Can You Donate Plasma While Breastfeeding?

Can you donate plasma while breastfeeding? Maybe you’re wondering if can you donate plasma while pregnant.

You’re in the right place if you need an answer to one of these questions. As a mom, your main priority is your child. You don’t want to jeopardize their health.

Some things could also affect your health too. Therefore, it’s always better to find correct information before doing something that could affect your body.

Donating plasma and donating blood are very human acts. In most cases, donating plasma or blood means nothing to the people donating them, but it means the world to those who need them.

What Is Plasma?

Maybe you’re in a situation where you need to or want to donate plasma, but do you know what plasma is?

Plasma is a part of your blood. It’s the liquid part, and it’s the largest part. Blood plasma is light in color, and looks like a yellow fluid.

When the blood cells are removed from the blood, you have plasma. Plasma doesn’t have blood cells, but it contains water, proteins, glucose, electrolytes,  clotting factor, hormones, carbon dioxide, and oxygen.

Plasma without clotting factor is called blood serum. This is a biomedicine that is needed in large amounts every day.

Plasma saves lives. It treats people with blood diseases, blood clotting problems, burns, rabies, or kidney problems.

There are many more uses for this important fluid. Donating blood and donating plasma is not the same thing, but it’s similar. We’ll get to that later.

Since more people are donating blood, hospitals are using special machines to separate plasma from the blood.

The Difference Between Donating Blood And Donating Plasma

The process is pretty much the same, but donating plasma lasts longer. Your blood is drawn out, plasma is separated from the blood cells, and then the blood cells are put back into your body.

This lasts longer, but it’s a good way of donating more often. Since your blood cells aren’t being taken, you can donate plasma twice a week.

When it comes to blood donation, you can donate every 2 to 3 months. As you can see, plasma donation is a great way to help people all the time.

Blood is also much needed, but if you feel like donating plasma is better, go for it. Plasma is used in treating different diseases and making medications.

Can You Donate Plasma While Breastfeeding?

Now that you know what plasma is, you still want to know if can you donate plasma while breastfeeding.

Yes, you can donate plasma while breastfeeding, but only if you’re healthy. Another condition for donating plasma while breastfeeding is that 6 months have passed since your delivery.

Your body needs time to recover from pregnancy and childbirth. If you want to donate plasma, you have to be healthy and strong.

I’ve mentioned that giving plasma often is allowed, but there are consequences. People who don’t have strong immune system could become anemic or weak for some time due to loss of immunoglobulins – proteins found in plasma.

People who give plasma all the time could also experience the same systems. After all, your body needs a break from time to time.

Luckily, the consequences of giving plasma aren’t too serious and most people get better quickly without complications.

But, let’s get back to donating plasma while breastfeeding. You can donate plasma while breastfeeding, but you should prepare yourself for it.

Besides waiting for 6 months after delivery, it’s important to eat healthily and stay hydrated.

Your body needs valuable nutrients to produce breast milk, and now that you plan on donating your plasma, you have to boost your nutrient intake and water intake.

Purchasing a breastfeeding water bottle is a good idea if you need the motivation to drink more water.

In most cases, donating plasma is being paid, so you can earn some extra money by donating plasma.

Breastfeeding After Donating Plasma

Can you donate plasma while breastfeeding? Yes, you can. But, can you breastfeed right after donating plasma? The answer is also yes.

In fact, some studies have shown that breastfeeding helps your body to recover faster after donating plasma.

My Doctor Says I Shouldn’t Donate Plasma

According to medical studies, donating plasma while breastfeeding is allowed. However, there are some minor risks.

Some health organizations and doctors claim that it’s better to avoid plasma donation when breastfeeding to avoid possible dehydration, electrolyte problems, and general fatigue.

These things are possible, but there is a small chance for them to happen. Also, if something like this happens, it can be solved very quickly.

Just don’t donate plasma as often as someone who’s not breastfeeding. It’s also important to inform the medical staff that you’re nursing when you go to donate plasma.

It’s also crucial to find out if plasma donation is allowed if you’re taking certain medications. If you’re consuming medications and you don’t tell that before plasma donation, you could harm yourself and somebody else.

Of course, I respect your choice of not donating plasma if you want to listen to your doctor. In fact, I would do the same thing.

Your doctor probably knows you well, and he or she knows that plasma donation could affect your health negatively.

If you’re truly motivated to donate plasma, you can ask for a second opinion or you can run some tests to determine your health condition.

Can You Donate Plasma While Pregnant?

The positive answer to your previous question – can you donate plasma while breastfeeding probably made you happy.

When it comes to donating plasma while pregnant, the answer is negative. This might be disappointing, but it’s true. The reason for this is that plasma taken from a pregnant woman could harm someone else.

When you’re pregnant, there are certain antibodies in your body essential for a healthy pregnancy. Unfortunately, those antibodies could cause serious complications for other people.

For this reason, plasma donation centers won’t accept plasma from pregnant women.

There are no studies that show the effects of plasma donation on your unborn baby. The reason for that is the fact that nobody wants to take plasma from pregnant women.

Therefore, there are no cases to explore these effects. If you think about it, it could be problematic due to the loss of water, electrolytes, glucose, and other important nutrients.

Can You Donate Blood While Breastfeeding?

While the answer to the question can you donate plasma while breastfeeding is positive, the answer to the question can you donate blood while breastfeeding is a bit more complicated.

You can donate blood while breastfeeding, but only if you had given birth one year ago. Even if you’ve been breastfeeding for 12 months, you still have to check with your doctor is giving blood okay.

