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News and Events
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9th Anniversary of the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas
Thursday, September 12 at 11:30 a.m.
Ridglea Country Club
3700 Bernie Anderson Ave.
Fort Worth, TX 76116 SAVE THE DATE and email us your MAILING ADDRESS so we can add you to our guest list - moms@texasmilkbank.org
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Greetings!
 This month's E-Newsletter highlights two special events we created for members of our Milk Bank family. Thank you for reading about Carmen's Tree as well as our first-ever Donor Appreciation Event.
Plano, TX mom Amanda Junkel, a two-time milk donor who is currently expecting, is featured in our MOMS CONNECT series and we hope you enjoy May's "Mommy & Me" Facebook Friends Photos! Thanks for all that you do, Amy |
The Unveiling of Carmen's Tree, a Memorial Wall Honoring the Tiniest Lives Who Helped Others
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On a recent Saturday morning in May, 50 families, health care professionals and other supporters of our milk bank gathered together for the unveiling of Carmen's Tree, a unique memorial to the smallest lives that have helped our organization.
 | | Mendoza Family |
Carmen's Tree is a memorial named for the baby of the Angela Mendoza, the first Milk Bank milk donor, who chose to donate her breast milk to the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas after the death of her own infant girl, Carmen, in July 2004. Mendoza set an example that many grieving women have followed. Since then, the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas counts 155 women who chose to donate their breastmilk after the loss of their own babies.
 Located on the entrance wall inside our building, each leaf on the tree was dedicated to a donor's baby, and it includes his or her first name and birthdate. Families traveled from greater Fort Worth area, Dallas, North Texas including Wichita Falls, and from as far away as Mississippi to participate in the dedication ceremony and balloon release.
 "Giving breastmilk is always a generous act, and every donor earns our deepest gratitude," says Amy Vickers, RN, BSN, IBCLC, executive director and clinical coordinator at the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas.
 "For mothers who choose to pump and donate their milk in their time of grief, we are awed and inspired. They hold a special place in our hearts. With Carmen's Tree, we can honor families and the tiniest lives who have touched others' lives."
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 Facebook Friends Share Photos
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Each month we share photos from our Facebook Friends. This month we asked you to send us Mommy & Me photos!
Want to be our Facebook friend? Click here to visit our Facebook Page and LIKE us today! Thank you!!
 | | Kristie Wilson spends the day with her children Peyton, Riley and Alexa on Mother's Day. |
 | | Baby Ezra and mom, Nicki Ingram, at an Easter egg hunt. |
 | | Melakeh McDonald with her two-year-old Everett and four-month-old Easton. |
 | | A happy 14-month Aaryanna smiles with mom, Kashayn Alanis. |
 | | Lynley Nall enjoys an afternoon in the backyard with her children, Claire and Christopher. |
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| Community Partners - Families Get Wild at Fort Worth Zoo |
 Over 55 families and over 260 moms, dads and kids took a walk on the wild side on Saturday, May 11 at the Milk Bank's first-ever Donor Appreciation Day, held at the Fort Worth Zoo. Slings and strollers abounded as families enjoyed Zoo exhibits and activities including Texas Wild!, a petting corral with goats, a Texas longhorn calf, a guinea hog, chickens, armadillo, Texas tortoises and even corn snakes. This family-friendly Fort Worth treasure has more than 7,000 animals across 64 acres, with creatures to delight the young and young-at-heart.  Donor Kathleen Wilkinson, a mom of two preemies, enjoyed spending the day with her family. She had pumped milk while her daughter was in the NICU and donated a surplus to the Milk Bank when her daughter was able to breastfeed. The day at the Zoo was an opportunity to meet families who shared her experiences. "Reading stories on the Milk Bank's facebook page and in the newsletter, it seems that a lot of the donors have stories  similar to mine. It was neat to be able to meet and say hi to other donor mommas as we walked through the zoo! I loved the idea of wearing matching t-shirts," she said. The day was an adventure for all ages. "My 2 1/2 year old's favorite parts of the zoo were the fish in the Australian Outback and feeding the parakeets," Wilkinson said.  "Behind a successful breastfeeding mom, there's a family who supports her, and we wanted to create an event that brought these special families together for a day," said Simone Summerlin, donor program coordinator for the Milk Bank. "It was great to see so many smiling faces." If you'd like to share your photos for our Facebook page, please send to moms@texasmilkbank.org. |
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Moms Connect
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Amanda Junkel
Plano, TX
We have three children and are expecting our fourth right now. Charlie is four, Jamie is three and Lucy is 18 months old. I breastfed my oldest son and it was wonderful. Charlie never took a bottle.
But, while nursing Charlie I heard about milk banking through Le Leche League. A year later our second son Jamie was born five weeks premature and spent nine days in the NICU. I began pumping right away for him, marking the first time I ever pumped my breastmilk. I pumped in the hospital's NICU pump room, using a breast pump from the hospital. Then someone purchased one for me - and this new pump was a lot better.
 Pumping increased my breastmilk supply a lot. During the nine days Jamie was in the NICU, I pumped one gallon of breastmilk. I kept pumping because I was making so much. I wanted to donate my excess milk to the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas, and I was able to donate 433 ounces that year.
Donating my excess breastmilk was a way for me to help in a way that most people can't. