Delivering Mylah . . .
Kathryn was still unconscious after her daughter, Mylah, was delivered by emergency c-section. So the nurse asked her husband Mark whether they should give Mylah formula or donor milk in the NICU. “Formula,” Mark answered the nurse, remembering how his middle daughter had been fed formula after Kathryn struggled to produce enough milk for her.
When Kathryn woke up, he told her the plan. “NO, no, no, no, no,” she exclaimed. “I want her to have donor milk.” The nurse understood and called down to the NICU with the updated feeding plan.
This was Kathryn’s first post-birth decision for her daughter Mylah, and she felt strongly about it. “My husband didn’t know anything about donor milk so to him, it sounded weird. I didn’t know as much as I do now, but I did know that it is really protective – especially for preemies. I just knew she needed that.”
A diagnosis . . .
Mylah is Kathryn and Mark’s third daughter together, adding to a family of girls with Audrey (14) Carlee (almost 12) and Mark’s oldest daughter Allison (20). But this pregnancy was different. Doctors suspected Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) when Kathryn was 20 weeks pregnant and not gaining weight. As the pregnancy progressed, baby Mylah continued to drop in size. And before long she was tracking at just 1% of babies for her gestational age.
Kathryn’s doctors told her that she would need to be induced at precisely 37 weeks. This gave Mylah the best chance of having her lungs fully developed before birth. But it also reduced the risk of still birth, which is a significant danger for babies under these circumstances. Kathryn held on to the positive as her due date approached. She hoped Mylah would grow to 4 lbs. and potentially avoid a stay in the NICU.
Kathryn’s labor was as complicated as her pregnancy had been. Doctors determined that she did not have sufficient levels of amniotic fluid and that Mylah’s heart rate was decreasing. It was five minutes of chaos from terrifying monitoring results to the operating room. Thankfully Mylah came out strong and screaming – much to the relief of dad who was anxiously listening out for his little girl.
Safe, protective, nourishing – the role of donor milk . . .
Mylah needed a couple days of donor milk until her mom’s own supply came in. Kathryn was so grateful that she received this incredible gift. A gift that other moms had shared. “I knew it was safe, after all doctors were using it in the NICU with the most medically fragile babies. I also knew it was better for her digestion than formula, and she was having trouble with feeding as it was. I’m just so glad that she had human milk the whole time.”
Once Kathryn’s milk came in, she was swimming in it. Nurses were literally suggesting milk baths as a possible use for all her extra supply. “They told me I could feed every baby in the NICU with the milk I had.” Then the nurses told her about donating to Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast, where they received the safe donor milk used for their patients. In other words, Kathryn really would be able to feed all those other babies in the NICU with Mylah.
“Your posters were everywhere in the hospital,” Kathryn told me. Spending an entire 25 days in the NICU with her little girl, Kathryn used some of that time to research our milk bank. Then, just one month after she and Mylah joined the rest of their family at home, she began the donor screening process.
A full circle moment . . .
Kathryn has already donated 250 ounces of valuable donor milk. And she’s working on another donation. A donation that will go a long way toward making our life-saving work possible. A true hero, Kathryn’s generosity is enabling so many other babies to grow and thrive, while remaining entirely dedicated to the extra care and support Mylah needs. Weighing just 9 lbs. at 5.5 months old, Mylah is not on the growth charts yet. However, she is meeting other milestones like rolling and assisted sitting. And she happily chattered away throughout most of our interview.
“I hope my milk helps other babies as much as it helped my baby. That’s what I really want,” Kathryn tells me, a couple stray tears slipping through an otherwise sunny and positive demeanor. “I’m so thankful we were able to get donor milk, and also give it. This is a full circle moment.”
“So are we,” I tell her as Mylah, the mighty Mylah, offers up another heart-melting smile . . .
There are so many ways to make a difference for babies like Mylah. Whether you choose to donate the gift of your milk, money, or time, your generosity is greatly appreciated. Thank you for helping us help them.
