We are honored to share the story of one of our repeat milk donors, Faith. Faith is a remarkably selfless human being who has helped countless other families through both milk donation and surrogacy. Prepare to be inspired!
“When my children were born 17, 15, and 13 years ago, I had never heard of a milk bank or knew that donor milk existed as a resource. I breastfed all three of my own kids and I’ve always believed strongly in the benefits of breastmilk and breastfeeding for both babies and moms. A few times, my kids had complications such as jaundice, low blood sugar, or slow weight gain. It was always advised to me to supplement to help these conditions with formula. I remember crying so much and feeling so sad that perhaps I wasn’t giving my child enough to thrive. Never once was I offered donor breastmilk, and I wish that was presented as an option.
Fast forward several years. My husband and I had long since decided our family was complete, but I still felt a calling inside of me. This led me to become a surrogate for the first time in 2016. After delivery, I had to decide on what to do with my milk production. The intended parents did not want me to pump for them, as they lived out of state and were actually able to have their insurance cover donor milk for them from their local milk bank. I felt like I was in a very unique situation to have a full milk supply, but no baby to give it to. I didn’t want to dry up as I cringed internally thinking about wasting so much liquid gold. That’s when I contacted the Mother’s Milk Bank and became a donor. Everything I pumped for about 5-6 months, a total of 4,256 oz, went directly to MMB and, eventually, to babies in need!
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I completed my second surrogacy journey in 2019. My intended parents were from another country, so they too were not going to be taking my milk after delivery. It was not even a question as to what I would do again. I called Mother’s Milk Bank and began donating once again with a total of 2,566 oz.
And finally, here we are again. I completed my third surrogacy journey in January of 2022. This was a sibling journey for my previous intended parents, so the story is the same. More milk, pumped with love, for babies in need!
Being a surrogate has brought me so much joy and has filled my heart with such an indescribable sense of purpose. Being a milk donor has taken it to another level. I know my milk is helping nourish and grow babies all over the country. To know that babies are living and thriving because of me, in so many ways, makes my heart and soul feel whole. Even during nighttime pumping sessions, when I wanted to quit, I kept going so they could keep growing. It isn’t easy to pump regularly around the clock with no baby of your own to keep you motivated. It’s a labor of love for sure, but with every bag of milk I place in my freezer, I know that because of the life I brought into the world as a surrogate, I am also able to give life to many other babies through my milk donation and that keeps me motivated.
If you are a surrogate, please consider donating your milk to Mother’s Milk Bank. You are in a unique situation to provide the best nourishment to fragile babies. Your desire to help and give is evident just by deciding to become a surrogate, and it doesn’t have to stop there. Your gift of love can continue, even after delivery, in the form of your milk donation.”
Faith, thank you for all that you do to support babies and families! You are incredible.
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