Breast Milk Donor Testimonials
Deena's StoryDonor's Name: Deena Cook
Milk Bank: Helping Hands
1. How did you hear about breast milk donation? I had friends who had donated to another bank in Oregon. I had also read about milk donation online during my pregnancy.
2. Why did you decide to donate your breast milk?
I was fortunate to have more than enough to feed my daughter and I couldn't bear the thought of discarding it when I knew how much it could help other babies and their mothers. I've also witnessed how much mothers of babies in NICUs appreciate the milk. It makes me feel so wonderful to help in this way. 3. Why did you select the milk bank that you did? I researched a few banks online and spoke to the employees at HH Milk Bank on the phone and through email. Helping Hands had a wonderful "feel" to it. They were also very thorough in their screening process which is important to me as I know the milk was handled and delivered with care and professionalism. The staff members at Helping Hands were also very prompt in getting back to me when I had questions. Overall, they made donating very easy and rewarding.
4. How was your donation experience? What did you like best?
I absolutely loved donating my excess milk. Like I mentioned before, the experience made me so happy to know I was doing a good thing. I found pumping, storing, cataloging and freezing my milk to be very easy, albeit a time-consuming process (especially in the middle of the night!). HH Milk Bank made sending the frozen milk also very easy. I think what I like best is knowing I'll be able to share this experience with my daughter some day and hopefully she'll be proud knowing it was because of her, this was all possible. She is really the one to thank in my opinion. If she had not been so easy to breast feed, I might have had less production.5. What would you say to a friend or family member that was interested in donating breast milk? I would strongly encourage them to do so because it is so important to other moms and their little babies in NICUs. I would ask them to put themselves in the position of delivering a premature baby and ask them to think about how grateful they would be to receive this precious gift.
Michelle's Story
I first learned about donating breast milk from a friend who read about it online. After the birth of my first child, I planned to go back to work so I pumped a lot prior to returning, in order to ensure a plentiful supply for my baby while I was away. I then ended up quitting my job after two months, so that I could stay home with my child.
Once I was home full-time, I no longer needed the large surplus of frozen milk. Since I had so much breast milk stocked, I ended up running out of room in our freezer for the rest of the family's food, so I decided to donate my extra breast milk online. My baby was thriving without the frozen milk and donating to infants in need was a great opportunity instead of disposing of it.
While my first child was breastfeeding, I was donating to a local milk bank. After the birth of my second child, the bank I had previously worked with was unable to accept donations at that time. I did a Google search, and found Helping Hands Milk Bank. After reading about their agreement to donate money to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and how the donated breast milk is made into therapies for premature infants in need, the choice to apply as a donor at Helping Hands Milk Bank was easy. The milk bank was also able to process my application quickly, making me a qualified donor within only a few weeks.
The partnership between Helping Hands Milk Bank and Susan G. Komen has a personal connection to me: my mother is a breast cancer survivor. She is in remission and has been cancer-free for 5 years - thank GOD! But I believe that the money and funding towards foundations like Susan G. Komen, which focus on early detection, is what saved her life. My mother's cancer was caught early - she was in stage 2. Within two months of the mammogram and biopsy revealing the cancer, the doctors removed the lump, and administered chemotherapy and radiation.
Donating money and participating in fundraising walks for breast cancer awareness and research are a passion of mine, so being able to contribute more money to Susan G. Komen through my breast milk donations is a complete bonus.
Since I became a breast milk donor, I have shared donation information with friends and family. I also posted information on my Facebook page with the hope of spreading the word about breast milk donation. I hope that others who have a surplus of breast milk would want to donate in order to support a good cause such as Susan G. Komen.
I have been completely blessed with an abundance of breast milk supply, and I know this is not the case for all women. I love knowing that my gift to produce breast milk not only benefitted my two children, but premature babies are now thriving because of it! It is empowering to know that for every ounce of milk I donated, one dollar went to the Susan G. Komen foundation to support breast cancer patients like my mother.
I love that I have been a part of this effort, and it so special for me to know that both my boys contributed to helping little premature babies, as well as breast cancer patients like their grandma. My boys definitely made my milk supply abundant - it is because of them that I had extra milk to donate. Being a part of the HHMB program was a unique opportunity and I am thankful to have found them! We will cherish our involvement with the milk bank and keep them in our memories!
Viktoria's Story
My name is Viktoria, and I live in Queens, New York. My twin boys were born July, 2010, at 39 weeks weighing 6.6lbs and 7.2lbs. I always knew that breast milk was best for babies. The hospital where I had my C-Section was also very supportive of breastfeeding, and they provided all the help and tools for which a nursing mom could ever ask.
This is actually one of the reasons I chose that hospital. I started to save my extra milk right away, as my goal was to feed my twins with breast milk at least for 6 months. Very soon I had to purchase a deep cooler to store the extra milk, and that is when I started to research what I could do for other babies and other charitable organizations. I didn't have to research for too long when I found the Helping Hands Milk Bank website. Everything looked very promising, so I gave it a try! With their help and informational emails I became a breast milk donor in no time, even with the required blood and DNA test. When I was ready to make my first donation, I contacted HHMB and soon received my cooler and shipping instructions. They were so easy to follow. I have donated breast milk twice already, and I am getting ready to donate again. It's a great feeling to know that I was able to help some babies at the hospital and that a donation to Susan G. Komen for the Cure was made for every qualified ounce of my breast milk ($1 / 1 oz). I would definitely encourage everyone who is able to become a breast milk donor to do so!!!