I've become a donor...of breast milk, that is!

So, in case you didn't know, I grow really fat babies! I mean REALLY fat! They are born normal sized, but soon grow to about 20 lbs by 3 months, my biggest baby grew to 30 lbs at 8 months old! Their thighs are mountains of delicious chubbiness, their necks are not to be found, and they look as though there is a elastic band around their wrists! I just Love squishy babies!

Countless friends, family, and strangers have marveled at my babies, and then the usually comment that I must have creamy milk! I just laugh and agree because It's true! One time my friend and I both pumped milk for our babies to go out and leave them with their daddies. The dads planned to have a party with the babies, but us moms were a bit worried the dads would mix up our milk in the fridge. We didn't have to worry for long though, because when we placed them side by side they looked totally different! This explained a lot! My baby was huge and chubby and my milk looked like straight whip cream! My friend's baby was skeletal and tiny, and her milk looked like skim, but watered down and slightly greenish next to my pure white cream!
So, when people joke that I must have cream, I usually agree.

Recently I was joking with my friend about donating my milk to sick babies because my milk could really pack some weight onto a baby that had a hard time gaining any. Surely there were some babies out there that could use a boost in weight and health! Little did I know, there is an actual breast milk bank in Calgary, just a few hours away! My friend showed my the Facebook group for the milk bank, and I checked it out. I thought I'd be willing to try donating, and called the office.

After about a half hour questionaire, I was sent some paperwork in the mail and some collection containers. I committed to 4.5 liters...which doesn't sound like much, but it is a ton when you only pump a few ounces a day!

Anyhow, I need to keep track of how it is going, so I thought I'd blog my adventure into the world of breast milk donation.

Day 1: 6 oz
That was easy, at this rate I'll be done in a month! It only took 5 minutes and it was No problem! I felt like I had too much milk, so that made it faster I'm sure. All day my baby seemed to want to nurse more. im not sure if it's due to sharing his milk supply or due to teething. I guess time will tell. It is so encouraging to see my milk all collected like that! So far I'm still excited to help!

Day 2: 1.3oz
That was not easy, I'm waiting for my milk supply to catch up with the demand. Still I did not spend more than 5-6 minutes pumping. It was exciting to add it to yesterday's milk and put it in the freezer. I sure hope it gets easier than this soon, or I'll be trying to get the required 4.5 liters for the next year! Maybe I'll pump again in the evening.