Preparing a bottle with breastmilk that is frozen or partially frozen takes skill because it is so easy to spill. Over the past five months I have spilled a good bit of milk. Every time some misses the bottle I get a little jolt in my stomach and think, "Damn...wasted gold." Spilling isn't the only way to waste milk. I've left it out on the counter too long, made it too hot, too cold (which isn't actually wasteful but it is a pain in the rear), and I've not closed the zip all the way so when I put it back in the refrigerator it tips over and spills everywhere.
Today I had the biggest spill ever (12 ounces!), and I was determined not to waste it. I had already used milk from this bag once, but it was still mostly frozen. I needed to thaw it quickly and had a pot of scalding hot water ready. I remembered there was a hole in the bottom of the bag (which happens surprisingly often) and needed to put it in upside down. What I didn't remember was I had already started to open the bag and did not fully close it. I remembered this important bit of information just as I started turned the bag upside down, but it was too late. The entire block of icy milk fell into the scorching hot water.
I gasped. I was faced with a decision - to burn my hand or not to burn my hand. I knew I had to act quickly before it all melted into the water. I tossed it over in my mind a dozen times in a matter of seconds - do I save it or accept defeat...NEVER! In my head I chanted, "It will only hurt for a second. I will only hurt for a second. Just do it. Do it. DO IT!" I took a deep breath and dove my hand into the water, grabbed the block of milk as quickly as possible and dropped it into a bowl.
As soon as I dropped the milk into the bowl I ran cold water over my hand. It only hurt for a minute and no real damage was done. Most importantly, I saved the milk!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
An Answered Prayer
A prayer was answered tonight, and I am once again amazed at the generosity of donating families. Last week, one of our regular donors informed me that she would not be able to donate to us any more. The selfishness inside me hopes this is temporary, as she has been one of our most productive and loved donors. However, I understand life happens and I most definitely understand a Mama's got to do what a Mama's got to do to take care of her family.
Over the past week, I have searched for new donors through the regular milk-sharing site that I use. There have been several times over the past 4 1/2 months when I didn't know when or where the milk would be coming from next. Somehow it had worked out every time, so I trusted it would work out this time as well.
Backing up another 2 weeks - A friend of a friend was past her due date and getting discouraged. She planned a homebirth, but with Florida laws being so restrictive about going "past due," it can be a very stressful time for expecting mothers who are 10 month mamas. My friend knows I tend to go 42+ weeks, so she asked me to send an encouraging message to this mom. My heart and soul are deeply rooted to homebirth, so I sent this mom a message in an effort to give her hope and confidence in the last few days of her pregnancy. I never heard back from her (I took it to be a good sign, that perhaps she had gone into labor and was enjoying her baby). A week after sending the message she had her baby at home...my heart is smiling just thinking of it.
Being 2 weeks since I sent the message and knowing that she had her baby, I forgot that I included my phone number in that message...until today, when I received a text message saying, "Nancy? You sent me a message about being a 10 month mama." She went on to say she was touched by our story (told by our mutual friend) and wanted to donate milk to us! She already sent some with our mutual friend and we talked about arranging future donations.
I am overwhelmed with joy. Over the past 4 1/2 months I have had more tears of joy than any other time in my 27 years on this earth. To not only witness but to be part of such an extraordinary group of families coming together to feed human milk to human babies (MY baby, at that!) makes my heart feel bigger. It has given me a joy I never knew existed. I believe all of this to be part of a much bigger plan, one that I only have glimpse of so far.
Over the past week, I have searched for new donors through the regular milk-sharing site that I use. There have been several times over the past 4 1/2 months when I didn't know when or where the milk would be coming from next. Somehow it had worked out every time, so I trusted it would work out this time as well.
Backing up another 2 weeks - A friend of a friend was past her due date and getting discouraged. She planned a homebirth, but with Florida laws being so restrictive about going "past due," it can be a very stressful time for expecting mothers who are 10 month mamas. My friend knows I tend to go 42+ weeks, so she asked me to send an encouraging message to this mom. My heart and soul are deeply rooted to homebirth, so I sent this mom a message in an effort to give her hope and confidence in the last few days of her pregnancy. I never heard back from her (I took it to be a good sign, that perhaps she had gone into labor and was enjoying her baby). A week after sending the message she had her baby at home...my heart is smiling just thinking of it.
Being 2 weeks since I sent the message and knowing that she had her baby, I forgot that I included my phone number in that message...until today, when I received a text message saying, "Nancy? You sent me a message about being a 10 month mama." She went on to say she was touched by our story (told by our mutual friend) and wanted to donate milk to us! She already sent some with our mutual friend and we talked about arranging future donations.
I am overwhelmed with joy. Over the past 4 1/2 months I have had more tears of joy than any other time in my 27 years on this earth. To not only witness but to be part of such an extraordinary group of families coming together to feed human milk to human babies (MY baby, at that!) makes my heart feel bigger. It has given me a joy I never knew existed. I believe all of this to be part of a much bigger plan, one that I only have glimpse of so far.
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