When a woman decides to become a milk donor, she chooses to give her liquid gold to babies she’ll never meet. Even at the milk bank, we see the raw milk arrive and the pasteurized bottled milk shipped out, but not the babies benefiting. Numbers can motivate a group to advocate for a cause, but meeting who directly benefits, drives it.

This is Liberty, our first recipient of the Babies at Home program, and her story.

Baby Liberty was born full-term, but had complications from birth. She was refusing to eat, for something was putting her in pain and her tiny body knew not to let in what would hurt her. She was unable to breastfeed from her mom Morgan, so doctors tried formula after formula, but little Liberty was falling behind on normal growth goals. Morgan was faced with the option to insert a feeding tube into Liberty’s abdomen so she could receive the nourishment her body desperately needed. This could have led to a vastly different way of life for this little girl, so a doctor recommended human donor milk. Morgan researched the idea, found the milk bank, and baby Liberty has been in our hearts since.

For nine months, “Liberty sucked down milk like candy”, and her way of life was saved.

Within six months, a baby once diagnosed with, “failure to thrive”, had reached normalcy for her age range.

In the midst of World Breastfeeding Week, Liberty walked right into the milk bank, wearing a pretty pink dress, wiping sleep from her bright blue eyes, greeting everyone she passed with a grin that could make anyone’s day. Accompanied by her mom and aunt Brooke, she was a walking reminder of our mission. Whether it’s the early hours our donors spend pumping, our late hours as staff members to ensure every drop of milk is safe, the volunteer time given generously, the weekend fundraisers, every bit was worth it for that little girl.

 

A special thank you must be given to Central Florida Breastfeeding Taskforce, the board for MMBFL, and everyone that has contributed through Miles for Milk or as individuals.

Liberty was our first Babies at Home recipient, the face of innocence, deserving nothing less than our best. 

To our beautiful donors, this is just one story you have changed for someone.

No one knows exactly how to be a parent, to raise children in an ever-changing world.

Whether you are still learning how to be a parent yourself, you are donating in memory or honor of someone, or you work in the medical field helping the families that need it, you are making a difference.

“Thank you, it’s all I can really say.”

Morgan, from mom to mom, is so thankful. To our donors, know that this is your story now too.