Baby Remi was born at 35 weeks, and Kimberly was able to provide milk to him while he stayed in the NICU. Kimberly shared her inspiration to donate to NorthernStar, and the impact she saw donor milk have in the NICU for premature babies. Thank you, Kimberly, for sharing your story in your own words and for sharing your milk with other babies!
"At 35 weeks pregnant I unexpectedly delivered my first child, my son Remington. While my pregnancy was incredibly healthy, since he was born a little early and was only 4 lbs 14 oz, he was required to stay in the NICU for two weeks before we could take him home.
"We are very thankful and fortunate to have been supported by an incredible team of medical professionals, social workers, and lactation experts throughout our journey. Breastfeeding and establishing a sufficient milk supply was surprisingly smooth for us. This was beneficial for the NG tube feeding for our child, Remington, and allowed me to create a reserve for the nursing staff to use during the nights when I couldn't be there to feed my son. I produced such an abundance of milk early on that the hospital's freezer could not accommodate the surplus I was generating, leading me to build up a significant stash of frozen milk at home."
"One of the social workers mentioned I would potentially be a good candidate for donating milk to NorthernStar Milk Bank. I was already interested in donating before I was pregnant and had my son, but now seeing firsthand the impact that donated breastmilk could have on some of these premature babies, I knew I had to. One thing I was not aware of when I started breastfeeding or even becoming a new mom, was how empathetic you become to these tiny and precious little infant babies. They are so small and are in need of so much love and care. It truly broke my heart to see some of them so sick or in desperate situations.
"I felt one way I could ease some of my concerns and worries was to get involved by donating my breastmilk and looking into other ways to support charities that work alongside these little ones and moms and families. Knowing you are caring for your little baby, but also supporting other little ones who need it so badly really aided in my postpartum healing. I am now only a few weeks away from having our second baby, and I absolutely will be donating breastmilk again, and hopefully more than last time even!"
-Kimberly, NorthernStar Milk Donor, and mom to Remi and the new baby on the way
