Donor Stories
"Hello, my name is Marina. I am a stay at home mom and my husband is an accountant. I have been a donor with Prolacta for over a year now and I am about to start my 5th donor cycle! We live in a cute little farm town just north of Lansing, Michigan.
I have been married to my husband, Dan, for 8 years. We have two boys together, a 4 year old and 16 month old. I love to cook and bake and we like to go on outdoor adventures as a family. We really enjoy cycling as a family. One of the biggest obstacles for me as a mother was leaving the workforce to be a stay-at-home mom. I always planned on being a stay-at-home mom once we had children but I didn’t realize how much of an adjustment it would be.
When I first became a mom, I was so lonely. I missed my coworkers and being around adults all day. The newborn's sleep schedule did not help my feelings. Once my baby started getting more into a routine, I started going to mom groups and things like story time at the library and large group scheduled play dates to meet other moms like me. Putting myself out there and meeting other moms has been a huge blessing! I have a great circle of other mom friends like me, that stay home and we can all relate to one another.
One of the things I love about being a breast milk donor is helping babies in the NICU. My first son was a NICU baby and I know firsthand what a difference the lifesaving products Prolacta makes has in the life of these tiny, fragile babies.
feel like I’m being part of something bigger than myself and I love it! My advice to other moms beginning their donor journey would be to not worry if you’re doing everything correctly! It’s not as hard as you might think it is. When I started my donor journey, I was really nervous that I wasn’t doing anything right. I was worried I was packing my boxes wrong, I was worried about labeling my milk, and I was worried about making sure I was keeping everything clean. Prolacta makes the process so easy! T
hey have great resources and YouTube videos to help guide you, and if you ever have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to call or email them. They are always so friendly and nice.
My second piece of advice would be to keep hydrated and make sure you’re eating enough calories to maintain your milk supply. I get so busy running around and doing mom stuff I often don’t eat or drink enough and it can affect my supply. So now I always carry a water bottle with me and granola bars in my bag."