There are some organizations like Red Cross that accept blood from nursing moms if they’ve given birth 6 months ago or 6 weeks ago.

To be honest, this is very risky. If you have a rare blood type and you want to help someone, you can consult with your doctor.

Keep in mind that it’s dangerous and that healthy women who aren’t breastfeeding feel weak and dizzy after a blood donation.

Breastfeeding mothers need extra strength and they have to stay strong to sustain their milk supply and take care of their babies.

Besides, your body needs more than 6 weeks to recover completely. Giving birth means losing a lot of blood. Postpartum recovery takes a while and it should be taken seriously.

If you want to speed up your postpartum recovery, think about consuming postpartum teas.

Can You Donate Blood While Pregnant?

Just like with plasma, blood donation is also not allowed during pregnancy.

Donating blood during pregnancy could be dangerous for you and your baby.

When you’re pregnant, your body produces more blood than usual. This extra blood is needed to sustain normal pregnancy and grow a healthy baby inside the womb.

You also need iron during pregnancy which is essential for the baby’s growth and development. Blood donation could lead to iron deficiency.

Reasons To Donate Plasma

In most cases, donating plasma is paid for by the donation centers. You can do it more often than donating blood and you can help a lot of people.

Even if you’re not eligible to donate blood or plasma right now, it’s good to explore the world of donations.

The first reason to donate plasma is to help someone. Many people do it for the money, but the main reason for plasma donation should be kindness and a desire to help.

When you’re healthy, you’re not aware that there are so many people who are sick. They need help, and you can be the one to help them.

So, whenever you’re healthy and allowed to donate blood or plasma, do it. It truly saves lives. You will help someone and you will feel great about it. Doing these things is so rewarding and fulfilling.

Plasma donations are called “the gift of life”. This name shows the importance of plasma donations.

The biggest reason to donate plasma more often than blood is connected to its usage. Plasma can be used for so many different treatments. Your plasma can help both babies and adults to get better.

People are so busy with their lives that they forget the significance of small acts like blood and plasma donations. Whenever you’re allowed to donate, do it.

What Else Can You Donate?

You probably know that humans can donate many things besides blood and plasma. But, let’s focus on breastfeeding and pregnant moms and their possible donations.

Breast Milk

The first thing that you can donate as a nursing mom is your breast milk. As you know, breast milk is the best food for the baby.

There are many donation centers that accept breast milk. Many moms don’t have enough breast milk to feed their little ones.

There is a formula, but since breast milk is better, many moms will gladly accept breast milk.

Additionally, some babies have health problems and it’s recommended for them to consume breast milk only. So, if you’re a nursing mom, and you want to help someone by donating something, think about donating breast milk.

In most cases, women with excess breast milk are the ones who donate it. However, if you’re determined to donate breast milk, you can always set up a breastfeeding and pumping schedule to boost your milk supply.

The more you extract milk from the breasts, the more milk will be produced. Donating breast milk is a great act of kindness if you can’t donate plasma or blood.

Plasma or blood might be more useful, but breast milk also benefits our little people.

If you want to donate breast milk, I suggest eating healthy, especially if you want to make your breast milk fattier. Lactation drinks will also boost your breast milk supply.

With the help of a breast pump and breast milk storage bags, you can easily and safely donate your milk.

In the past, having a wet nurse was very popular. A wet nurse is a woman who breastfeeds another woman’s child. Wet nursing is also called cross-nursing.

Umbilical Cord Blood

Donating cord blood is also a generous thing. However, this is something you should discuss with your doctor during pregnancy.

When you give birth, the placenta, and umbilical cord are usually thrown away. But, since umbilical cord blood contains blood-forming cells, it’s very valuable.

Some women donate it, and some leave it for themselves. This blood can be stored for years and it’s a great way to treat many diseases.

These blood-forming cells are also called stem cells. Stem cells have the power to repair any damaged tissue, organ, or other cells.

What If I Want To Help Someone?

If you’re not eligible to donate plasma or blood, but you want to help someone, I can’t tell you anything else but to consult with a professional.

When it comes to donating plasma, you can’t choose the recipients in most cases. Blood can be given to a certain person if you make arrangements.

If you have a sick family member or a friend, you should discuss donating plasma or blood with your doctor.

He will evaluate your health and runs some tests. If your doctor tells you that you shouldn’t donate anything, please listen. It’s great that you want to help, but ruining your health while raising a baby won’t help anyone.

There were cases when people lied in order to donate blood or plasma. This is dangerous, and it can be fatal for more than one person.

Try to ask someone else to donate. I am sure you have friends and family who will donate instead of you. You could also start a campaign and get people to come and donate. This will be beneficial for more than one person.

Contact your local Red Cross Organization and inform them that someone you know needs help. They will be happy to help.

As I’ve mentioned, most people don’t have a problem with donating blood or plasma, they just don’t have the time. Saving lives and helping people is the goal of every kindhearted person.

Conclusion

Breastfeeding moms and pregnant women are restricted in many things and that can be frustrating. Giving birth was hard, and now you have to keep working on boosting that milk supply, and you’re not allowed to do so many things.

You can donate plasma while breastfeeding, but there are certain precautions to take. Breastfeeding mothers have to take care of every detail, and they can’t relax.

They’re taking care of themselves and their babies. But, all of that goes away. One day you won’t be one of the breastfeeding moms.

You will be able to do anything you want. For now, be patient, and make sure to follow the instructions I’ve mentioned in this article if you’re interested in this topic. Be a responsible mother who takes of her health.