Andrea Fluhman
Amarillo, TX
We have two girls. Born on January 11, 2008, Berklee is now five and Dakota just turned 1-year-old on May 11th. When I started breastfeeding Berklee it was easy to see I was an ‘overproducer.’ At the time, I was the head volleyball coach and math teacher at Palo Duro High School in Amarillo. I’d pump in order to keep my milk supply up, storing milk for Berklee to have while I was traveling during volleyball season.
The girls on my volleyball team knew that if my office was locked and the pumping sound came through the door, then I would be available in 20 minutes. They knew I was pumping for Berklee. My athletes knew family was a high priority and breastfeeding was something that did not take a long time and is important.
That year the stress of traveling and playing games on the road during volleyball season caused me to dry up four months before Berklee turned 1-year-old. Luckily I had stored up enough breastmilk for Berklee, and she received breastmilk for the entire first year of her life.
About one year before Dakota was born, a colleague’s wife passed away while pregnant, but her baby survived. This is when I first learned about the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas. The woman’s husband and I worked in the same school district and decided I needed to donate my breastmilk if I had any ‘extra’ when nursing my second child.
When Dakota arrived in May 2012, after coaching volleyball and teaching for six and half years, I decided to work from home with my husband in our billboard company, Fluhman Outdoor, Inc. I’ve briefly returned to teaching when a teacher resigned, but will be back home again working with my husband this summer.
With Dakota, we didn’t have room to store any extra breastmilk, so I donated it to the Northwest Texas Hospital Milk Depot. Once a month, when the ice chest was full, the girls and I would make a visit to drop off Dakota’s milk. The nursery staff recognized us, and we waited while a nurse would greet us and bring us back to put our breastmilk in the depot freezer. This became a part of our monthly routine.
My husband, Chris, and I want to instill in both of our daughters that not everyone is as fortunate as we are. Sharing and donating what we have to the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas is an act of giving and I feel proud that we’ve donated 2,346 ounces to the Milk Bank. It is a blessing to be on the “giving side” of the breastmilk donation process.
I’m glad to set the example and share this experience. Every mother is not able to breastfeed. And I know that not everyone can experience the gift of donating breast milk, but if it is possible, then it is totally worth doing.
In March 2013, Berklee cut 10 inches off her hair to donate to Locks of Love. We received confirmation in April it was a good donation. These little acts of giving help our girls understand that they can touch lives near or far from us.
A funny thing… because the letters to our first names – Andrea, Berklee, Chris, and Dakota – and last name – Fluhman - create ABCD Fluhman, our family is often asked if we are going to have an “E” to complete our alphabet. Nope. We are happy with ABCD - Fluhman.
Three breastfeeding tips from Donor Mom Andrea Fluhman:
- While pregnant, definitely take a local breastfeeding class. It will help get you ready.
- When submitting pre-admission paperwork to the hospital, find out who the lactation nurses are and meet them ahead of time. I did that and then kept them on speed dial for a year after the baby was born.
- Don’t forget to ask questions of your lactation consultant and others, building both your information base and your support system.