Liquid Gold

No, we aren't talking about Starbucks or oil, we are talking about breast milk. We've mentioned before how I've been blessed with an overabundance of milk for Joel. So much in fact, that we've decided to share it. We've decided to donate the 'extra' to BC Woman and Children's Hospital Milk Bank. They use the milk that we donate to feed babies in the neonatal intensive care unit, babies with failure to thrive, transplant patients and so much more. After two months of an intensive screening process, I was finally able to free my freezer from the breast milk we've been storing and donate my first batch to the bank. Normally, they expect a normal woman to pump an extra ounce a day for 100 days to meet the minimum donation commitment of 100oz. I donated what they would accept (no pumping's from Joel's hospital stay) and from when I started pumping for a total of 6 weeks of donations. We were "surprised" to see that I met my commitment.....three times over....for a grand total donation of 325.5 oz. The duty nurse who accepted my donation, was surprised to hear how little Joel still was and made a comment on how blessed I was. I have finally accepted that having an abundance of breast milk is a blessing. Being able to use this abundance has finally solidified that notion in me. When Joel was first born I considered it a curse. Being soaking wet all the time, having to wear dish rags in my bra to absorb the extra milk and sleeping on numerous towels were just some of the perils I lived through. It didn't help that Joel was a lazy latcher (he didn't need to latch to get any milk, he could just open his mouth and it would pour in). Eventually it became a blessing and a curse. I was blessed to be able to help other babies, but was still frustrated with wet tops and difficulty breastfeeding. But time has passed and I have been told countless times that I am blessed to have more milk than to struggle to make enough to feed my baby. I have come to terms with pumping milk into a bottle for Joel to help him grow without drowning in my milk. I have come to realize that this is a blessing. When Joel had his major growth spurt recently, I had more than enough milk for him and wasn't having to deal with a baby who couldn't get enough to eat. What I thought was a curse has turned into a glorious blessing. Even more so, now that we have been able to donate the milk and know someone who might possibly need it for her little boy. It truly is liquid gold!