Milk Donation

Last week the Donation Coordinator, Laurel, for Texas Children's Mother's Milk Bank contacted me about being on their virtual milk bank donor wall.  I told her we'd be honored to be included!!!  So, here we are!  You can check out the website here.   

The website is full of useful information ranging from breast pump rentals to the benefits of breastfeeding. 

I am a huge supporter of milk donation.  Working with the TCH milk donation program was so easy.  They were great about telling me how much I'd donated and sending boxes whenever I was ready to donate more.  The program is such a blessing to those tiny little NICU babies. 

They even took the time to send me this sweet letter in the mail:
 
Words cannot express our gratitude or convey the magnitude of the impact your breast milk has on our tiniest and most fragile patients.  You have literally given of yourself to help another family's precious baby have the best possible outcome.  We thank you on behalf of all the mothers with whom you have shared so selflessly.  The 1,021 ounces of breast milk you donated will provide a premature baby at Texas Children's with approximately 128 days of optimal nutrition and development. 

I hope this post helps encourages mothers to donate that are capable.  I was very blessed to produce as much milk as I did and the donation process was easy.  Having the TCH milk bank send such sweet words makes my heart smile.  Pumping can be time consuming (especially during a busy work day or when you're exhausted at 2am) but knowing that I helped someone made it so worth while. 

One of the first things the NICU doctor asked us before William was born was if he could get donor breast milk.  Since I wouldn't produce milk for a couple of days and William wouldn't be able to nurse it was donor milk or formula.  The decision was easy for us.  We immediately signed a consent for William to receive donor breast milk.  There are studies showing the protective effects of breast milk against necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a serious intestinal infection. Read more here.

So if you can DONATE!!  It's easy.  I did a post back in February about the steps you take to becoming a donor.  Read here.   

After contacting the milk bank you:

• Fill out a form with about 50 questions of past medical history
• Have blood drawn
• Test your freezer temperature
• Start collecting milk
• Once you are ready to send your milk you request a FedEx delivery box. 
• It's sent to your home within a week
• All the instructions are inside the box (you freeze some ice packs for 48 hours....after that, call FedEx to schedule a pick up, load up the milk and the freezer packs and tape up the cooler and box! 
• The box is picked up at your door step

Blow by oxygen during his first bath!  Short legs.  Big head.  Dark hair.  Preemie.  :)

He loved to hold daddy's finger.

Just a little guy at 3lb 8 oz.

There's a mom out there that helped feed my baby when I couldn't.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you!  I am so glad I was able to give back.  What a cool generation we live in that mothers can help each other out this way.  :)  TCH you rock!!!!