Donor Stories
"I married my wonderful, hard-working husband 7 years ago. We are Matt and Mattie, and yes, we had M&M's at our wedding! We have two adorable daughters, Nancy, 3, and Chloe, 5 months.
Before Nancy was born, I was petrified of not having enough milk for her, so I researched lactation extensively. Fortunately, I was blessed with an awesome milk supply and discovered Prolacta. I fell in love with the idea of being able to help the smallest babies.
That’s why I chose to donate to Tiny Treasures, and because it allowed me to become a stay at home mom longer. With Nancy, I donated for about 14 months. With Chloe, I just finished my second re-qualification, and plan to stay on as long as my supply allows me to.
Receiving compensation for my extra milk with our first daughter helped us pay off our mobile home sooner, and now we are saving for a down payment on a house. My husband has been in college the whole time we have been parents, so income has been sporadic.
Once he graduates this month, we will have a modest positive net worth, thanks in part to my donation income. My biggest pumping achievements have been expressing 48.5 ounces in one sitting and sending 51 approved coolers in a row.
On the other hand, learning to be mentally okay with letting go of 10 ounces per day to get more sleep has been my biggest challenge. I overcame it by no longer keeping track of my ounces (no easy feat!) and just letting the milk flow. My advice for donors is to find what drives you to pump each and every day and hold onto it. You can reach your goals, big or small, sooner than you think. Most importantly, never forget to take care of you first."
