From NICU Mom to Milk Donor: Breastfeeding Support Program Paves Path to Success

8/12/2024

Savannah’s baby, Perrin, was born in Fort Worth, Texas following a traumatic birth experience. He was admitted to the NICU where he received donor milk after struggling with breastfeeding. He first received feedings from a syringe and then progressed to preemie bottles. 

However, Savannah was determined to breastfeed. Affording a private lactation consultant wasn’t possible, and she didn’t have family in town to help. That’s when Savannah and Perrin started attending Baby Café on Tuesdays, a free lactation support program offered at Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas. Savannah says, “Baby Café became our primary source of support.” The program provides certified lactation consultants and the opportunity to meet other families with similar challenges. 

Sessions included weighted feeds, which involved weighing Perrin on a medical-grade baby-weight scale before and after breastfeeding. This assured Savannah that he was receiving an adequate amount of breastmilk. The lactation consultant was also consistently monitoring his latch. By 11-weeks old, Perrin was breastfeeding successfully. 

Soon, after feeding Perrin and pumping her milk, Savannah stockpiled a massive oversupply. At that point, she decided to help other families by donating her extra milk. Reflecting on her amazement that a total stranger pumped milk to help Perrin when he was in the NICU, she explains, “I just wanted to do that for others and help give little ones their best chance of going home.”

When asked if she would recommend Baby Café to other mothers, Savannah says, “One hundred percent. It fills the gap between what consultants and experienced family can provide. Being part of the group helps tremendously with the isolation that having a newborn entails. And weighted feeds are the absolute best anxiety treatment!”