Breast milk is the best food we can give our baby during its first months and years of life. However, there are certain circumstances in which it is not possible to provide it, as is the case of babies who are admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), as they are separated from their mothers.
Some women are fortunate to produce large amounts of breast milk, as is the case with a mother, who recently donated more than 52 liters of this valuable "liquid gold" to babies in the NICU.
Amanda Lanners is a mother of four children who lives in South Dakota and in a single day is able to extract two liters of breast milk. The milk was so much that it was extracted, that it filled two large freezers. Since it was too much milk and he didn't want it to spoil because he didn't need so much, and he didn't want to waste it either, he began to investigate what he could do with it.
She recalled that when one of her children gave birth to twins prematurely, they spent time in the NICU and one of their visits, the nurses told him how important and necessary breast milk was for babies who were admitted there.
That was when he went to the lactation specialists at Avera McKennan Hospital and asked them what he could do to be a donor of breast milk and thus not waste the milk he produced and did not need, since he only fed a baby at home. "I have the ability to pump milk. I want to help those little babies who need it"comments for CNN.
Donating breast milk is a long process that must go through certain filters and security measures. Like donating blood, a study of the person's medical history should be done, knowing if he or she is taking medication or if he or she suffers from any physical condition that could be an impediment to the donation of breast milk.
Amanda contacted a representative of the breast milk bank in Iowa, and after a telephone conversation and filling out a form of 30 to 40 pages, they performed blood tests to make sure she was healthy. The process lasted between three and four weeks, and as he passed through all the filters, he sent his breast milk to the bank in Iowa.
According to Amanda's statements, Your milk will help about 2,000 babies admitted to the NICU: "The main reason I wanted to do this is to raise awareness. With so many children admitted to the NICU, all the help we can give them is needed. This is just one less thing that the mothers of those babies should worry about, and that is the important thing"concludes Amanda.
She comments that she wants to continue donating more milk and will continue to be withdrawn for as long as she can, to continue helping those babies so they can receive the benefits provided by their milk. Definitely Donating breast milk is a true act of love and solidarity not only with babies, but with other mothers They are living a difficult situation.
