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November is National
Prematurity Awareness
Month and also a time
where we reflect on what we
are thankful for. We are
grateful for this time
because it brings
community awareness to
our mission and what matters most- the sweet, fragile preemies
we serve. 1 in 8 babies is born premature in the United States,
which is about 500,000 babies each year. We are committed to
do all that we can to provide these needy babies with the donor
human milk they need to grow and thrive. Thank you for your
support of our mission!
Amy
NEWS/EVENTS
Did You Know?
In honor of Prematurity
Awareness Day
(November 17) we are
sharing a few statistics
about prematurity:
This year alone, we have dispensed 384,513 ounces of donor
human milk to sick infants in need. This milk has been
donated to us from over 550 approved donors, and the need
continues to grow. If you know someone who has excess
milk in their freezer, please send them our way! We need
800+ donors to meet our increasing demand.
The earliest preemie to
ever survive was born at 21
weeks, 6 days gestation.
The smallest preemie to
ever survive was born
weighing 9.1 ounces.
The body of a mother who
delivers early will
automatically produce milk
that's specially designed to
nourish her premature
baby, with extra minerals,
fat, and protein. The
leukocytes and antibodies
in breastmilk protect babies
from infection; for this
reason, neonatologists
refer to it as "liquid gold."
The average birth weight of
singletons is 7 lbs. 5 oz.,
of twins is 5 lbs. 3 oz., and
Amy M.'s little cutie has lots of milk
to share with babies in need!
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In honor of Thanksgiving, we share some of our favorite full-belly
photos!
of triplets is 3 lbs. 11 oz.
Stay Connected
Matching full bellies on Jennifer F.'s
favorite people!
Jennifer F.'s little one
takes "milk drunk" to a
whole new level!
Bennett S.' sweet cheeks
courtesy of Mama's milk
for 9 months!!
We asked our donors, "Why did you choose to donate to
MMBNT?" Last month, we featured some of the responses we
received. Here are more! It's amazing how every donor has a
unique story and reason behind their donation.
Recipient of donor human milk
I had twins boy at 24w3d and after my oldest son, Daylen, passed
away, I wanted to donate what I couldn't give him.
-Cherokie N.
I think breast milk is a precious gift. I couldn't give it to my children
because I placed them for adoption, so I wanted other children to
benefit from the precious gift. -Kristine A.
Out of grief for my friend Kristen's baby Aiden, who died at seven
weeks old from whooping cough. His legacy lives on! -Jenny P.
Because the recipients truly need it, and I just felt good about
helping this cause.
-Heidi L.
God provides!
-Magz S.
I donate to help give fragile babies the best possible start in life.
-Renae C.
MMBNT has been there for my nephew and I thank them for his life.
I wanted to give back to such a wonderful organization and help
other sweet babies and families the way ours was helped.
-Chelsea B.
I had the capability to. I had so much excess milk and I wanted to
help little ones that needed milk of the gods!
-Lisa H.
I have an oversupply and my little lady couldn't drink it all. Instead
of wasting such a precious gift, I decided to share with those who
could benefit from it. Every baby deserves the best chance they
can get!
-Rachael S.
I sought help from an LC in Lewisville. While we were discussing
how much I produce (I produce a lot), she recommended donating
because I was worried about wasting milk. She gave me a pamphlet
to MMBNT. I then started pumping throughout the day from
November 2012 - March 2014 with a grand total close to 16K, I
think.
-Allison A.
Mom's Connect
In observance of World Prematurity Month, Mothers' Milk Bank
of North Texas would like to recognize the very special 3rd
birthday of Camden Richardson, which was Saturday, November
15. Camden was born prematurely at 29 weeks gestation. His
mother, Megan, tells his story and how she became a milk donor
mom.
Megan with Camden
Shortly after midnight on November 15, 2011, I realized that I
had fallen asleep without feeling my baby move. After poking on
my belly, eating a banana, and rolling side-to-side, I knew
something was terribly wrong when I still could not feel any
movement.
I immediately went to the hospital and prayed that I would have
the strength to deal with what was to come. The doctors said our
baby's heart was still beating with occasional drops in rate. We
were transported to Willis-Knighton South Hospital in Shreveport,
LA where I had an emergency C-section.
The bottom 3 shelves
of this NICU freezer are
filled with Megan's milk.
The doctors discovered that our baby's umbilical cord was not
only around his neck twice, but was also in a knot. Camden
Micheal weighed 3 lbs. 2 oz. and was 15 inches long.
I remember hearing a tiny cry as his premature lungs struggled
to function before he was put on a mechanical ventilator.
As a former NICU nurse, I knew how breastmilk benefits
premature babies. I breastfed my other two sons and wanted to
provide our new little miracle with the same start, so I began
pumping every 3-4 hours. At first Camden was on IV
nourishment, but soon received less than a teaspoon of my milk
through an oral-gastric tube. I was concerned that I would not
produce enough milk, but I was able to fill up our home freezer
as well as the one in the NICU!
Camden with brothers
During his third week of life, Camden developed hydrocephalus
from a small brain hemorrhage at birth. This rare and
unanticipated development lengthened his stay in the NICU. It
was during this time that I realized we needed to do something
with all of my stored milk. My mom suggested that I look into
donating my breastmilk. I completed the donor application
process for the Mothers' Milk Bank at North Texas and donated
769 ounces. I donated my breastmilk to another milk bank as
well, making my total donation 1,621 ounces.
Donating my milk helped me look outside of my own crisis, and
gave me something to feel good about as I left the hospital day
after day without our baby for nearly three months. I was happy
to know that I could help other mothers provide their babies with
the benefits of breastmilk. On January 24, 2012, Camden had
surgery to implant a permanent shunt to drain the fluid from his
brain. We were finally able to take our baby boy home from the
hospital on February 2, 2012 and it did not take him long to grow
into my milk supply.
Camden in August
Today, Camden is growing and developing as expected with his
medical history. At almost 3 years old, he doesn't need therapy
anymore and hasn't had any issues with his shunt since his last
surgeries in May 2013. Nobody can tell he had such a rough
start.