After losing her six-week-old son, a grieving mother from Utah decided to donate her breast milk to families who are in need. The toddler had been diagnosed with a rare immune disorder, called DiGeorge Syndrome.
Nicura Thompson, who gave birth full-term Oct. 21, 2016, to her fourth child, had known since her fifth month of pregnancy that her child was suffering from seven different heart conditions. The child died six weeks after he was born, on Thompson's 28th birthday.
Woman Donates Breast Milk After Baby Dies
Thompson said in an interview that she was grateful for having been able to take her child at home.
"We got to take him trick or treating with us, and we got to spend Thanksgiving with him us as well," she noted.
Despite the fact that her baby died soon after being born, the woman didn't stop pumping her breast milk. Thompson decided to help other people who aren't able to breastfeed their babies, donating hers to a drop-off location at the hospital.
So far, Thompson managed to donate over 4,000 ounces since December and is now close to her goal of 5,000 ounces. The woman said she pumps milk four times a day, and she freezes it until there is no more space in the freezer, then she drops the milk off at the Mountain West Mothers Milk Bank.
Thompson said that she will continue to do this for as long as her body allows her to, knowing how important it is for babies to be breastfed.
Thompson admits that it isn't easy to give away the milk that should be for her own child. The fact that other kids need it, however, makes all the work worth it.
She also constantly updates her Facebook profile, where she writes in a very personal tone.
"I just realized I never did beads of courage for Colton. Everything happens so fast I didn't have time to. But you know what, my son may not have made it to surgery, but he went through lots of crap! Countless IVs, swallow studies, pic lines, IJ line, seizures, countless medicines, 30 days total in the hospital, and his cardiac arrest! He definitely deserves one. So I'm going to make him one," notes one of Thompson's Facebook posts.
The Importance Of Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding has numerous benefits for infants, children, and mothers, it is a "key strategy to improve public health." According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is highly recommended that infants are exclusively breastfed throughout the first six months of their lives. After which, breastfeeding should continue in combination with complementary foods, for at least another year, based on the CDC Breastfeeding Report Card for 2016.
The rates of breastfeeding are rising in the United States. Among children born in 2013, four out of five were breastfed, and over 51 percent were breastfed for at least six months. Additionally, approximately a third of the kids were still breastfed at 12 months.
