Anna Brissman
North Texas
My son, Alexander, was a big eater from birth. We had latch issues and used a nipple shield while we worked through them. I would pump if needed. When he was 10 weeks old, we discovered that Alexander had a milk protein allergy. My doctor recommended I cut out all dairy, but continue to breastfeed. I had a freezer full of milk from the first few months of his life that I couldn’t use. I knew how precious the extra milk was and the thought of it going to waste crushed me. Someone must need it. It may not have been good for Alexander, but it was good for other babies who could tolerate the milk protein.
After finding Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas through an Internet search and going through the donor process, I began to drop off my milk at Baylor Regional Medical Center in Grapevine. As Alexander started to love solids, I continued to pump to manage my supply and continued to provide MMBNT with dairy-free milk. I breastfed Alexander until he was 19 months old. Towards the end of our breastfeeding relationship, he really started to enjoy the visits to drop off the milk. He loved to fill the cooler and ride in the elevator. He also enjoyed looking at the babies in the nursery. Alexander really seemed to understand that we were giving away something good at the end.
Just recently, Alexander was learning about the letter M in preschool. When asked what started with the letter M, he held out his shirt to resemble breasts and shouted, “Milk! Mama’s milk!” He is already an advocate for breastfeeding!
Anna’s Breastfeeding Advice:
Every baby is different. Don’t beat yourself up over what babies are supposed to do and what your baby does. Meet your baby where they are. Give yourself credit for what you and your baby are doing instead of what you think you should be doing.
Alexander enjoys the snow
Alexander on the jungle gym.