Donations

I was lucky enough in my breastfeeding journey with Asher to donate about a thousand ounces of milk to babies who were medically fragile, mothers couldn’t produce or children who couldn’t tolerate formula. It felt great to help and was an emotionally fulfilling opportunity for me. I had always planned to donate again with Finn but it was unexpected that I would be presented with the perfect opportunity so soon. 

When Finn was unable to nurse in the NICU I was forced to pump. Kelly was so sweet and brought me lactation cookies, muffins and tea to help my milk come in. Oh, it came in alright! I think I maybe got a little too ambitious because my production was stellar, almost too much (see note about mastitis earlier). Because of this my freezer stash has already started. Great news! Less work to get started on before leave is over. That is until I saw a post in my Crunchy Mama group about a little boy, just a few days younger than Finn, needing donor milk to supplement while his mother struggled with her production. Of course I was compelled to help. I have this perfectly aged milk for a little boy in need. My milk has continued to change to Finn’s growing needs and our bodies naturally tailor the milk to age, sex and environmental needs. I could help this little boy and his mama out with at least two out of the three of those.

After everything we have been through I hope to continue to help, support, grow and be more compassionate overall. This was something that was important to me during the first go-around but now it means so much more. Hopefully this mama’s milk comes in and she is able to feed her son. If not, I plan to pump and provide her with any additional milk that I can. It’s just a small thing that Finn and I can offer up after all the difficulties we have been through. We know how the smallest gestures can mean the most.