How do I get started?

Hello,
I'm very, very new to this website. I'm not entirely sure how it works. But I am a mom to my second baby and have lots of milk due to being an exclusive pumper. I was interested in donation when I was pumping for my first baby but never got around to really researching it. I am also researching a milk bank to donate to and am trying to decide if I want to donate to it or directly to a family through this website. I am going to need some help getting it all started because I am clueless! Do we not have to go through screenings and stuff like that? How do I go about doing this? Thank you very much for any advice and information! -Tara

What a wonderful thing you are doing! It's pretty simple, just make a post under the state where you live and let people know what you'd like to donate. If you just want to make some freezer space, or if you'd prefer an ongoing donation, if you want bags replaced, any health info you'd like to share, etc. Then moms looking for milk will contact you! Every recipient has different things they prefer to ask about, I myself am not picky about milk at all. If I meet the mom and see the baby they're feeding it to that's pretty much enough for me. Some moms prefer to have bloodwork screening done, or want to see your bloodwork from your pregnancy. It's nice to know what, if any, meds you are on so those of moms that use lots of different milk sources don't contraindicate anything.

I, of course!, am a huge supporter of informal milk-sharing. My baby would be on 80% formula if it wasn't for the wonderful moms that have donated breastmilk to my 4 month old daughter. Milk banks are great of course, just make sure you know who you're donating to. The milk banks that send you supplies and allow you to ship in your milk are almost always for-profit businesses that use your breastmilk to make milk fortifiers for profit. Which is fine if you're ok with that, it's just good to be aware.

Completely anecdotal, but I've had several milk mammas that give me their extra milk that have previously donated to milk banks. ALL of them say that informal sharing is more fulfilling. At milk banks it's just a job to the employees that work there, but when you get to actually meet the moms and babies that use your milk and see how grateful we are! Well, it's pretty awesome.

I hope that helps!