Donor Stories
My daughter Cassadee was born prematurely, at 27 weeks and 1 day, weighing 2 lb 1.2 oz. Seeing my daughter for the first time was very upsetting. I felt guilty and I couldn’t stop blaming myself for her early arrival.
For the first two weeks of her life, Cassadee was put on a breathing machine. Then she was switched to a nose cannula, and after 10 weeks, she began breathing on her own. She was diagnosed with patent ductus arteriosis (PDA), which is characterized by abnormal blood flow between two blood vessels leading from the heart and causing breathing and heart problems.
Fortunately, the doctors were able to treat the PDA with a medicine to close the abnormal connection. During her first few weeks of life, Cassadee was fed with a mixture of donor milk and my breast milk, until my full milk supply came in. During this time, we noticed blood in her stool, which doctors thought might signal a mild form of necrotizing enterocolitis or a reaction to her PDA medication. We stopped all meds and feeds, and she was placed on antibiotics.
Once her stools looked normal again, she was given Prolact+ H2MF, the only fortifier made from 100% human milk, so that she could receive more calories, proteins, and nutrients. She began to put on weight! When she passed the 1500 gram weight mark, Cassadee was weaned off Prolact+ fortifier (this is the weight that infants are typically weaned off Prolact+) and was placed on a cow milk-based fortifier.
As soon as the switch happened, Cassadee didn’t pass stool for almost 4 weeks! She underwent numerous tests, and I tried changing my diet to dairy free. That didn’t seem to help. Finally, we started her on a powder formula for infants with cow protein sensitivity, and that got things going again.
In October 2017, when Cassadee was 4 months old, we discovered she had an allergy not only to cow milk protein, which is found in most fortifiers and formulas, but also to my breast milk. Throughout Cassadee’s stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), I had pumped fervently. I am what is called an “overproducer,” and I was able to pump and freeze a good stash of my milk – over 1000 oz! With my huge surplus of milk, I decided to donate to Tiny Treasures, so that all my hard work would not go to waste and I could help another premature baby like my daughter.
After 144 days in the NICU, on Thanksgiving Day, of all days, Cassadee was officially a NICU graduate! She weighed a hearty 8 lb 6 oz. At discharge, she was able to bottle-feed and had great head control. She was delayed in some milestones, such as rolling over and reaching for toys, but now, at 8 months (5 months adjusted), she’s starting to reach them slowly.
Stay positive – these little miracles are true fighters. They may have ups and downs, and sometimes there’re more downs than ups in the beginning, but never give up hope. Don’t feel as though you are a bad parent because you can’t be there with your preemie day and night. Make the most of the time you have when you are there, doing things like changing diapers and bathing your baby, so that you are prepared to do these things once your little miracle goes home.