I think it depends on where you are living and giving blood.  Each blood
clinc "company" will have its own policies.  I know that the "Canadian
Blood Services" and "Héma Québec" here (which are the 2 in Canada:  the
former for most of Canada, and the latter for Québec only) say you can
start giving blood 6 months after the start of lactating, which for most
moms is 6 months post-partum (but not for adoptive moms who induce
lactation).  I was told in January (10 months post-partum) that they
suggested waiting until the baby was taking most of its calories in
solids, in case the blood donation made the milk production go down, but
even if I was 100% exclusively breastfeeding after 6 months (which I was
until 8 months), it was my decision to make once I was past those first
6 months.  For what it's worth, *I* didn't notice a difference in milk
production, but I've never had production problems (other than
OVERSUPPLY) anyhow...  ;-)

When I went into the blood clinic and asked at first, I was told 6
months after I *stopped* lactating, by a fellow who obviously didn't
know the real rules and regulations.  I figured they had some silly rule
like that that assumed "most women wouldn't nurse more than a couple of
months anyhow", but just to make sure, I pushed by saying "what if she's
only nursing once a week and is 5 and still nursing...you mean I still
can't donate then?", which was when he went to make sure and another
person came back with the real rules.

However, I suspect that other countries and other services have
different rules.  I'd ask them, and if they have some stupid rule like 6
months after weaning, I'd ask to make sure, like I did, why it would be
bad for someone with a nursing "youngster" (older than toddler) who was
nursing pretty infrequently.  If it still is against their rules and
regulations, at least it will educate someone there that people DO nurse
longer than 2-3 months and that perhaps they should revise their rules
to include that fact...

Fio.

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