Donor Stories
Quick facts:
“My husband, Marvin, and I have four children: Sofia, 10, Lucia, 9, Elena, 3, and Emilio, 19 months. I work as an emergency room and intensive care unit nurse and am completing a master’s degree to become a nurse practitioner. In our spare time, we love getting out of the house to do things as a family, whether it be riding horses, spending time in the pool, or enjoying seasonal activities.
I've always had a huge oversupply, which has increased with each child, but I didn't hear about Tiny Treasures Milk Bank until Emilio was born. I knew this would be the perfect milk bank to partner with for the long term.
There are so many rewarding aspects to this journey. I adore being able to help so many babies and be a part of their stories in a meaningful way. I feel like I am part of something that is so much bigger than I could have imagined. I have also continued to breastfeed Emilio throughout this journey and plan to continue doing so!
The compensation from donation has allowed me to work only part-time while raising my kids and pursuing my master’s degree.
The biggest challenge with donation has been learning to accept that no matter how hard I try, things may not go the way I had anticipated. Leaking bags, spilled milk, etc. I try my best with each pumping session, and if I have any doubt about my milk, I leave it out of my donation. It takes a lot of dedication to do what we do!
My advice to new donors: Take it easy on yourself. This is hard work! Find a schedule that works for you and stick with it. Taking care of yourself is number one and the rest will fall into place.”