores (or Walmart and Target stores that have grocery stores within)

-          - Call your power company.  Many of them give out dry ice in situations of long-term outages

-         -  http://www.dryicedirectory.com/  is a great place to find sources of dry ice.  Since you will likely not have internet access in such a situation, it is a good idea to look up your local vendors ahead of time and write down their number.  

When you pack your freezer with dry ice, remember to leave some headspace on top.  Dry ice does not melt into a liquid, it will sublimate into a gas that will be looking for a way out.  If your freezer is packed too tightly, the door could pop open.  Do NOT pack your freezer if you are using dry ice.

Here is a helpful guide with information on how much dry ice to use for your freezer:

FREEZER NOT WORKING
Do not touch Dry Ice directly. Use insulated gloves, potholder, towel, etc. Use the following guidelines for each type of freezer. For each 24-hour period:

(1) Freezer on bottom:
use 15 to 25 pounds.
(2) Freezer on top: use 20 to 30 pounds.
(3) Side by side Freezer: use 30 to 40 pounds. Place each slab, starting with the top shelf, on top of the food to be kept frozen. Bottom shelves will be kept frozen by the Dry Ice above it.
(4) Chest Freezer: use 40 to 50 pounds. When taking out the frozen food, carefully lift the dry ice slab up with gloves, potholder, towel, etc., without touching the dry ice directly.


IMPORTANT:  Do NOT handle dry ice with your bare hands.  Handle only with thick gloves, pot holders or something similar.
It is also extremely important that you do NOT let the dry ice touch the milk bags directly.  The extreme cold of the ice can easily break the plastic and result in leaks down the road.

By following these suggestions, you can easily keep your frozen breastmilk stash safe!

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Welcome, Everyone!

Welcome to everyone who came to see us at Latch On Hudson Valley this afternoon! Please excuse our dust as our website is in the midst of transition.

If anyone is interested in "liking" our Facebook group, please check it out here! It's a great place to ask any questions you may have about milksharing, or to just connect with other moms in the community!

LOHV was fabulous, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to speak with lots of wonderful people about modern milksharing!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Donor Moms: They Don't Just Donate Milk They Donate Life!


In the last several months, modern milksharing has gone from being an underground, almost taboo practice to a new and exciting humanitarian venture that has caught the attention of the mainstream media. As a result, thousands of moms have connected to share healthy, life-saving human milk for babies who would otherwise be forced to eat artificial baby food.

Despite the newfound attention and popularity, there is a lot to be learned about the rules and etiquette of sharing milk. This beautiful tradition that became lost in a culture of chemistry, convenience, and commercialism is finally starting to grow again. Communities are starting to come together and support one another. Women are giving of themselves for the health and well-being of children they did not even birth, themselves. The milk of human kindness is quite literally flowing with abundance.

But with new growth comes growing pains. Much of modern society is not yet ready to accept the importance of natural feeding. Milksharing is still seen as taboo by many. Moms who feed their children donated breastmilk are ridiculed, put down and discouraged by friends, family and even professionals. Being unable to provide your child with the most basic of human rights (human milk) is an extremely alienating experience. That alienation is only compounded by comments like, “That’s not safe because it’s a bodily fluid.” Or “Why would you expose your baby to AIDS like that?”

The milksharing community has done an excellent job of coming together to support these moms whose babies are in need. We are able to come together and lift one another up, confident that we are doing the absolute best that we can for our children.

There is so much focus on the needs of our babies, and the fears of all of us moms who struggle to provide good nutrition for our children. In all of that, the donors are often overlooked. I have seen many moms act as if it was a donor mom’s responsibility to provide milk for their babies at any cost, simply because they have enough to give.

I have heard stories of donor moms who were never reimbursed for bags or shipping, or who wanted to hear updates about their milk babies, and never heard so much as a word once the milk changed hands. While most receiving moms are extremely grateful to their donors, there are still too many who do not fully appreciate the sacrifice that these women make so that our babies can eat.

As modern milksharing becomes more and more popular, I feel that it is extremely important that we take some time to stop and really understand and appreciate all of the donor moms out there. Sure, it would be a dream come true to sit down and pump more than 1oz in a sitting, but the reality for donor moms is so much more than that. The time and effort that they sacrifice must be acknowledged by those of us whose children have benefited.

