Meredith donates with purpose: Honoring her niece by helping NICU babies

“I married my high school sweetheart 12 years ago, and we have four beautiful daughters: Nora, 9; Eliza, 6; Clara, 2; and Myra, 7mo. I used to teach elementary school, however, when Nora was getting ready to start preschool, we decided I’d stay home and homeschool our children.

This turned out to be the best decision for our family. It gives us freedom to travel, stay grounded in our faith, and spend time with our extended family and friends. In September, we broke ground on our forever home. It has been so exciting watching our dreams become a reality!

I was an overproducer with all four of my daughters, but I did not find Tiny Treasures until after Clara was born. I saw a mom mention it in a Facebook group for donating breastmilk. At the time, my freezers were bursting, and I was desperate to find somewhere to donate. I love working with Tiny Treasures and helping NICU babies. I do this as a tribute to my niece, who was born prematurely at only 24 weeks. She fought hard but ultimately passed away after two days in her mommy and daddy’s arms.

Knowing my excess milk is going to help babies like her keeps me going.

Donating to Tiny Treasures has been beneficial for my pumping journey. Before Tiny Treasures, I was stressed about freezer space and worried I would need to stop pumping. Now, I maintain a modest freezer stash without having to stress about needing to buy an extra freezer. I pumped about six months longer with Clara than I did with Nora and Eliza because of my donation journey with Tiny Treasures, and I will do the same with Myra. My goal is to hit the one-year mark with this donation journey just like I did with the last, but my stretch goal is up to two years!

I love being part of a program that gives me the opportunity to help critically ill babies. I also love the little gifts that Tiny Treasures sends in the mail, including the certificate I received after a year of pumping and donating! It gives me a sense of purpose. While donating with Clara, we used my Tiny Treasures compensation to help pay off our debt.

This time, I want my paychecks to go toward upgrading our kitchen countertops to quartz!

One of my biggest pumping-related challenges used to be having to stop to pump when things needed to get done. But thanks to Tiny Treasures, I’ve been able to invest in a good set of wearable pumps, and now I can pump conveniently almost anywhere!”

My advice to donors: Follow the guidelines and invest in a sterilizer! Total game changer.

*Any views, opinions, findings, assertions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are solely those of the individual. The content is provided for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice.