Editor’s Note: This is a part of our “Finish This Thought” blog post series by the staff at the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas. Did you meet Simone Summerlin yet? You can also still meet Laura Davis.
About Amy Manning Vickers -
Since it opened its doors in 2004, Amy Manning Vickers has served as the Executive Director and Clinical Director of the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas. A former NICU nurse, she met her first preemie baby when she was a nursing student and instantly fell in love with caring for premature infants.
As Executive Director of the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas, Vickers combines her experience as a lactation consultant with her passion for breastfeeding and the power of human milk, as well as her love of premature babies.
Amy’s passion for sewing, love of preemie babies and volunteerism recently landed her in the international spotlight. Amy spends her nights and weekends sewing Angel Gowns for NICU Helping Hands, an organization that provides support programs and resources to parents of premature infants, both during their stay in the NICU and after their transition home.
You can get to know Amy by reading her answers below, or visiting one of her previous posts!
Amy’s Answers….
I am grateful to be living my dream - working at a Milk Bank, married to my best friend and the proud mother of two- college age kids, Sam and Mary Elizabeth.
I wonder where some of the tiny preemies and their families that I took care of years ago are now. I still often think about many of them.
I think breastfeeding gives all babies the best start in life, and for some breastfeeding can mean the difference between life and death.
I hear amazing stories from moms about their journeys.
I see moms who struggle with the roller coaster of having a preemie, and I think how strong and brave mothers really are.
I want to be able to send donor milk to every baby who needs it.
I am working hard to make sure that we never run out of donor human milk and any baby that needs it to survive will have plenty.
I pretend that my kids are still babies and make them sit in my lap. This gets really old for them and they think I am nutty.
I feel happy when my kids are home for a visit, but I also feel happy when they are enjoying college and happy away from home too.
I wonder why mothers are programmed to have guilt about everything and why the guilt does not stop after kids are grown!! A missed word on a spelling test, forgotten homework, skinned knees and on and on and on…..
I enjoy reading, sewing, going to estate sales and cuddling with my pups.
I worry about our sweet outpatient babies. Some of them have big struggles and they feel like family to me.
I cry during sappy commercials, sad movies and when I am really worried.
I am joyful and grateful most of the time.
I understand how scary it is to be a new mom.
I say, “It always looks better in the morning,” and “Do your best and keep your eye on the ball.”
I dream about forgetting an important meeting or showing up somewhere unprepared.
I try to stay organized and keep everything moving forward.
I hope our donor moms truly understand that they are saving lives every day.
I think babies feel and smell wonderful! I LOVE to hold babies.