For Breastmilk Givers and Takers

"Welcome to the Milk Mama Diaries Carnival (September). For this month, we will tackle milk sharing and how it can nurture the community, and how this spirit of giving can be sustained. Participants will share their thoughts, experiences, hopes and suggestions on the topic. Please scroll down to the end of the post to see the list of carnival entries."



Being able to donate milk is a great    sense of pride. What better way to spread the culture of breastfeeding than sharing the precious liquid to babies in need? I'm overjoyed to be successfully breastfeeding my son and helping other babies in the process.

Yup, beyond the need to free our freezer of ounce and ounces of EBM is the genuine desire to help other babies in need of breast milk. Nagpaparinig na din kasi si MIL na wala nang space sa freezer. haha....

I’ve kept tabs of the amount of breast milk I’ve shared – about 800 ounces so far!  An online ad selling breast milk at Php 150 per 5 oz! Imagine, add that rate, I would have earned Php 24,000! Kaaashhiing... Kashinggg. When i'm preparing milk for donation, my husband would jokingly ask, "Kikita ba tayo dyan?”

But seriously, I don’t believe breast milk should be sold or bought. I’d be uncomfortable about earning over something that some one else is in dire need of. I’d rather give than sell. I’d rather receive than pay for it.

[caption id="attachment_1079" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Building an EBM stash is a pumping mama's goal. Blessed are those who have enough ... and more to share to other babies.[/caption]

Having shared BM for some time, let me share my notes for breast milk givers and takers.

Choose your method of sharing. 

You can contact hospitals with milk banks to donate. Puede rin namang peer to peer lang, kagaya ng sharing among office mates. Kahit sa web, through sites like  Human Milk for Human Babies, puede naman makahanap ng willing magdonate.

My first milk sharing experience was at the Philippine Children’s Medical Center in QC. Initially I wanted to share milk strictly to formal systems – like hospitals, since there are strict rules for donors. They can also pasteurize the milk. This way, makakahinga ako ng maluwag, knowing that what i'm sharing only goodness to the babies, hindi bacteria or virus.  Sayang nga kasi tatlo lang yata ang milk bank sa atin - UP Philippine General Hospital, Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital and the Philippine Children's Medical Center.

Donating to PCMC is really fulfilling, knowing that it’s for needy baby patients.  PCMC admits only high-risk pregnancies, so there are limited breastfeeding moms in the hospital. Kaya sila umaasa sa mga outside donor. Since hindi naman kami mayaman to donate financially, I donate breast milk, which i had in abundance at that time.

My next donation was through informal platforms. Actually,  it was to my nephew. My sister had difficulty producing milk after giving birth due to flat nipples.  Nakatulong din naman ang milk ko kasi natuto sya magpadede.   Actually, pinilit ko talaga sya magpadede. Kaya ako nagbigay ng gatas sa kanya para di na sya bibili ng formula. I think supplementing with formula is the first step to sabotage breastfeeding.  Now, I’m happy  she’s exclusively breastfeeding her two-month old.

Nakapag-share na din ako sa katrabaho. It was for newborn who's hypoglycemic. The mom had APAS while preggy and she  gave birth thru c section. I commend her  for actually working hard to produce. I know she’ll manage to produce enough. Napapraning lang siguro kasi konti pa lang ang napapump nya.

Breast milk sharing has risks.

Importante din na aware ang mga tumatanggap ng milk na may health risks. Even the  US Food and Drug Agency discourages informal breast milk sharing, like through the internet.

According to the FDA, risks to baby include exposure to:
infectious diseases, including HIV
chemical contaminants and illegal drugs 
prescription drugs that might be in the human milk

Possible rin na hindi maayos ang handling and tranport ng milk. Hindi naman makakasiguro unless kilala mo mismo ung nagdo-donate diba?

