Mothers' Milk Bank Austin

Calvin's Story Written by his mother, Faith Galante I have always acknowledged the benefits of breastfeeding. Growing up with a Lactation Consultant for a mother will do that to you, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect to witness them first hand like I did. Twenty weeks into my pregnancy with my brand new husband, an ultrasound revealed a hole in our baby son's stomach. The ultrasound tech handed us off to an OB who could barely pronounce the defect, Gastroschisis. At a specialist appointment, we learned more about this anomaly that had busted into our lives. Gastroschisis is a rare congenital defect that affects about 1/2,500 births. In the past ten years, the frequency has doubled. I watched the little shadow baby on the screen bopping around my womb without a care in the world, and I also observed the hole in his abdomen that his small intestine had begun to herniate through. Things began to happen very fast. We were lost in a sea of doctors appointments,

  A son was to be born in July of 2011, and his parents were thrilled. Excitement, nervousness, and pride were frequent emotions, but then expectations were destroyed. Baby Mauricio was born 12 weeks early. At just a bit more than two and a half pounds, he would spend the next nine months in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) fighting for his life. His mom, supported by NICU lactation consultants, successfully developed a small amount of breast milk – enough to initially feed her precious son until he became too ill to take her milk. Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a medical condition primarily seen in premature infants where portions of the intestines undergo tissue death. The risk of NEC is significantly reduced when human milk feedings are provided to an infant, especially a preterm infant. Sometimes, however, a preterm infant who is receiving breast milk still develops NEC. When NEC occurs, the portion of damaged intestines must be removed. Subsequent feeding diff

Alison Beshur, milk donor to the Mothers' Milk Bank at Austin and mom to two boys, spent the 26 days leading up to her youngest son's first birthday in a "pumping marathon" for the milk bank. Read more about her amazing story below, in her own words. ___________________________________________ I have amazing friends. Dozens of them rushed to help, when I reached out for donations to support a 26-day pumping marathon I recently completed for the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin. During the pumping marathon, I pumped 532 ounces for the fragile babies. To match, more than 30 family members and friends gave more than $1,600 for the milk bank, and a few more donations are expected. The monetary donations will support the organization’s Charitable Care program , which funds donor milk for premature babies whose families don’t have insurance or can’t afford to pay for the life-saving milk. I’m still surprised by the generosity of my family members and friends. Knowing

At 10 weeks old, baby Eva was smiling and starting to coo and interact with me, my precious second, and last, daughter. I was getting into a routine, feeling more confident, having so much fun being home with this endlessly happy child. But it was time. I was heading back to work after what seemed like the blink of an eye since I had given birth to her. I got dressed and packed up the car that morning, preparing to ease back into my work life—folding up the pajama pants, my daily uniform, and dusting off the heels. But as I loaded Eva up into the car, I wasn’t filled with the same anxiety and dread as I had been just three short years earlier when I had done the same with my older daughter, Olivia. Eva and I left the house together that morning, but instead of going through all of the emotions of dropping her off in someone else’s care for the first time, we kept driving. Together. With my office equipped with a pack n play and a swing, and doting co-workers stopping in fo

The following blog post was submitted by the mother of a former donor human milk recipient. Her story demonstrates the heart-wrenching experiences of families with fragile babies, and the critical importance of non-profit milk banking in supplying safe donor milk. Links have been created to explain some of the more medical terminology – explore as you would. Hunter was born July 6, 2011 with jejunal atresia .   A previous ultrasound at 34 weeks gestation, detected the obstruction as well as meconium in the fluid.   My obstetrician reassured me that it was treatable; it just meant that he would need to have surgery and would spend a little time in the neonatal intensive care unit. I went into labor on July 5, 2011 at 11:00pm.   I was so elated to finally be having him and getting him the help he needed. The delivery was a lot more stressful than I could have ever imagined. His shoulders got stuck, resulting in a broken clavicle. The worst was yet to come.   He got stuck agai

The Prez says….. Hello, my name is Dr. Peter B. Untalan and I am a neonatologist here in Austin.   A neonatologist is a doctor who takes care of sick newborns.   The babies a neonatologist takes care of can include a full-term infant born with pneumonia or a heart condition, but most people associate us with taking care of premature babies. Premature babies face many challenges on their journey to get home with their parents.   They aren’t big enough to maintain their own temperature. Their skin is so thin they can literally dehydrate in a matter of hours.   Their immune system is so fragile that normal skin bacteria can cause life-threatening infections.   Their lungs are tissue thin and some need extra oxygen when they go home.   Their brain and eyes aren’t completely developed and any interruption in development can be damaging to the baby’s brain and ability to see. Technology is developing at a rapid pace, allowing us to take care of smaller and smaller premature infants-s

Thank you, Maria Parlapiano (AKA GrAuntie Maria) for the following blog submission.  Maria shares Baby Charlotte's survival story of a traumatic brain injury and how human milk is credited with her miraculous turn-around .   I willfully submit that my faith and resolve in who I am and what I stand for, were put to the ultimate test by none other than a small, injured child.   It was this extraordinary baby that compelled me to fiercely answer the call to advocate and protect for her ultimate good and in turn, for the greater good of all babies and children. Following is the remarkable account of my experience as “health guardian” of a baby called Charlotte Rose, the miracle bestowed upon her and the unexpected journey she took me on that changed my life forever.     In December, my grandniece Charlotte Rose suffered a massive, traumatic brain injury. She was eleven months old. Airlifted to a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center, Charlotte endured emergency b