Donor Stories
I struggled to breastfeed exclusively with my first child, Jordyn, and heavily supplemented her nutrition with formula. By the time she was 6 months old, I was no longer producing any milk. With my second child, Riley, the breastfeeding experience has been much different. Not only have I not needed to give her formula, but I’ve been able to produce more milk than she needs!
A few months ago, Riley decided to refuse to bottle-feed, which left me with a freezer full of my pumped breast milk. I didn’t want all that milk to go to waste, so I researched different milk banks. I decided to go with Helping Hands, a milk bank operated by Prolacta that contributes $1 to Susan G. Komen for every qualified ounce of breast milk donated. I sent in my first donation a week ago! So far, it’s been a great experience working with Prolacta. They are extremely thorough when it comes to selecting qualified donors and have been helpful throughout the entire process.
Donating is important to me because of how valuable breast milk is for babies. I’m lucky to have had major success with breastfeeding this time around, and I don’t mind sharing with other mamas who are struggling with their breastfeeding journey, as I did with my first child. It feels good to be in a place where I can give back and help someone else.