I appreciate the desire to sell it, especially given the way womens work is historically undervalued, but absent a safe marketplace with controls and standards, donation is the better path to safely share milk. Once money is involved you get all kinds of perverse incentives-- so, for example, you may sell your milk to someone who buys it, alters it on some way to increase volume (adding water or cows milk for example), and resells it-- potentially harming the eventual recipient. I've never produced enough to share, and as a working mom who pumps I appreciate that it isn't an easy thing to do, but I think at least for now it needs to be a labor of love, not a revenue stream.

^dilutions, not solutions

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get a deep freezer for your garage or basement and store milk there. You can get one on Facebook marketplace for like $25. And your oversupply won’t last forever so in eight months when you can’t keep up with baby’s demand then you’ll have plenty of milk.

Alternatively there are fb groups like Eats on Feets and another I forget the name of that are very widely regarded and popular.

Kindly, you don’t know what you are talking about. Some of us do have true oversupply and never have a problem “keeping up” with our babies’ needs. You hear about all the struggles women encounter breastfeeding, but some of us really have an easy time of it and maintain excellent supplies. In hunter gatherer society, I would have been the wet nurse of our tribe who helped feed your babies, lady.

+1 I am like that too. I blockfed (where you only feed from one side at each feeding) the entire 16 months I breastfed; I could drastically cut down on pumping for a couple weeks, and then get my supply right back up within a few days. It's just how my body works. It's definitely possible that your oversupply will last throughout the whole time you breastfeed.

I agree that unless you have a reason to want a lot of extra milk, there's no need for you to pump as often as you have been - pumping is kind of a PITA. That said, if you do choose to there are plenty of worthy places to donate, and people who will be extremely appreciative. For me, that route felt rewarding and I chose to pump a few extra times a week, and donated hundreds of ounces over a year or so. (...for my first! About to have my second and somehow I doubt this will happen to the same extent) The main place I posted was on my local Human Milk 4 Human babies group (on fb) - there is always a long list of people looking for donors, and they are incredibly appreciative.

Re selling it...I hear you. For some reason this is apparently super looked down on, and I don't know that it should be on principle. I mean...men donate sperm for money, and I daresay that process is more enjoyable than a pumping session (or 10!). I guess one practical consideration is that if people are selling it for a profit, you have to start worrying about harmful solutions/substitutions/etc

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Huge oversupply here too. Not 70oz though. I pump an extra 15-20 a day. I've seen women sell it on Facebook but most donate it to other moms on Facebook. They ask for the cost of the bags. My baby enjoys the milk because he never had to work for it and there's always a glut.

I would try to decrease your supply. What happens when you're running errands all day and can't pump? I leak everywhere.

Having to release is the same as having to pee. If I’m running errands, I still have to pee. Even if I only could pump for 5-10 minutes I would go to the car and pump. Every single day. I’ve pumped on planes next to strangers, bathrooms in airport if no Mother’s room, etc..

I mean I get it because I also pump. I just don't know why you'd want to. So many ways to decrease supply. I've done it myself. I like to run errands or go on weekend trips and not be tied to a pump. I have so many days where I don't have access to a pump. Surely it's taking time away from your family?

Anonymous wrote:Please don't sell it. The DC Breastfeeding Center can provide info on donating it. There is a lot of need for donor breast milk. Selling it would be like selling blood instead of donating.

Dude, not even close. Do you have any idea how much work it is to carry a pump everywhere, wake up in the middle of the night while your baby sleeps because you *must* pump, painstakingly collect, label, and store milk, wash so many goddamn storage bottles every day, and THEN deal with donation? Donation is a beautiful thing, but it’s spectacularly idiotic to compare it to something as easy as donating blood.

Anonymous wrote:You do you OP. There is a fair amount of oppression built into looking down on selling breast milk. A meaningful quote I once hear went something like “breastfeeding is only free, if women’s time is worthless.”

+1

NP - I know that undersupply and tongue ties and many other breastfeeding issues are a huge amount of work, but these women clearly have no clue how hard an oversupply is. It is an immense challenge for some of us. I can’t breastfeed in public until the afternoon when my supply has slowed down or I will gush everywhere (EVERYWHERE); if my baby sleeps extra long, I *will* get a clogged duct. I choose to donate, but it’s also honestly kind of a pain in the ass. OP can do whatever she wants because it’s her effing milk and her time.

You do you OP. There is a fair amount of oppression built into looking down on selling breast milk. A meaningful quote I once hear went something like “breastfeeding is only free, if women’s time is worthless.”

Human Milk for Human Babies is another site for Mom to Mom donations

Please don't sell it. The DC Breastfeeding Center can provide info on donating it. There is a lot of need for donor breast milk. Selling it would be like selling blood instead of donating.

Gross

you can, sure, but it's really looked down upon. donate it instead.

Anonymous wrote:Huge oversupply here too. Not 70oz though. I pump an extra 15-20 a day. I've seen women sell it on Facebook but most donate it to other moms on Facebook. They ask for the cost of the bags. My baby enjoys the milk because he never had to work for it and there's always a glut.

I would try to decrease your supply. What happens when you're running errands all day and can't pump? I leak everywhere.

Having to release is the same as having to pee. If I’m running errands, I still have to pee. Even if I only could pump for 5-10 minutes I would go to the car and pump. Every single day. I’ve pumped on planes next to strangers, bathrooms in airport if no Mother’s room, etc..

Don’t be a jerk, donate it. I use milk bank of Austin and it’s super easy. Drop off at DC breast center or they ship you coolers.

Don’t on CL. You will invite all kinds of weirdos and sickos.

And yeah not all of us can't keep up at 8 months. I never struggled when I went back to work. I had great supply until 12 months. By law work only has to accommodate pumping for 12 months so I stopped then. Stil nursed though