by Jenika Shamp
Meet Jenika, a mother of 3 who was inspired to donate milk after her youngest son received donor human milk from Mothers’ Milk Bank California.
I have been blessed with an oversupply with all my 3 children; however, I did not know about milk banks with my first two. When my youngest, Hank, was born, he was treated for jaundice. We stayed for 6 days at the hospital since his bilirubin levels kept rising after each phototherapy session. Watching your baby lying under those blue lights was hard, and I was only allowed to hold him during feedings to help him push the bilirubin out of his body through pooping.
Although I knew my baby would be okay, seeing him under the blue light and only being able to cradle him with the nurses’ permission still gave me bouts of fear. By day 3, I could hear his stomach grumble, and I asked the nurse if we could give him formula while waiting for my steady breast milk supply to come in. She happily remarked, “Of course we can feed your baby! Our options are formula or donor milk, which would you prefer?” I went with donor milk, knowing that he would be getting the best nutrition while I worked to build my supply. It made those hospital days a little easier to get through.
I pumped every three hours around the clock, hoping each session would finally get things going. I’m thankful donor milk filled the gap. It kept Hank comfortable and helped him do what he needed to recover.
I look back at those early days and feel grateful that donor milk was there for us. It took pressure off at a time when everything felt scary. That support stuck with me. Donating now is my way of returning that care to another family going through their own days of uncertainty in the hospital.
For anyone thinking about donating, my answer is simple: yes, do it. If you have extra milk and the ability to share, it can make an immediate difference to a baby who needs it. It takes very little from my day but gives another family the same assurance I once needed for my own child.
Mothers’ Milk Bank California made it easy for me to donate, and I am glad to be part of something that helped my son when we needed it most. I would like to end this article with a note to all the gracious milk donors, “From blue lights to big smiles 💙, donor milk helped us through it all. Forever thankful for the moms who give the gift of nourishment, and for my ability to help the cause now.”
If you have at least 100 ounces expressed within the past nine months and want to learn more about donating, you can call 408-998-4550 option 3 to get started or visit https://mothersmilk.org/donate/become-a-donor/ to get started.
On behalf of Mothers’ Milk Bank California, we are deeply grateful to every donor who helps advance our mission of providing safe, pasteurized donor human milk to the most vulnerable babies.