The post below was written by Laura Moore, my partner in this blog and my son’s primary ongoing donor. To date, she has donated over 5,000oz of milk for Jacob, and she is still pumping today. The gift that she has given my family will be remembered for a lifetime.

As you read this, please stop and think of your donor mom(s), or of a donor that you know. Take a moment to give her a call or send her an e-mail. Tell her about how well your little one is doing, and thank her once again for her generous gift!


By Laura Moore

Breast milk sharing is blossoming in this country thanks to the global network that is Human Milk for Human Babies.

I am proud to be a mom in the community of amazing women who are helping to turn the tide and open the doors for more open breastfeeding views and milksharing communities.

As a breast milk donor, it has been a long road of “backdoor” milksharing and whispering. It wasn’t easy for me at first. Like most breast milk donors I had my own questions and concerns about the entire milk sharing process. The idea of being a donor was great, but I honestly didn't know what it actually required. I was open to the idea due to being a supporter of breastfeeding and witnessing its amazing benefits in my own premature son, born at 35 weeks. I knew in my heart that donating milk to other babies in need was something I wanted to do.



I had no idea what being a donor would mean for me as a woman, a mom, a friend and a wife. Since the start of my donation experience in 2006, it surprisingly has put me in a position where I have to sacrifice time for my own self, my family and my own children to pump, hand express to support these little lives with each extra ounce.

Whether you are a one-time donor or a continuous supplier, the effort is still the same. Pumping is hard work and hand expressing is even harder. After the birth of my third child, I made the choice to give more and offer as much as I could. I started pumping after breastfeeding my own child, upwards of every 2 hours, around the clock. I pumped day and night. The total time pumping and washing parts every few hours took its toll on my pump and my pump parts. I was lucky to have been able find a hospital grade pump via Ebay for a good price. I don’t think another pump would have survived these years of extreme pumping.



I was tired from very little sleep. My husband was serving his country in the military and I had 3 children under the age of 3 that were counting on me. On top of all that, we lived thousands of miles away from our friends and family. I didn't have the greatest support in our military community, let alone for breast feeding. I was mocked and ridiculed for even mentioning that I donated breast milk by some very immature military wives.

Watching my own premature child fight for life is a vivid memory for me and something that hit deep in my core. I might have not had the greatest support system possible but I did not pay mind to what others said. Still, their words stung. I lost friends and relationships because of their opinion of breast milk donation. Snarky comments behind my back or under breath quips that I was the “donating weirdo” became too frequent to bear sometimes.

I heard comments such as “Do you think someone really takes her milk for their own child?” or “She says she doesn’t drink caffeine but I wouldn't trust her!” They really bothered me time to time and I would lay awake in tears, wishing I had a friend to share in the joy of helping others. I started questioning if this road I am taking is the right one. Could I sacrifice so much of myself to give to these little ones? Were all these women right?

Every time I asked myself those questions I always had an answer... A letter from a mom I donated to thanked me for helping their child or a photo in the mail of healthy twin girls, all sorts of emails or letters with thanks of how I had touched and helped their lives. That is when I knew all my sacrifice, all the pain with no support was worth it.

I had great support from my husband and my in-laws. But at times a phone call never compares to face to face support.

It wasn't easy at all, but I know I had a healthy supply. I had donated with my previous 2 children and I had the opportunity to be an on-going donor so I didn't see why I shouldn't offer up my support with my third child. By that time I had met a CLC working with the local WIC office in Saratoga Springs, NY (Ashley) who was an amazing friend and supporter. I am not even sure if she realizes what her friendship meant to me. Being in a community where I wasn’t really accepted with open arms for breast feeding, having her loving support and help did amazing things for my heart.

Having the right support as a donor I know means everything with donating long term. I had thought about giving up so many times because I lacked a friend in the area. I am glad I stuck with it to find Ashley’s love & support and an amazing recipient in Bekki; even though she lived hours away. With both of their encouragement, it gave me a chance to give more of myself then I think I could have without them.

My relationship with my recipient and my CLC was an amazing gift... They both knew what I was going through and supported me wholeheartedly! Throughout this third time donating and the support of HM4HB I have been surrounded by supportive, amazing woman.

The connection that Bekki and I made has been a bond I have never had with another recipient. She is one of my best friends and I look up to her strength and perseverance in what she had to face with breastfeeding her own child. Being able to understand and hear her story, to share that between us made our relationship strong and our connection great. My milk sharing story wasn't just “back alley” milk passing, but a friendship that I know will last many years.

