"I live in New Mexico and have two boys, Jericho, 4, and Jedidiah, 1. I'm a part-time dog groomer and full-time mom with a passion for breastfeeding awareness. Jericho was born at 39 weeks, and Jedidiah at 31 weeks, weighing just 4 lb 4 oz. Both spent time in the NICU. Seeing all the fragile, tiny babies inspired me to donate my excess milk, especially given my natural oversupply. I am so happy I found Tiny Treasures, as donation is an amazing way to help other families. I donated with Jericho until he weaned at 26 months and am now on my second journey with Jedidiah.
Being a donor has given me the opportunity to discuss the importance of breastmilk with others, and I am forever grateful for the resources and community I've found through this program. I just surpassed my initial donation goal of 50,000 ounces, between both babies! My new goal is to donate for two years and contribute at least 50,000 ounces with Jedidiah alone.
The biggest challenge I’ve encountered with donation is TIME! With two kids, it’s hard to find the time and energy to work, clean, pump, and be a cool mom. It helps that my boyfriend, Josh, and my kids are very supportive of me, and Jericho even sings "it's time to pump" when he hears my pump alarm go off. On the hardest days, I am motivated to keep going by the memory of my mom, who passed away suddenly in December, as she was a huge breastfeeding advocate and instilled the importance of breastmilk to me.
The best piece of advice I have for other donors: Don't stress. You are doing something amazing, and you deserve all the praise in the world. You also deserve that extra slice of dessert!”
