Although there are many benefits to breastfeeding, it's not always possible for some mothers. Even if they originally planned on breastfeeding their child, some women's bodies don't take well to breastfeeding.
Whether it's too demanding on a new mom's body, or their body just doesn't produce enough breastmilk — as this mom experienced — many mothers find that breastfeeding just isn't in the cards for them.
Additionally, some babies don't do well with breastfeeding. Sometimes they struggle to latch and other times they just don't grow as expected. At that point, mothers begin to supplement or use formula.
One mom wants to make it clear that formula and wet nursing aren't the only options, though: moms can also use donated milk!
Ashley Clifford, a mom of two, struggled with breastfeeding her first son. "I tried to nurse David," she writes, "but after a month of him barely gaining anything, I started supplementing and eventually went straight to formula with him."
She wished she could have breastfed longer, but she realized it wasn't right for her son.
When she got pregnant with her second child, Ashley knew she wanted to try breastfeeding again — and that she had to do something special for any moms struggling to breastfeed.
[H/T Cosmopolitan]
Ashley Clifford knew that if she was able to produce enough milk for her second baby, she wanted to donate milk for babies in need.
Donated milk is used primarily for babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
The National Milk Bank explains, "Donating breast milk is a simple and safe process that can help save the lives of babies in Neonatal Intensive Cares across the US."
Breastfeeding isn't always easy, as Ashley knows, but if you can produce more milk than your own child needs, it's amazingly helpful to give it to babies in need.
On February 1, 2017, Ashley posted a photo of her baby girl, Ellie, surrounded by over 60 bags of breastmilk — that's 295 ounces!
Ashley wants to make it clear to moms everywhere that no matter how you go about feeding your baby, "Fed is best."
She told LittleThings, "I've heard lots of people say 'breast is best,' and while I agree that the nutrients are best for babies, I do not agree with shaming moms who can't breastfeed, or have trouble with it."
Ashley wrote:
"This photo means so much to me… This picture represents many sleepless nights, especially from the first couple weeks, 295 ounces of extra milk, five blocked ducts, and a 17.5 lb healthy, growing baby girl.
"Today I'm donating about 200 ounces for the first time and the feeling I'm having is hard to explain.
"It's a mix of excitement and love but at the same time, I'm having some reservations, only because nursing and pumping is HARD!
"I feel kind of protective of this, haha, BUT that isn't going to stop me from giving some of this away."
Other moms have read Ashley's post and can't give her enough praise for it.
One woman wrote, "Kudos to you for your hard work. I've been a recipient of donated milk and can't stress my thanks enough. It really does take a village."
Another mom wrote, "As someone who is struggling with her supply, I wanted to 'stop by' and thank you for spreading awareness that 'fed is best,' and for working so hard to make sure someone else gets the benefits of breast milk!"
Ashley says, "I'm hoping that with sharing our story, that we are encouraging other moms, as well as making more people aware that not only is breast milk donation a real thing, but there is a huge need for it!"
Would you donate breastmilk if you could?
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