Comments on: Can a Breastfeeding Mother Donate Blood?

By: Selz

Selz — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:50:35 +0000

i’ve a 14mnth old toddler and i was thinking about donating blood when i read the guidelines for blood donation.. but reading all the mails send by the donated mothers… i feel i should not think about it…. thank u…..

By: sas

sas — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:19:55 +0000

I donated the other day, and I nurse my 11 month old 4 times a day. We’re currently living in a foreign country and my s.o. isn’t with us right now. I did it, but regretted it (and not having help after) for 2 days. I felt like I’d seriously put my body through the wringer fatigue-wise. But it’s the third day after and I’ve only experienced a moderate drop in milk supply, and my energy is almost normal. So, you can do it, but use some caution and sense! And make sure you’ve got a hand to hold after, that’s what got me.

By: MCH

MCH — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:00:44 +0000

I’m still nursing my 15-months-old daughter twice a day and I was thinking about donating blood. After reading your posts, I decided not to. My level of energy is already so low, I would not want it to get affected by anything…

By: greta

greta — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:56:30 +0000

I donated blood yesterday morning. I still breastfeed my 17 month old day and night. The blood donation has left me weak, light-headed, nauseas, and apparently decreased in milk supply, as my son has been nursing twice as much as normal and eating more solids. I’ve been drinking extra fluids and taking it very easy, but I still feel like crapola. I want my blood back.

By: Natalie

Natalie — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:56:36 +0000

I have a 6 mo old son and I’m breastfeeding. I’ve been thinking about giving blood and i have a good milk supply, but I’m wandering if it will affect my milk supply, very badly. Before I got pregnant I gave blood and I’ve never had a hard time returning to normal. Do you think that this would still hold true now that I’m breastfeeding?

By: Pam Brown

Pam Brown — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 05:49:37 +0000

I nurse a 23 month old and donated blood a couple of days ago. I had a very hard time immediately following donating but my supply is unaffected. I had probably three times the amount of water I usually have and took it easy for much of the day, but I think my milk supply was unharmed. I would not have donated if I were still establishing my supply.

By: Audra Lafuente

Audra Lafuente — Wed, 28 May 2008 01:13:09 +0000

I am breastfeeding my 4th child and he is now 6 months. I went and donated blood and never had a decrease in milk supply. I guess if your milk supply is not well established, you should wait to donate blood until you are done breastfeeding.

By: melissa barden

melissa barden — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 19:22:35 +0000

Holly, other than low milk supply have you experienced any other difficulties…I seriously, am just getting back to normal. I did notice for the first week now that I think about it, I was not pumping as much as I normally did. It is back to normal now…I just ate a lot of extra high protein foods and increased fluid intake. Keep me posted:O)

By: Holly Bock

Holly Bock — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 18:48:50 +0000

I donated blood 2 weeks ago as well. We were having a blood drive at work and I was told that donating blood would NOT impact my ability to continue breastfeeding. That has not proven to be true for me! My son is 18 weeks old, and since I donated blood, my milk supply is less than 1/2 of what it was before I donated blood. Two weeks have passed and it has not returned to normal. I am not sure if I can increase my supply to what it was, but I plan to try, via taking fenugreek 3 x per day and pumping one extra time in the evenings. I work now, so it is not an option for me to start nursing and/or pumping all the time, to re-build my supply. I wish the blood service associates had been more forthcoming with this possible issue. Would it have killed them to wait until my son was weaned????

By: melissa barden

melissa barden — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 14:02:03 +0000

I donated blood about two weeks ago, I have a four month old who is pretty much exclusively breast fed, I pump twice daily during work as well. Anyway, since donating, my body has really struggled to get back to normal. My milk supply is still good, however, despite increasing liquids and iron foods, I have been very tired, light headed and just not feeling well. I will not donate again until I am done breast feeding.