A CALL TO ACTION FOR NURSING MOMS: DONATE NOW TO THE MOTHERS' MILK BANK

So I typically don’t post things like this on the blog but this landed in my inbox and it really hit home for me and I wanted to share it with all of you. In a nutshell, the mothers' milk bank is low on its breast milk stock. If you are one of those nursing mothers that has so much milk in storage you don’t know what to do with I urge you to really consider calling the mothers' milk bank (877-375-6645) to see if you are eligible to donate some of your breast milk. 

Now some of you may be thinking, why on earth would I want to donate MY breast milk that was produced for MY child? I can assure you, this is not the way of thinking to have at all. The reason why this hit so home for me is because almost two years ago I needed to tap into that mothers' milk bank supply myself for my premature daughter. On September 18, 2012 I gave birth to my second child three months early. She was not due until 12-12-12. I didn’t have time to dwell on why it happened or what I could have done differently; all I knew is that I needed to do what I could as her mother to make sure she got the best care she could. 

Since I had failed miserably at attempting to breastfeed my first born, I was not optimistic at all about being able to provide the breast milk that my premature daughter needed. But none the less, I gave it the old college try. But, with such a small baby there was absolutely no way that she could latch on so I pumped my little heart out. But after 2.5 months of pumping (and I returned to work in the mean time while she was in the hospital) I never really produced a lot of milk for her. So, at one point my breast milk was supplemented with breast milk from a milk bank. 

At first when the doctor’s and nurses mentioned it to me I was taken aback; like you seriously want me to give MY child someone else’s breast milk? But, they say it takes a village to raise a child and where I fell short I am grateful that the option to have supplemented breast milk from the milk bank was available.

Now, almost two years later my little angel is the happiest, sweetest, most lovable gift I could have ever asked for. 

With all of that being said, again, if you are a nursing mother with breast milk coming out of your ears; I urge you to contact the mothers' milk bank now.  

More about mothers' milk bank:

The nonprofit Mothers’ Milk Bank is supported by donors from many states who ship milk to the facility where it is tested and pasteurized for the most vulnerable infants.  Most moms who are eligible to donate blood are also eligible to donate milk.  To find out more call the Mothers’ Milk Bank at 877-375-6645 or visit online www.mothersmilk.org and at facebook.com/freshestmilk.