Honoring the vital role partners and supporters play in the milk donor journey

Cess

My husband Cess knew how important it was for me to breastfeed both our sons and how I enjoyed pumping to create an oversupply to feed NICU babies and other babies in need. He learned how to wash, sterilize, and put together all my different pumps so I always have one clean and ready to go. He also keeps me well fed and gets me whatever treat I want to get through postpartum life. He’s the best partner and deserves recognition.

Mark

Mark, my husband, has supported me through my breastfeeding journey and helps me with my pumping by washing all my parts! This has made it easier for me to pump extra milk for donation.

Dan

Dan deserves to be celebrated because he washes and sanitizes everything! We truly are a team for milk donation. I couldn’t do it without his support bagging, cleaning, and of course, hydrating me throughout the day while nourishing both me and our baby. Truly grateful to have him in my life.

Nathaniel

I appreciate how when our daughter was born, Nathaniel helped change her diapers while I was able to focus on my recovery and nursing her. Before our daughter was born, he made sure to order a breast pump and the proper supplies (ie: bottle and pump part drying rack). He also set up an area where we can store the breast pump and supplies. I appreciate that he showed me how to put together the parts and use the pump since he researched this beforehand. When I started pumping, he helped with cleaning parts and storing milk. He accompanied me to appointments with the lactation consultant where I was measured for the proper flange size. He helped try to feed our daughter a bottle, but she refused. When I went back to work and he was still on paternity leave, he would drive her to my work so I could feed her. He will watch her in the morning on the weekends so I can get some extra sleep since I am up through the night nursing her. His parents allowed me to store extra milk for donation in their freezer. Lastly, he drove us to the UCSF milk donation drive where I was able to donate milk.

Azrael

While working two jobs so I can stay home with our four month-old baby and three year-old with special needs, Azrael is still always there for us and willing to help without complaining or questioning why. He has dedicated his life to his family and has sacrificed so much. Even on days when he has nothing left to give, he still finds a way to make sure he is there for us. He has been such an amazing support system to not only our children, but to myself especially during my breastfeeding/pumping journey. Even after a long day of work, he comes home and makes sure I have time to myself to be able to pump and even helps me wash/sanitize my breast pump parts and baby bottles. If it wasn’t for him, I would not be able to be the mom I am today and have the opportunity for an amazing breastfeeding journey where we are blessed enough to not only feed our daughter but also other hungry babies.

Peter

Our first son was born premature and had to spend the first weeks of his life in the NICU. Peter often stayed up late at night while I pumped milk for our baby, and did many midnight runs to deliver milk to make sure our baby had milk for his next feeding. He is truly the most incredible father and has made a huge difference in our son’s care from the very beginning.

Parker

Our son, Jetson, was born preterm by three months. He was in the NICU in Las Vegas, NV for 84 days. My husband was there every day. He became my “pump manager,” he helped me stay on track with pumping, washed all my pump parts and sanitized them every night, labeled my milk storage bags, carried my parts to and from the hospital, he massaged my swollen feet/calves, and he made sure I was hydrated and fed. He was my cheerleader and advocate. He deserves recognition.

Frank

My pregnancy was very high risk and Frank was by my side supporting me and taking care of me. I spent 5 weeks in antepartum and he came to spend the days with me every day the entire time plus the nights he would sleep over. 

When we finally had our baby girl, she was born 5 weeks early and spent 33 days in the NICU. The way Frank supported my healing after giving birth via c-section and still showed our little girl so much love and tenderness, he is truly a great man. He took care of her and I through months of hard times. He was present every single day for us and was truly our strength. 

He was a huge support in pumping and making sure I was hydrated and fed. Even while juggling the NICU. He would never complain about washing pump parts 8 times a day. Making sure we had ice packs ready, labeling bags when I was exhausted and couldn’t think. 

Frank is the strongest, most patient, caring, and selfless person I know. He deserves this and so much more. Thank you.

