By MarySara Rojas.
Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast provided a lifeline to my daughter and me during one of the most difficult periods of our lives. Born premature and weighing only 1 pound, 9 ounces at birth, Lucia spent the first three months of her life in the neonatal intensive care unit. At two weeks old, she became critically ill—going into septic shock, suffering an intestinal perforation, and undergoing two surgeries that ultimately resulted in the placement of an ostomy.
Lucia’s complicated medical conditions required that she follow a breast milk diet, but a few months after returning home, my supply dropped and I no longer had enough milk to meet her needs. I spent two terrifying months desperately struggling to feed my baby. Then I found Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast, shared Lucia’s story, and within a matter of days, we received 200 ounces of frozen breast milk.
Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast gave Lucia the breast milk she needed to grow and develop during the first year of her life, and they gave me the peace of mind to know that I no longer had to worry about having enough breast milk to feed my baby. We are forever grateful to Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast and all of the donors for this amazing gift.
Read more about Lucia and her mother MarySara in this STAT News article.
