In honor of Father’s Day, we asked fathers whose partners donated or who received milk to provide their perspectives. Here are their thoughts:
Domenic Salvemini
My wife and I faced some very real challenges during our pregnancy journey, including an emotionally draining miscarriage and a difficult delivery where very little went according to plan.
After our baby was born, we struggled at first with feeding and latching, but eventually were able to get into a routine that worked, and I knew how much that meant to my wife. She went through so much that didn’t go the way she had wanted or expected, but on the other side we had a happy, healthy, beautiful baby girl.
Before long, we found ourselves with a stockpile of milk. When my wife suggested donating it, my first thought was “I get my fridge back!” but my second thought was how privileged we are. We had plenty of bumps along the way, but by all measures we are incredibly lucky for what we have and are so grateful we’re able to give back and donate to such an amazing cause.
For my part, I know how much my support means to my wife and it’s a big reason she’s been able to breastfeed and donate spare milk for seventeen months now. Being there physically and emotionally, whether it’s staying up with her while she does one more pump session before bed, or cleaning all the pump parts, so many pump parts, every day. Ultimately donating milk is a small gesture, but being able to help parents and babies who need it is so rewarding for all of us.
Dario Gangi
Watching everything that my wife and son had to go through was such a helpless feeling. I know many fathers and husbands would feel the same way. My wife struggled with breastfeeding our first child, so when the NICU team told us about the option to receive pasteurized donor human milk, it was the first time we both could breathe a sigh of relief.
I’m so glad places like Mother’s Milk Bank Northeast exist. Having a baby in the hospital is scary enough! If my wife were to have issues feeding our son, it would have made his journey a lot more difficult.
Donor milk gave her time to get her supply and work with lactation coaches without having to worry about our son getting enough milk. I am proud of Nicki and Demitri’s work to help raise awareness for Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast so that other moms do not have to struggle any more than they already do in the NICU.
We thank Domenic and Dario for sharing their words with us. Fathers, if you are interested in sharing your perspective on receiving or donating milk, consider sharing your story. We welcome all family perspectives in support of our mission to provide lifesaving milk to babies in need.