It helped to drive me to do all I could for Bekki and her baby boy. HM4HB and MilkShare offer those connections. With donating to a milk bank you don’t get to see the babies, you don’t hear how they are growing and you don’t get uplifted by thank you letters or photos of happy healthy little ones. You send in milk and hope and pray it finds it ways to those much needed tummies but don’t get me wrong there are a need and a place for milk banks.

Through my own experience as a donor the relationship that grew from each of my donations and being able to help those little lives with my own sacrifice is something that would never compare to the process of donating to a milk bank.

Some think we can't share milk responsibly or have faith in our choice as a parent.

I took a risk in sharing milk just as Bekki did in taking it. I was willing to and did offer up all I could to alleviate any concerns with blood work and letting her know I was a blood donor. I was on the list to be a bone marrow donor and I previously had been approved and screened to donate to a milk bank as well. I had even donated white blood cells as well for cancer patients. I shared my personal info with her so that I could continue to do more good and connect with a family and a child that was in desperate need.

I know in my heart if anything ever happened to me or if I couldn't supply what my child needed, I would hope that there would be more amazing mothers that would step up and do the same for my small infant. I love my children just as much as any other mother. I would give anything to give them the best start in life. So what’s wrong with me giving and sharing and donating my extra milk to a mother that feels the same way and loves her child just as much as I do mine? She wants the same benefits as do and like a lot of other moms that donate, I was already approved to donate to a milk bank. I just couldn't find it in my heart to send my milk I worked so hard to collect and offer to another child to a milk bank that would pasteurize, causing it to lose antibodies and stem cells that could offer the greatest start to a growing life so the milk bank can then turn around and sell for it upwards of $4 to $5 an ounce.

Having my own premature child made me realize that if I was in the same position, as a lot of these others moms, even with my husband serving his country and the amount we bring in, we wouldn't have been able to even think of paying that price to a milk bank. My son wouldn't have been given a fighting chance to fend off deadly infections and colds that could weaken and take his little life.

ABC-did a great story about it if you haven't seen it, but a lot of the NICU’s across the country are moving to breast milk only for these little lives.

Watch it here: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4935970n

I think a lot of people forget being a donor isn't easy with the pumping and the time that must be invested. The heart you put into helping and supporting another life is an amazing gift and the sacrifice is great. It’s one of the most rewarding and selfless gifts you can give as a mother. Every ounce is filled with antibodies and stem cells offering a life time of support. In my own opinion anyone willing to share and donate this liquid gold is a remarkable person.

Please remember, we also take our own risk being a donor by providing personal information, what we eat, our life styles and even our blood work. We are taking a leap of faith for another needy family.

We aren't just donating breast milk we are donating life!



Thursday, June 16, 2011

Just Because We Can't Breastfeed Doesn't Mean We're Stupid

Two healthy donor-milk fed babies!
Human milksharing has received quite a bit of media attention lately. Up until recently, most people didn’t even know that anyone still practiced it. Honestly, I didn’t know until I was presented with a terrible predicament over two years ago. I had just given birth to my first child, but I was not producing any breastmilk. I received help from an IBCLC and my doula. Both gave me their best advice and support. My doula brought new herbs to my home every few days in hopes that we would find something to help. She cried almost as much as I did over the fact that I had to feed my baby formula.

By the time my daughter was a week old, my herculean efforts to increase my milk supply still had no effect. Despite several different herbs, around-the-clock nursing and pumping in between, my breasts were apparently on strike. They had abandoned the precious task that they were created for, no matter how much I cried and begged.

I still remember the phone conversation with my Darlene, my doula. “Please don’t think I’m a fruit loop.” She said, almost timidly. “I’ll try ANYTHING!” was my reply.

She took a deep breath. “Jen (her partner doula) is nursing her 3 month old and she has extra milk. She wants to give you some to feed Evelyn while you work on getting your milk supply up.”

This was a very pivotal moment for me. I can see why Darlene was worried that I would consider her a “fruit loop”. We live in a society that is absolutely terrified of just about anything breastmilk-related. We look down on mothers who nurse in public, ask them to feed their babies under a stuffy blanket or in a bathroom. And if we see a woman nursing a toddler? Forget it! What a nut! If the child is old enough to ask for it, he’s too old to nurse, right?

That’s the way we treat women and their breasts today. We get so squeamish about mothers feeding their own babies because we want to regard their breasts not as blessed tools for nourishing our young, but as sexual play things for men to drool over, and the media to boost ratings with.

So where does milkSHARING actually fit in? Certainly, that must fall in the category of COMPLETE NUTCASE LEVEL 10, right? Do we dare to even so much as THINK about the idea of breastmilk leaving one woman’s breast and feeding another woman’s child? Now, that’s a whole new level of weird that apparently, the world just isn’t ready for.

But in that moment when I was faced with the choice – the choice to feed my baby milk from another human or milk from another SPECIES, the answer felt like a no-brainer. “I would love that! Thank you so much!”

The next day, Darlene came over with a grocery bag filled with little frozen bags of liquid beauty. She taught me all about how to store, thaw, and warm the milk safely. The relief that I felt was immeasurable. I had never seen so much breastmilk in one place before! I was so happy to supplement my baby with milk that was created specifically for human babies to eat. This generous mother opened her heart and her milk ducts to MY baby, whom she had never even met. She gave her milk that had been pumped for HER child. What a beautiful testament to human kindness.

She made two donations. I wish I could remember exactly how much they totaled. She wasn’t able to continue to donate because she had to build up a stash for her child so that she could return to work. Within a couple of weeks, we ran out of milk and Evelyn was back on formula.

Weeks later, I shared my story with a friend of mine who is an outspoken proponent of breastfeeding. She told me about an organization called MilkShare – a website where moms with extra milk could connect with mothers of babies who need it.

I logged on immediately and found the group. As soon as I was signed up, I went to work searching for milk.

The platform was very different back then. There were no Facebook groups or message boards for milksharing. MilkShare was just a Yahoo group at this point in time. Every time a new message was posted, members received an e-mail. You had to be quick to respond, because milk went pretty fast. I set things up so that I would receive an alert on my phone every time that e-mail account received a message. I have lost count of how many times I heard a little chime from my phone and dropped everything to RUN to the computer and check my e-mail. I would just hope and pray that the new message was an offer for milk somewhere in my own state.

I posted my story and my plea for milk. Within the first few days, a mom from New York City responded and told me that she had about 600oz of milk to give. We live a couple hours north of the city. So, I made arrangements for a meeting. I was nervous about driving down there with a baby, so my husband took a day off from work and went, himself. He took a train all the way down along with two big, insulated bags. He got to the donor mom’s house and she filled the bags, and he carried them all the way back home. He is and will always be my hero for doing this.

My husband wasn’t always 100% on board with using donated milk, though. I remember our conversation before bed the night before his trip. We both felt a little uneasy about this new experience. It was one thing to feed Evelyn milk from a friend, but another thing entirely to feed her milk from a stranger. I had never met this woman face-to-face, and she was going to give my baby breastmilk?

We had a long talk about it. We went over both of our fears and discussed them at length. Ultimately, we both knew deep down inside that this was a GOOD thing for our daughter.

The donor mom had provided us with copies of her most recent bloodwork to show that she was free of most diseases that can be passed through breastmilk. She told us that she ate a healthy diet and did not take any drugs that would be harmful if passed through the breastmilk. She was feeding this milk to her OWN babies. We felt that it was safe to assume that she wasn’t knowingly harming her own children.

My husband and I both made an informed CHOICE to feed this milk to our daughter. We considered many factors when we made this decision – the risks of formula, allergies, blood test results, etc. We made sure before feeding her milk to our daughter that we were completely comfortable with it.

With all of the recent media attention that modern milksharing has received, some people (especially the FDA) have decided that they need to step in and say something. At this point in time, they do advise against mom-to-mom milksharing because of the risks involved. Personally, I think that this has more to do with the fact that the FDA has no control over women’s breasts – and we all know just how much they like to control us!

Most moms who feed their babies donated milk know the risks. We are well aware of the dangers of feeding our children milk from a mom who has a disease or takes drugs (both medicinal and recreational) while she is breastfeeding. The government, pediatricians and even some lactation consultants have made the risks very well known. They would rather see babies on “donated”, processed cow’s milk than on fresh, donated human milk.

What really bothers me about a lot of what I hear lately is that these people apparently think that we’re stupid. Many of them really seem to believe that just because THEY said that milksharing is not safe (in their opinion), that we shouldn’t do it.

Here’s the truth: Those of us who feed our babies donated breastmilk are not a bunch of overzealous lactivist lunatics. We are parents who want what is best for our children, and our view of what is best obviously differs from that of some people.

