Donor Mom Spotlight: Maria Monk

    Maria Monk Plano, TX I was blessed with a great milk supply and was able to breastfeed both of my children until they were about 16 months. My daughter is now 8 years-old and my son is 2 years-old. I didn't know about the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas when I had my daughter; however, by the time my son was born, I had learned about it through a mother’s group at my church and contacted them to become a donor. I work full time, so I was back in the office when both of my children were 7 weeks-old. I had to carry my pump, containers, and a cooler every day to and from work. At first I didn’t know how my colleagues would react, but they were very supportive and set up a private space for me to use. Now, the office has floors with private pumping rooms and refrigerators for employees who are breastfeeding. Some people admired how I managed to breast feed and pump while at work, but to me I felt that I was doing what any other mother would do. I truly believe that breastmilk is the best for babies. I was lucky to have a mother who was able to breastfeed me and my siblings. We were very healthy children, rarely sick, and were never hospitalized. I believe that my mother’s breastmilk had a lot to do with that, and I wanted the same for my children. Both of my kids are healthy and when they do catch a virus or child illness, it is typically mild with a quick recovery. This is why I became a donor and have given 349 ounces of my milk-- I wanted to give some very delicate infants a chance at life.