12/04/2023
Every breastfeeding/pumping and donation journey looks different. Donor mom Julie shares her story.
“Poppy and I had quite the breastfeeding journey. What started as a latch issue evolved into a suspected lactose intolerance and other potential sensitivities. When removing dairy from my diet didn’t seem to help, we moved Poppy to a sensitive formula. She was much more content! Meanwhile, I was an over-producer and figured I would continue pumping and storing milk in the event that Poppy grew out of her sensitivities down the road. Eventually, we invested in a second freezer for all of the extra milk! It felt ironic (and frankly, kind of frustrating!) that I was producing so much milk that my baby couldn’t eat. That is when I started looking into donating it.
MMBNT made the screening process simple. I shipped milk via FedEx in milk storage bags using packing materials MMBNT provided. It was surprisingly easy…and heavy.
It was emotionally difficult for me when Poppy wasn’t able to drink my breastmilk. Even though rationally I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong, it felt like I had failed her. Of course I know that isn’t the case! Still, donating milk and knowing that it will benefit other babies and their families gave pumping additional meaning. I am so happy I was able to do it.”
Julie donated over 2,400 oz to our milk bank. We’re so grateful to her for her truly selfless dedication to pumping to help save little lives!