As parents, we take calculated risks with our children every single day. Just yesterday, I put my kids in their car seats and drove to the store, knowing full well that there was a miniscule chance that we could have been in a horrible accident and been hurt or killed. I did my best to safeguard them from such a tragedy – I strapped them properly into approved car seats, which were installed in a safe vehicle. I drove carefully, obeying the rules of the road and watched for anyone who may have been driving in an unsafe manner close to us. I took every precaution that I could to ensure their safety. All of my efforts couldn't absolutely guarantee a safe trip, but I did everything in my power to make it as safe as possible.

Feeding your child donated breastmilk is very similar to driving to the store. There will always be risk involved. Do your best to mitigate the risk and do it in a way that you feel comfortable.

WE are the parents. WE decide what is best for our children – not health professionals, and not the government. We make INFORMED CHOICES every single day.

We moms are a lot smarter than you think. Don’t think for a second that we would recklessly feed our babies food that could cause them serious harm. Stop and think about why we are feeding them donated milk in the first place. Because we want what is best for them. Period.

We are mothers and fathers – protectors and guardians of our children. We know better than ANYONE else what is in the best interest of our babies. We are intelligent, and fully capable of deciding whether donated breastmilk is safe for our babies or not.

If any of you have any questions about MilkSharing, please join our Facebook page! Modern Milksharing

Picture: Two HEALTHY, donor milk fed babies!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Which Cooler Should I Use?

I have put together this little guide to help give you all an idea of which size cooler to choose when you are going to ship breastmilk.

It is important to point out that there is no way to guarantee that a certain cooler will perfectly fit X number of ounces of milk. The amount of milk that a cooler will hold depends on several factors - how the milk is frozen (flat or not), whether or not you are using dry ice(and how much of it), and how the cooler is packed.

Unfortunately, choosing the right size cooler is more of a guessing game than an exact science. However, I can share with you what has worked for me over several shipments of milk. I think I have a fairly decent handle on things at this point, so this should be relatively accurate.

Let me also take this moment to remind you that if you are shipping less than 300oz of milk, you absolutely, positively MUST use dry ice. It doesn't matter if you are shipping overnight. Anything less than 300oz (500oz in summer) is too risky to send without it.

During the summer months, I recommend using dry ice on all shipments under 600oz that will be in transit for more than one day. As always, make sure the coolers are packed properly with as little extra airspace as possible.

For up to 500oz of milk, I recommend this cooler:

Mr.Box Online - Superior Cooler

In my experience, this cooler can hold up to 550oz of milk (if frozen flat, closer to 500oz otherwise). If you are sending a smaller amount, this cooler may seem big, but keep in mind the need for dry ice. You will need the extra space. Just make sure to fill the rest with paper.

For 1 day shipping, use at least 5-8lbs of dry ice. For 2 day shipping, at least 10-15 lbs.


For up to 1000oz of milk, I recommend this cooler:


Mr.Box Online - Extra Large Cooler

In my experience, this cooler can hold up to 1000oz of milk (frozen flat, closer to 900 otherwise). 900oz will generally keep itself nice and cold without dry ice, but in the warmer months, it's always safest to include some dry ice.

For 1 day shipping, use at least 8-10lbs of dry ice, for 2 day shipping, use at least 15lbs of dry ice.

For up to 1400oz of milk, I recommend this cooler:

MrBox Online - Jumbo Cooler

Laura and I used this cooler once. She shipped me 1300oz of milk, frozen flat. There was still room for 4-6 boxes of baby cereal, which she used for insulation.

Be warned that a cooler this size filled with frozen milk is extremely heavy. I believe our shipment weighed in at around 100lbs.

If using dry ice, I recommend at least 15lbs. However, when Laura shipped this to me, she sent it 2-day and UPS lost the package. It ended up being in transit for 6 days, rather than 2. I was worried sick, but when the package finally arrived, all of the milk was still frozen solid - even the fresh milk she had packed in there at the last minute froze. The more milk you ship at once, the safer your shipment is without dry ice. But bear in mind, this shipment took place in the winter time. I don't think we would have had such a happy outcome had it been summer.


Remember that when you ship breastmilk, there are all sorts of things that come into play: transit time, the weather, how the milk has been packed, etc. It's always best to spend the extra money to err on the side of caution (i.e. shorter shipping time, using dry ice) to avoid losing a shipment of precious breastmilk for your baby.