4,572 ounces!

Our baby arrived at 34 weeks. While we were in the NICU we were overjoyed at the opportunity to be able to access donor milk to supplement our child’s nutrition as we patiently waited for my milk to come in. A few days later I was able to pump and feed my own milk. Through this journey, our baby never really caught onto latching. This led me to exclusively pump and, through this process, produce an excess of milk. I began to stash some away and it became clear that there was far more than our baby would ever need so I began donating. I had enough milk in our freezer to stop pumping at 9 months and still be able to feed him until he was one. I felt so much joy and fulfillment in being able to donate milk and support other mamas and babies that I just kept pumping until he turned one!

My final donated total was 4,572 ounces! That is more milk than they keep in a gas station fridge! My family still calls me “milkbags” (haha) and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to be a part of something bigger and to be in solidarity with babies and mamas who are walking a path of accessing donor milk. I am grateful for the coordination and support of MN Milk Bank for Babies and will always be supportive of their mission to provide donor milk to those in need!

~ Mallory