Human Milk 4 Human Babies - My donation experience.

It has been on my heart to donate some of my breast milk to a baby in need but I didn't know how to go about getting it to the right person. I called my local hospital and they gave me information for a milk bank in San Jose. The process was a bit overwhelming and included lots of paperwork that a mom of two doesn't really have time for. I did a little research on my own last week and found a facebook page for Human Milk 4 Human Babies (HM4HB). On the page, moms post their need for breast milk and hope that a donor answers their request.

For several days I read posts from moms pleading for breast milk. Many of the moms suffered from an illness and can no longer produce milk. Other moms just can't keep up with their little one's demand. On Friday I decided to send out a message to see if there was a mom in need in my area - although many of the moms on the site are willing to drive very far for milk.

Not long after I sent the message I was contacted by a mom who's baby boy was born with a deformity and has had several surgeries since birth. During his time in the hospital, the mom's milk supply began to run low and eventually dried up. After writing her back, I was surprised to learn that she lives only 40 minutes from my house!

The next day, I opened my door to the mom, her husband and their little boy. We spent some time talking about our kids and getting to know one another. It's amazing what they have been through since his birth. Once again I was reminded how blessed I am to have two very healthy babies. Her 9-month old son was about the same size as my 3-month old son.

To be completely honest, it was a little hard packing up the 82 ounces of milk on Friday night, but after meeting the family I wished I could have given more. I hope to help several more babies over the next year. If you have extra milk in your freezer I highly recommend donating it to a baby in need. Check out facebook for a HM4HB page in your state.