Maihahambing din daw natin sa mga organ at blood donor ang mga breast milk donors. Diba ganun ka-delicate. Kaya dapat talaga mula sa mapagkakatiwalaan ang tatanggaping gatas! Bukod dito, malay mo ba kung tumira ng ilang galong kape ang milk donor. Eh di good luck sa baby mo,baka 24/7 syang mulat!!! hahaha....

In the Philippines, donated breast milk seems a much more limited resource than in the US.  We only have a few milk banks, which could make breast milk sharing much safer and easier. To donate to milk banks, moms need to undergo screening by filling out an application form and undergoing a blood test. Puede rin makabili ng breast milk dito, kaso may kamahalan. Saka dadaan talaga sa butas ng karayom ang mga bibili. Recipients will be screened under a strict criteria. Saka madalas daw na ubos ang breast milk sa milk bank.

At dahil nga kakarampot lang mga milk bank natin, malamang hindi rin pasteurized ang makukuha sa mga donors, like your friends or ung nakotantak mo sa FB. You may also be taking milk from a mom who's not screened as a donor.

Hindi naman ako tutol sa peer to peer breast milk sharing kaya lang dapat aware lang ang mga recipients. There are ways to mitigate the risks.

Naniniwala din naman akong walang masamang intensyong ang mga milk donor. Syempre, isang gatas lang naman ang ido-donate nila at yung ibinibigay nila sa mga anak nila diba.

Just to be safe, recipients should inquire about the donor’s health background before accepting milk. Alisin na ang kyeme ng mga donee moms sa pagtatanong, para ito sa kapakanan ng baby.

Another safety measure donee moms can take is to have the milk pasteurized in hospitals with milk banks. You can inquire if they offer such service. You can have the milk pasteurized there for a fee. Kung taga Quezon City, you can contact PCMC Milk Bank at 9246601 local 288.

You may also opt to do some pasteurizing at home.  Here's USAID's instructions on how to heat treat breast milk while keeping nutrients for babies. Kung para sa  premature babies, you might want to pasteurize milk since premies have weaker immune systems.

Breast milk expression is not free.

There are some expenses involved in this whole pumping at work system, like breast milk bags!  Sa totoo lang, medyo magastos din pala ang storage bags, lalo na kung madaming gatas ang nae-express. Donee moms can at least replace the bags.  I recently asked my breast milk recipient to replace the bags I used.

At first I was hesitant to ask for replacement bags. But I’m surprised because the recipient was happy to replace them. I guess it was her way of giving back and saying thanks.

Watch out for INVALID breast milk recipients.

Breast milk seems to be scarce resource when in virtually every mom can make enough milk for their babies, that's according to WHO.  So I really think donor moms should choose the recipients wisely. Expressing breast milk takes time and effort, you know. I’ve allotted time to pump while at work. I’ve let go of long merienda breaks just to express milk for my baby. Other moms should do the same for their babies.

I figured, I’m not actually helping such moms, because I tolerate their “katamaran”. Breastfeeding succes takes time, effort and the right information. Your breast milk is better off donated to babies and moms in GENUINE need of breast milk.

Nabasa ko dati "It takes a village to raise a child"?  Well, in so many ways,  breast milk sharing is a top way how moms can help in raising healthy children in the community. I am happy to share the best nutrition my baby enjoys to other babies.

Bukod sa pasalamat na natatanggap ko, sharing breast milk is a privilege. I hope to do this as long as possible.

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In commemoration of World Milk Sharing Week 2012, share your own experiences as a milk donor or a recipient. Don't forget to visit the other participants of our blog carnival:

Mafeth wrote about being a milk donee
Cris donated her liquid gold
Pat had a happy problem donating solved
Jenny wrote about wet nursing from a relative's experience
Rachel discussed how she felt about receiving donated milk and nursing an adoptee's baby
Mec insists it takes two to Milk Share Tango
Cai received milk from her sister
Nats has a Milk Sharing Story too

Also worth reading:

• Alarming facts about breastfeeding in the Philipines


• Rights of the Filipina working mom