Raising A Philanthropist: Donating our milk

I have always been somewhat of a bleeding heart for certain causes; animals, children.  And I would like to be more active in my pursuit community outreach.  I would also like Elijah to have compassion for others and  the desire to help make a difference in his community and in the world.  One thing that I vowed to myself (and our son) when the discussion of me staying home was on the table was that if this happened, I would become more active in the community and participate in charitable projects with Elijah. As he gets older, we will focus on his likes and passions when we choose how to spend our charitable time.

Since we initially thought I was going back to work after two months, I began to pump my milk and build up a frozen supply as is necessary when a breastfeeding Mommy returns to work. Once we realized I was going to be a stay at home mom, I realized this was a golden opportunity for our first act of giving as a family.  I knew there were lots of sick and premature babies out there that were in desperate need of the antibodies and nutrition that only breast milk can provide and lots of times their mothers are unable to provide it.  Because I had pumped early in my motherhood, not only did I have a frozen supply, but there was also a healthy supply continuing to be produced. I did some research and came across Mother's Milk Bank in Austin. They had some drop off centers right here in Houston. One was at Woman's Hospital of Texas where we delivered! The screening was thorough and I was able to pass with flying colors quickly. We made our first donation of 150 ounces about a month ago! We will continue our donations until Elijah is six months old when I will save the frozen milk for his consumption after he weans. 

This is a great first step in teaching Elijah to be a giving, charitable man.  It is really his milk we are donating. And even though he has no idea what is going on right now, it is something we can talk about when he is older and he can feel good know that his charitable deed, when he was just months old, may have saved lives and at the very least, made them better. 

As a disclaimer, I would like to say that Elijah comes first. I would never do anything that would deprive him or cause him harm.  He is healthy boy who eats a TON and is, in no way, deprived by these donations. I feels so blessed that we are able to help babies that are not as fortunate as ours is and I cannot wait to share this first act of charity with Elijah when he is older!

For more information on milk donation, please go to http://www.milkbank.org/