When I found out I was pregnant with my second baby, I was so happy that I would have another chance to try breastfeeding/nursing because it did not work out for very long with my first, Tucker. When Allie was born this September, I made sure not to repeat my mistakes and we got nursing off to a great start.
It was during her first month that I saw a friend on FB share a post from NMMB. I had heard of donating milk before but not of a specific bank and I was super excited to find out this one was in Calgary and able to accept donations from my area. I had already been pumping/catching my letdowns and had a pretty good supply built up so I figured I could spare some extra and would love to help as many fragile babies as possible.
Another motivator to donate was the loss of my mother in law, Cindy, just two months before Allie was born. She had always been an overly generous person and was known to have a soft spot for babies and children. She was the absolute perfect grandma. I like to think that I am making her proud by donating what I can to help those babies who need it. Once I had first inquired about donating, I started saving my milk in earnest and trying to keep my supply up. From October 23 to December 14, I was able to save over 24 litres of milk to donate. It was just picked up by one of the bank’s pick up partners and I got a little emotional knowing how much I was sending off.
NMMB has made the whole process very simple and easy to follow. They are always easy to contact and fast to respond. The wealth of information on their website provided so much info that I was pretty much able to decide I was able and wanted to become a donor, before I even applied. I really hope that my donation makes an impact. It has made my heart happy to think about this unique way I can contribute to the fragile and at risk babies.
I would like to thank my family for supporting this journey with me. My husband for having our two wonderful children with; that gave us the ability to donate, and for just supporting us while I put the extra time and effort into saving milk. And my children, Tucker and Allie, for being my purpose and motivation.
Sending love and milk, Jessica Olchowy
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