“I was losing a lot of breast milk during let-down, which was quite frustrating as I had so much trouble breastfeeding the first go round and hated to see any milk go to waste. I was determined to save every last drop,” she says.
With her Milkies Milk-Saver in hand and on breast, Sarah was off to collect and save her breast milk.
“The first week home I was super engorged and was manually expressing milk to save it. It was a lot of extra work. But what I love about Milkies is that as soon as I put it on and start feeding my son, it did all the work for me. All I had to do was focus on feeding my baby while collecting extra milk on the other breast,” she says. “I’m so happy someone invented a product that makes life easy for us productive milk makers!”
What Do You Do With All that Milk?
As a stay-at-home mom, Sarah knew she didn’t have a need for all the milk she was collecting.
“I’ve been collecting six to seven ounces a day with my Milkies Milk-Saver, most of which I don’t need. My pediatrician suggested I donate the excess milk to a milk bank,” says Sarah.
That is exactly what Sarah did. She contacted a milk bank that makes the collection, storing and shipping process so easy for her. Plus, she says the milk bank she chose gives $1 per ounce of qualified breast milk donated to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.
“I feel really good about donating this milk to a family in need without doing a lot of extra work on my part. I’m not only able to help provide nutrition to a baby who desperately needs it, but also my donation brings monetary gain to an organization that is helping fight breast cancer. It’s personal to me because one of my friends in my mom’s group, who is only 32 years old, is going through breast cancer treatment now,” she says.
In eight weeks, Sarah says she has collected 375 ounces of breast milk – 250 ounces for donation and 150 ounces to save in her freezer. That’s 6.7 ounces per day, on average! Sarah says she did all this without pumping and by only using her Milkies Milk-Saver.
Becoming a Milk Donor: The Process
We asked Sarah to tell us about her donation experience. She says there are several stages she had to go through to qualify to be a donor.
First, she had to get a letter from her pediatrician saying that her baby is gaining weight and is healthy. She also needed a second letter from her doctor signing off that she, too, was healthy.
She was then sent a DNA swab that she was able to do in seconds and send back to the milk bank. They then sent a technician to her house to draw blood.
Once they knew Sarah had a clean bill of health, they sent her a big box with a cooler inside and two huge freezer gel packs. When she was ready to send her milk, she says she contacts FedEx to pick up the box. When she is ready for a new box, she contacts the milk bank seven days in advance and they send her a new box with FedEx postage paid. They also supply the milk storage bags.
“I’m blow away by how easy everything is, from collecting my milk through donation to a milk bank!” she says.
Awesome!! I used these w/ my current little one, and I plan on using them again once I get pregnant again. I was able to save up enough milk to get my daughter through the first few days of my returning to work part time for a few weeks (I have a seasonal Jan-April job, only working on Saturdays). When I was at work, I was able to pump a few times to have enough milk saved up once my milk ran out at home. My daughter always had my milk when I was working. I never had to use formula.
Just came across this product in the latest Fit Pregnancy issue. I think this a great product, but I do have a few questions. My work environment isn’t very ‘pump-friendly’ and I usually do 12-14 hour shifts depending on the day, with no real break or personal time. I do want to breast feed as much as possible, but I’m worried given my situation.
Would I be able to wear this product for 13 hours straight without having to pump or have any other issues. Ideally, I’d love to find a product that would let me collect the milk while I’m at work since pumping isn’t an option.
Thanks!
Anxious Mom,
You will still need to pump or you will get engorge. I work a 8 hour shift. To keep producing milk you have to empty your breasts. Try a dual pump and it will cut down on the amount of time you are spending on pumping. The Milkie will help collect milk when you are home at night and on the weekends. Good luck!