I am about to ween my baby girl Lyla. This is scarier than I expected, since I weened Zalah by just cutting her off, but I never stopped nursing completely. So alas, it's been two years roughly, of straight nursing! I have a picture of when I last nursed Zalah, when she was 11 months old. It was in the hospital after Lyla was born, and seeing me nurse made Zalah very upset. So there it was; one on each side! Nursing has its ups and downs, the smallest of which is that it can be a pain to do and sometimes it feels irritating to have a little wet mouth on your boobs all the time. But it's special too, and I will miss that now that I won't have it. Lyla is my little baby in a string of constant babyness for the past years, all of which will abruptly end when they are both suddenly toddlers. (LORD I CAN'T WAIT! :P) Although I don't want to nurse her for much longer, I don't know if I'm ready to stop making milk. I don't think I have a ton of it, and I do wonder how strong it is since they are so small, but I like being able to do it and I would really love to be able to help out someone else while I still can. You've got to admit, it's a rare opportunity!
So I posted on Luach that I wanted to donate and looking for numbers. I received two emails back and called one of the numbers (for Bikur Cholim). They gave me some woman's number, and she is going to see if she knows anyone who needs it. She asked me how many bottles I had, so I guess they are just looking for frozen. I also emailed the hospital nearby but am waiting to hear. Pumping is a pain and I know its a big commitment. Even if there isn't a specific person you donate too (which there usually is because of allergies etc) you would still have to pump often enough to keep it going. I have heard that certain hospitals will come and pick up your fresh supply daily. That would be great.
I know I don't have all the time in the world, but I've thought about this for a little while and think its something I really want to do (or at least try!) I will keep you posted on the progress! And if anyone knows where to go next, please pass on the info!
So, I had the same urge when I weaned Ari. I really wanted to donate my breast milk too. It's such a powerful thing to produce milk, and I wanted to share it with a mom who needed it. Any luck? How is the weaning going?
ReplyDeleteYES! That's exactly it! NO!!! I am having a hard time...I haven't really cut anything out, not without going back. I even nursed at night a few times. Grr! But I also don't want my supply to run low if I donate it! I guess there is less of a need now. I wrote to the hospital, no word. I did give away my frozen bottles to someone, I hope they get used. I don't think she'll be weened by one!
ReplyDeleteI hope so too. I like the idea you mentioned about donating to an infant in the NICU!
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