Laura Bayzle
Raleigh, NC
After my oldest son Connor was born, I realized that I was blessed with an abundant milk supply. As I prepared to go back to work, I knew I would be traveling a good amount and started pumping and storing milk for the times I expected to be away from my baby. I returned to work at 4 months to discover that I wasn’t going to travel as much as I thought I would. I decided to donate excess milk. I had learned about donating excess milk when I was pregnant – a friend had posted about the need for milk at human milk banks.
The whole process of working with Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas has been wonderful. In fact, I recently participated in a study about the culture of breastmilk through a local university, where I discussed donating to a non-profit milk bank and how easy it has been. I’m thankful for the easy email communications and how simple it is to receive shipping material as needed. Simone at Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas has been great – I love getting email confirmations from her that let me know how many ounces I’ve donated. I would recommend donating to MMBNT to any mom with extra milk. I am pregnant with our second child and plan to donate again after birth!
Laura’s Breastfeeding Advice
Go with your gut. We moms tend to second-guess ourselves with breastfeeding. It’s important to trust your instincts. Find a good support group or village of like-minded people whether it’s with your feeding journey or with donating milk. It’s important to get support and encouragement along the way, especially when you start to doubt your decisions.