A Full Circle Moment

Donor Mom "C" shares her story

Every time I donate or see the milk storage bags, I think back to that NICU chair, the nurse who spoke of milk donation, and the unknown mothers whose milk helped me feed my son when I couldn’t.

When my firstborn son was only two days old, we were suddenly faced with complications. He was flown from our small community to Calgary, diagnosed with a rare disease, and we were told we didn’t know what the outcome would be. We didn’t know if he was going to survive, if we’d get the chance to hold him in our arms again, or if he would ever make it through the flight with the NICU team. However, with my son's spitfire personality and strength, he slowly recovered while being fed through his IV.

On the fifth day in the NICU, as we were trying to understand what was happening to our son, we started talking about something so basic but crucial with his medical team—how we would feed him as he was ready. My milk had not come in yet, and with everything else going on, I hadn’t even considered pumping or preparing milk.

The fear, uncertainty, and stress of whether or not our baby would survive consumed me. I remember sitting in the NICU chair, feeling utterly inadequate. The guilt and helplessness were overwhelming. Then, one of the nurses spoke up. She told us about donated breast milk—an option I didn't even know existed.

While we waited for my milk to come in, I could feed my son pasteurized donor milk from NorthernStar Milk Bank, thanks to the selflessness of other mothers who had donated their milk. It was a small but incredibly important piece of hope. For the next few days, donated milk allowed me to focus on my son’s care, and I slowly began to regain my strength, knowing he was being fed. By the time my milk supply finally came in, I could nurse my son.

I’ll never forget those early days in the NICU—the kindness and selflessness of the mothers who donated their milk, without ever knowing how deeply their generosity would touch our family. Two years later, I had another son and had an oversupply—more than enough to meet his needs—and quickly began to fill our freezer. It felt like the universe had given me a chance to fulfill the dream I’d had all along: to give back, to donate milk, and to pass on the kindness I had once received, even though I thought I would never be able to.

Being able to donate now has been a full-circle moment. Every time I donate or see the milk storage bags, I think back to that NICU chair, the nurse who spoke of milk donation, and the unknown mothers whose milk helped me feed my son when I couldn’t. Their selflessness changed our lives, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to pay it forward.

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