Being a Part of Someone's Village

Donor Mom Tamara shares her story

It takes a village to raise a child, and I’m so glad I could be a part of someone’s village by providing my breast milk to help others.

We welcomed our beautiful daughter, Charlotte, after years of struggles and couldn’t have been more excited for her arrival.

Like all mothers, we hoped for a flawless and perfect delivery. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for our sweet girl. When Charlotte was born, she was hypothermic and had low blood sugar levels, which resulted in her being admitted to our local NICU. She required an NG tube for feeding, so I began pumping religiously every three hours, day and night, to ensure my milk supply came in and to hopefully breastfeed our girl once we returned home.

After 10 days, we were discharged, but the feeding struggles continued. Charlotte had a severe lip and tongue tie, which we had corrected. However, she developed a cow’s milk protein allergy, and her sensitive tummy couldn’t tolerate my breast milk, even with dietary restrictions and altering my pumping routine to separate foremilk and hindmilk. She was surviving but not thriving.

With guidance from our pediatrician, we switched Charlotte to a specialized formula. I continued to pump in the hopes that she would outgrow her sensitivity and cow’s milk allergy. After a month, Charlotte began thriving on formula—she was gaining weight, happier, and sleeping better. At that point, I made the difficult decision to end my breastfeeding and pumping journey.

I reached out to NorthernStar Mother’s Milk Bank in the hopes of donating the breast milk I had saved for Charlotte. When I received the email confirming I could donate, it was truly the best feeling. Knowing that my milk could help other mamas and babies, whether during their NICU stay or after being discharged, was incredibly fulfilling.

It takes a village to raise a child, and I’m honored to have been part of someone’s village by sharing my breast milk to help others.

Thank-you Tamara for sharing your story.

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