Andres

As soon as our baby was born, she was rushed to the NICU. My husband went to the NICU everyday to watch over her while I recuperated. He diligently learned everything the nurses taught him to care for baby. He’s been there for me at every moment. He has encouraged and celebrated me every time I donate breast milk. I never expected him to be so proud of me that he would be moved to tears by the amount of milk I donated. I am so grateful to have him as my husband and as our baby’s father.

Peter

I would like to nominate my husband, Pete, for recognition by Mothers’ Milk Bank California.

After the birth of our daughter, Cecilia (Cici) in August 2024, I began pumping and breastfeeding with the hope that I would be able to provide milk for her. Unfortunately, Cici was critically ill throughout her 40 days of life and was never able to receive my milk. It was an incredibly heartbreaking and difficult time for our family.

Throughout that journey, Pete was my constant source of support. He encouraged me to continue pumping when it felt emotionally overwhelming, helped organize and label every bag of milk, maintained detailed logs and dates, and stood beside me through every step of the donation process. Together, we ultimately donated every single drop of milk I produced to Mothers’ Milk Bank California via Sharp Mary Birch so that other NICU babies and families could benefit from it.

What stands out most is that Pete’s support was never just about the logistics. He understood what the donation represented: a way to honor our daughter while helping other families facing difficult circumstances. He helped turn an experience filled with grief into something meaningful and life-giving for others.

Now, as we navigate a new pregnancy after infant loss, I continue to witness his resilience, strength, and unwavering commitment to our family. Through the uncertainty and emotions that come with pregnancy after loss, he has remained steadfast, supportive, and hopeful. We hope to become milk donors again, and I know he will be right beside me helping make that possible.

Pete exemplifies compassion, perseverance, and selfless service. While milk donation is often recognized through the efforts of mothers, I believe partners play an invaluable role behind the scenes. His support made our donation possible, and I am grateful for the opportunity to recognize the impact he has had not only on our family, but on the countless babies who benefited from those donations.

Faraaz

Faraaz is the father of my three children, and is also a pediatrician. I had never even held a baby until I had one, so he taught me to change a diaper, sleep train, and gave me breastfeeding tips through knowledge from his practice. When we discovered I was an over-producer, he suggested Mothers’ Milk bank and it has been a part of our feeding journey for all three of our boys. I am very grateful to have a built-in pediatrician in the home, and one that supports my career/pumping journey as well as my donations!

Jacob

When we had our daughter five years ago, I wanted nothing more than to breastfeed. Although my husband was supportive, I felt like it was just too hard. I ended up quitting after the first month. 

Last year, our son was born. This time was going to be different! I could do it, I told him. And he believed I WOULD do it! Every single day he told me, “All you need to do is take care of our boy. I’ll make sure you’re fed, the laundry gets done, and keep the house clean.”

And here we are, over a year to the day, and I’m still breastfeeding! Our family is happy and healthy, and I’ve regained the confidence in myself I lost years ago.

So thank you, Jacob! For being my life partner, a wonderful father to our children, and the handsomest hard-working honey!

Alessandro

My husband inspired me to donate my milk rather than wasting it, to help me feel better about myself as a mother of two battling severe PPD/PPA. Pushing me to do this was the best thing ever; he motivates and inspires me and our children every day.

Serge

Serge always joked that my milk could feed a village, and encouraged me to do so when we found out about milk donation with my first baby. Now our third baby is allowing me to enjoy lactation again and donate to our “village” again.

Adel

This man understood what donating my milk meant to me. My firstborn was born via emergency C-section and was placed into the NICU, where he received donor breast milk. That relieved me of stress because my milk supply hadn’t come in yet, and I knew my baby needed to eat. I made a promise to myself that if I could breastfeed, I would make a milk donation to give back. Well, when my milk supply came in, it was nothing short of that. I was able to breastfeed my son for over a year and donate over 100 ounces of breast milk. My amazing husband knew of this promise and made sure I was able to do just that, helping around the house, refilling my water jug, and making sure I ate throughout the day (breastfeeding hunger is a REAL thing!). I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my amazing husband.

