Ashton’s Garden: honoring our first bereavement donation
Tending to our broken hearts
We are here for you
Feelings regarding lactation after a loss vary from mother to mother. Some feel that the milk they produce was meant only for their baby, or that thinking about pumping is just too much when they are already going through a difficult time. Others, like Val (see below), want to donate to a milk bank. There is no right or wrong decision.
Val Lee, a bereaved mother, describes the loss of her baby and one of those unexpected decisions she made afterwards:
“Our son, Ashton, was born at 29 weeks with several complications. While being amazed by our little fighter in the NICU, I was fortunate to pump and freeze every drop of milk. The NICU staff explained breast milk was medicine that no synthetic drug could ever replace. We were hopeful for the day Ashton would be stable enough to have breast milk for food; however, he only received two teaspoons before he became our Angel Baby. Donating my breast milk has been a bright, positive light in our bereavement journey knowing other NICU families may spend an extra hour, day or lifetime with their baby.”
We’ve put together a helpful booklet for bereaved families (también disponible en español). An extensive resource list is available – see support information below.
Please feel free to reach out to us if you want to talk through your decision or need further support. We are here for you.
For additional information please contact info@midatlanticmilkbank.org or call 412-281-4400, ext. 103
We honor the babies whose milk was donated with a garden memory wall leaf