Debbie Quila
Richardson, TX
When she was first born, Harper wouldn’t latch on for breastfeeding. I saw several different lactation consultants and didn’t feel like breastfeeding was working for me. Although I didn’t bond with her at first by breastfeeding, Harper was close to me when she slept on my chest for six weeks.
I continued to try and pump, but could only get a little bit of milk to come out. I was emotional about this because I wanted my daughter to have my breastmilk. I wanted her to receive the immune benefits and the good nutrients found in breastmilk. Then, all of a sudden, my milk came in and I made far more than my two month old daughter needed. My freezer quickly filled up.
A friend told me about donating my extra breastmilk to a milk bank. I looked it up thinking, “I had no idea you could do this.”
Once I was an approved donor, we packed up so much milk to take to the milk depot. When we arrived with our milk, the faces of the NICU personnel and nurses lit up. That’s when it hit us: They really needed this stuff. They run out of donor milk daily.
Harper Kate in front of Mommy's milk
I continued to pump every two hours for months. I was exhausted and would cry, but I also had my husband who was so strong. He would take over feedings while I got some rest. Being able to feed Harper was one of his favorite things to do, despite her eating frequently. He’d say, “I got to feed her every two hours.”
If that one friend of mine hadn’t mentioned donating my extra breastmik to a milk bank, I wouldn’t have known. I donated 3,012 ounces to the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas, and I’ve made a commitment to spread the word and tell other lactating moms that it really is an easy process to get approved and donate your milk. It’s not only good for you, but it’s good for other people too.
This was one thing I could do. I didn’t have time to volunteer but this was something I could do because I already had it.
Debbie’s advice to new moms:
- Sleep when the baby sleeps, but know that’s hard when you have to pump. I just had to make it a priority.
- Pump once you are back at work. I am a nurse and they were very understanding and supportive. If I had to pump they would let me.
- Set alarms on your phone to help you remember when to pump because you can lose track of time during the day.