James

After 10 years together, James and I got married in April 2025 where we announced we were expecting!  The pregnancy phase was wonderful, but the recovery was pretty tiresome. Luckily I had my husband to speak the hopes of positivity and healing into my every day worries. Once my maternity leave ended, James resigned from his full time position to be home with our (then) three month-old, Renee. Within a few short weeks of me returning as a working mom, I received a promotion that resulted in me having to travel to the midwest for several weeks Monday through Friday. Renee, who is now seven months, has received full time care from Dad. James has been there cooking meals for our other two children, feeding the dog, changing diapers, and waking up for each and every late night feeding while I’ve been away. He’s truly selfless in giving up his career and devoting his entirety to teaching Renee new things and exposing her to the wonders of life in Nebraska!  We are moving closer to my job next month and James will be home handling the majority of the packing and preparing for the transition. He’s truly been the best husband, dad, and best friend I could ever ask for. Love you, hubby!

David

He is an amazing father, husband and overall great person. He always makes time for his family, and helps out with the kids even though he’s tired from being at work all day.

Tyler

Tyler has supported our family as we cared for five babies, both biological and foster children, and the devastating loss of our sixth month-old two years ago. He has been a champion, showing selfless love to each one of those precious babies!

Ian

He is an amazing father that does whatever he needs to for me and our children.

Christopher

Christopher supported me during labor, making sure that my birthing plan was followed. He lost sleep so I could sleep and continues to ensure that I am rested to this day. Chris supported me throughout my master’s program when I decided to complete it during our daughter’s first year of life. Lastly, he took over most of the cooking so I could focus on the baby. Love you to the moon and back, honey. You are the best. I thank God for you every chance I get.

P.S. He carried all the heavy coolers of breast milk!

Nate

Nate has been an outstanding father to his first baby girl, as well as being a great stepfather to my two older kids. While dealing with his mother who is ill, he still continues to put his family first in every way possible. I can see how strong he’s been in the midst of chaos. Our family doesn’t just celebrate him on one day, but we celebrate him each and every day.

Jonathan

Jonathan deserves to be celebrated because he has been there every step of the way.

He stayed up with me through countless sleepless nights caring for our newborn, never once making me feel like I was doing it alone. Despite his busy schedule at work, he always finds time and energy for our children, holding them close, rocking them to sleep, comforting them, and showering them with endless love and patience.

He is not just a great provider; he is a present, hands-on father who chooses his family every single day. Our children are truly blessed to have a dad who loves them so deeply, and I am grateful to walk this journey of parenthood beside him.

Subhash

Subhash endured many sleepless nights for our twins, and let me get my sleep too.

Bobby

Bobby has helped to keep this mama hydrated and happy while on this breastfeeding journey. When it came to donating, he helped organize my chaotic freezer stash that had no system and made sure everything was ready to go for pick up

Travis

Travis is the “founding father” of The Circle Family Center acting as a foundational support to myself and his wife as we birthed our family resource center. His dedication to the families we serve is evident in the sweat and tears that went into laying the floors in our building, the purchase of a freezer for our peer to peer milk bank, setting up and manning or community events, and his steadfast dedication to uplifting myself and my partner so that we can carry hundreds of families through pregnancy and postpartum with grace. A true super hero!

Deutron

Deutron founded an organization called MENtors that orbits mentorship, support groups, and classes for boys, men, and fathers. Our organization has partnered with MENtors to provide a free DADs support group that has helped hundreds of fathers in our area find their own village, improve their relationships with their partners, and become incredible dads. He is truly a champion and deserves this acknowledgement and so much more.

Max

Max gave me a safe place to live when my ex husband threw me out of the house. He was kind and provided for me and my baby so we could continue our breastfeeding journey in a stable environment. He expected nothing in return.

Gabriel

​​Gabriel deserves to be celebrated for overcoming incredible obstacles, maintaining his strength, and never wavering. After losing his vision in both eyes in 2005, he continued to care for his young son while supporting his family. Today, he is a devoted husband and father, raising three children with his wife. I appreciate his resilience to move forward in life as independently as possible without one complaint. Gabriel always says that more men need to be part of the breastfeeding circle of life.