Parent Stories
Dear Prolacta Bioscience,
My family felt like we won the lottery when we found out the NICU in Hoffman Estates, IL would be offering Prolact+ H2MF for the first time ever to my beautiful baby Vivian, who was born at 26.5 weeks gestation weighing only 1 lb. and 4 ounces. My baby was born early because her umbilical cord and placenta were failing due to numerous blood clots and placenta previa. After she was stabilized, the doctors delivered to me and my husband the best news we got since we endured several setbacks for about three weeks after she was born. The doctors had obtained clearance from the hospital to start sourcing Prolact+ H2MF and our Vivian would be the first baby to receive it! I remember crying with joy because of the hope that Prolacta provided to me personally.
When a mom delivers a baby that early, it is truly hard work to get milk production to come in since the milk ducts are not fully matured at 7 months of pregnancy. With the help of the NICU nurses and doctors who continually reiterated that breast milk was the only option to get my baby to grow and survive and fight for her life, I was under the gun to provide. And my milk did come miraculously! Albeit it was just enough to feed her every day through her feeding tube in her mouth. However, I was warned that my breast milk would likely not have enough calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus and that a fortifier was the protocol the NICU implemented to fill in the extra vitamin gaps. After testing my breast milk, it was only averaging about 19 calories. She obviously needed more to catch up. A fortifier was necessary and would be added to my breast milk. After hearing and reading about the bovine-based fortifiers my daughter would be on, I was mortified that she would likely get NEC, a horrific gastrointestinal infection that I saw a few preemies in the NICU sadly fight. The baby’s incubator next to our daughter in the NICU got NEC not once, but twice, and died after two months from complications. I witnessed that baby and her family, endure the worst nightmare as my baby lived in her incubator a few feet away. I thought for sure my daughter was next. Especially when we received a horrific phone call from the hospital staff early one morning after a few days on the standard cow milk-based fortifier, that my daughter may have come down with NEC since a nurse discovered blood in her stool overnight. I threw the phone down and screamed with sadness. I cried because I was devastated my daughter not only would fight for her life, but she would go through the suffering I saw a few preemies around us go through. However, later that morning as I was driving to the hospital to be with my daughter, the nurse called to tell me that her x-rays showed that she did not in fact have NEC as initially believed, but she was probably intolerant to the fortifier. My heart lifted with joy! However, as I continued my drive to the hospital after receiving the confirmation she didn’t have NEC, I worried about what the hospital would do to help her grow if my breast milk wasn’t enough and she couldn’t take the fortifier they had. The next day, the NICU doctors gave us the news that Prolact+ H2MF would be coming for my daughter. I cried, but again felt worried about what Prolact+ H2MF was. It was something new-never used in the NICU before at the hospital. I felt again fear that maybe my daughter would experience a negative side effect from the product or still get NEC from it or another infection. Where was the human milk coming from? Did it have anything in it that could possibly cause her harm? Why are women donating milk? I had so many questions so I went home with my husband and found all the answers on the Prolacta video clearly detailing how serious the company took their product, including the extensive DNA testing they did, the numerous safety nets their scientists put in place to prevent bacteria from growing in the product and the wide research they conducted reiterating their findings that the product may reduce the chances of NEC. My husband and I were sold! We cried when we saw the video and were so happy to have that available to educate us. We were certainly impressed and grateful that people saw the need for Prolacta and made such a beautiful product that would give our baby a better outcome. We found the video so helpful, we alerted the NICU dietician and the NICU doctors to watch the video themselves! They too were impressed.
My baby used Prolact+ H2MF from the end of October 2012 all the way through January 2013 and grew, and grew and grew! She never once contracted an infection during her four month stay in the hospital. She was so sick when she was born, on a ventilator for 21 days total, had a PDA ligation 23 days after birth and became intolerant to the cow milk-based fortifier. But all those issues were solved. She overcame it all, clearly with the help of Prolacta on her side. We came home from the hospital after four months. My baby weighed 5 lbs. 8 ounces. It was quite a change from the mere 1 lb. 4 ounces she entered the world as. My daughter would never have made it to that homecoming weight without Prolact+ H2MF. God Bless the company and people who work to help NICU moms and babies, and to all the moms who donate breast milk to support such a necessary option. Prolacta will definitively become a staple, a normal protocol for micro preemies in the NICU in years to come in hospitals around the world. We certainly believe that. Thank You So Much For Making A Product That Means So Much To Families & Babies Who Fight With Everything They Have To Live! Love, Frank, Linda, Big Brother Torey & Baby Vivian Prestia