Crying over spilt milk...

Last week I had a big disappointment... I was really sad at first but now I am full of renewed spirit to try again after we move. So I just want to share.. in hopes that all of my friends and family will help to encourage me to start anew.

In early June I came across a charitable organization called the international breastmilk project

www.breastmilkproject.org

They send donated breastmilk to orphanages in Africa. A lot of these babies have AIDS and the breastmilk is a lot easier for them to handle. You might think that it would be easier for local African women to donate to these orphanages but the problem is that many of them have AIDS as well, and it is often hard to find donors in these areas. This project is very close to my heart. And I was especially excited to be able to donate my own milk after having difficulty breastfeeding the boys. So after a thorough blood testing process and medical evaluation I was named a breastmilk donor on June 19th and I have been pumping and storing milk as much as I can. It isn't a easy thing to do to pump and breastfeed and manage 3 kiddos... but I am so proud that I have been able to do so.

Then last week I was doing some yardwork and I accidentally unplugged the freezer in the garage, I didn't catch my mistake until 3 days later, when I went to put some milk in the freezer only to find that all of my hardwork had thawed and spoiled. I don't know why I didn't notice it earlier I put milk in the freezer every morning, but I didn't. I had finally accumulated 100 ounces which is the minimum for a donation box. I had already asked for a box to be sent.

Unfortunately, I know I can not pump 100 ounces before we leave, so I will be waiting until we get to Whidbey and then I will reapply to be a donor there. I am determined to donate at LEAST ONCE to this project though! So keep watching... In a few months you will see another post about the breastmilk project and pictures of my milk in a fedex box headed for the milkbank :)

BTW... here is a pic of the milk I had pumped... to those of you that don't know ( MEN, haha ) the average that a breastfeeding mama can pump a day is 2 ounces. Some ladies are blessed to be able to pump a lot more than that... but I am not one of them. On a GREAT day I could get 3 ounces TOTAL, but most of those bags have only 1.5 ounces in them. It took a long time to accumulate these 100 ounces.