HOMES FOUND, sorry / Need home for freezer full of breastmilk - Vancouver, WA

it sounds like you may already have found a recipient for your milk, but if not we also live in vancouver. i'm the mom of two amazing 12 week old twins, violet and kieran, and i'm unable to produce milk. i'd love to tell you more about our situation if you're interested in connecting. thanks so much! melanie (melanieannabel@earthlink.net)

hi sara! i just sent you a pm. thanks!!!

Hi Sara,

My name is Jennifer, and am the mom of little Luke. My husband Mike and I adopted Luke in October a few days after he was born, and we've been so fortunate to be able to provide him with some breast milk since then -- all thanks to the many wonderful women who have donated through MilkShare.

I really appreciate your concern and attention to the medical and legal issues involved with milk donation -- it's so important that all parties feel comfortable, respected, and appreciated. I've read through your posting carefully and agree that a disclaimer is good (we have worked with other donors to do the same), and would be happy to participate in that process. The one request that our family has is that we be allowed to take a photo of you with Luke (or else have you give us another photo of yourself), so that we can add it to the scrapbook album of "Donor Moms" that I am creating for Luke. When he is old enough, I want him to see and understand some of the goodness that exists in the world that has touched him -- all the wonderful women that have selflessly and generously contributed to his life so that he can have an opportunity to grow big and strong.

We live in Seattle, but would be thrilled to drive down to Vancouver to meet you and receive your donation, if it is still available.

Thank you so much for you posting to MilkShare and for being a part of this community -- you are sharing a gift greater than words can say.

I am in the process of being screened to be a milk bank donor but have a freezer full (40+ bags) of breastmilk collected since my son's birth in August that I need to find a home for. My earliest milk is at the 5-month storage limit so I would like to find a home ASAP so I don't have to chuck it. All milk has been frozen within 24 hours of collection, initially stored in a separate freezer of my refrigerator and then moved to a deep freezer.

Unfortunately, the milk bank can not accept my stored milk because I take Prevacid for acid reflux and I can only donate milk that has been collected 5 hours AFTER taking the medicine. I've taken Prevacid for years, and my own son is getting fed with the same breastmilk. Both my pediatrician and OB are fine with the medication. For this early milk that I've stored, I can not guarantee what time of day it was collected, therefore, I can not be certain that it was collected 5 hours after taking Prevacid.

Since I am in the process of being screened to become a milk bank donor, I have not had my blood tests performed yet. I will be happy to obtain health history from my Pediatrician and OB, and can provide the Donor Screening Form that I filled out for the milk bank. I will also consider blood testing specficially for you if you are interested in arranging for the cost.

I live in Vancouver, WA, in case there is anyone local, which is my preference for at least the earliest of the milk. I would also be willing to ship.

After reading the forum on liability concerns, I would appreciate the recipient working with me to come up with a short disclaimer that works for both of us. Something similar to the following:

"I,(recipients name), have had the chance to ask whatever questions I had about the donor's(donor's name) lifestyle and health history and they have been answered to my satisfaction. I understand that there are risks associated with breast milk sharing and I agree to hold the donor(donor's name) faultless for any possible negative effects of breastmilk sharing.

I,(donor's name), agree that the information I have provided regarding my lifestyle and health history is true and accurate to the best of my ability."

Thanks for your time in reading this! As a new donor, I wanted to try to cover any questions or concerns right up front -
Sara
Vancouver, WA