The Milk Bank at Austin

I have been meaning to write this post for quite a while. Heck, I've been meaning to write any post for quite a while. But I hope the videos have been fun and have given a good glimpse into life with Turner-bug.

Over the past few months I've had the privilege of donating over 300 ounces of breast milk to The Milk Bank at Austin. When Turner was a few weeks old I started pumping once a day in order to keep my supply up and in order to store milk for when I was at work. I realized that I could pump an extra 10 ounces each morning and before I knew it my freezer was stuffed full to the brim with bags of milk! What to do with all of this precious milk? It's like liquid gold, I worked really hard for it, and I couldn't stand the idea of throwing any of it away. So I started researching my options for donation and I found The Milk Bank at Austin.

http://www.milkbank.org/

After an initial question and answer session, blood work (all paid for by the milk bank), requesting information from my doctor and Turner's, I was approved to donate. The screening process took a little bit more time and effort than I expected, it took a bit of persistence. But it makes me grateful that they are so careful in screening donors and donated milk. It was well worth the wait!

A few things you need to know if you're considering donating milk:

• This is a gift that very few people are able to give. It feels like a privilege to be able to save the lives of preemies!
• It is counter-intuitive, but when you demand extra milk it actually helps you to produce more milk and increases your overall milk supply!
• The milk that is donated is not given directly to the preemies in need. It is processed and pasteurized in Austin before it goes back out to the hospitals.
• There are many many convenient drop-off locations. I made my drop offs right in Sugar Land at St. Luke's. It was very convenient. The milk freezer is stored in the same room where the newborns receive care. Turner, Troy and I would sometimes make a trip to the hospital to see all of the nurses and sweet little newborns, it is very special. And the Lactation Consultant would usually give Turner a free Milk Bank t-shirt or Milk Bank bag to take home with him.
  
• The milk containers are provided to you by the milk bank. Though you're not compensated for the milk donations they do cover any costs associated with donating so that you as the donor do not incur any costs.
• Though preemies have first dibs on donated milk, if there is a surplus of milk other babies are welcome to it for a fee. Milk is available for mothers who cannot produce milk, have medical conflicts or who have adopted. So milk is never wasted!

Now that Turner is 11 months old and is on his own cutting back on the amount that he is nursing, I will be retiring until the next baby comes along. I made my last donation totaling 61 ounces today. If you're pregnant or plan to be soon and you're interested in potentially donating breast milk, contact the milk bank to get more information. They also accept monetary donations because it is a non-profit organization. This was one of the most amazing things I've ever been able to do, again, it's something that not just anyone can do. It's a pretty incredible thing and I can't wait to tell Turner that he may have saved a preemie's life just by being born himself and sharing his milk! Pretty cool.


Hey everybody (in my best muscle man voice)...milk makes me have strong bones, a smart brain and big muscles. Umm...which way's the weight room? Alright, I'll check it out. Oh by the way, I'm sellin' tickets to the gun show if you're interested.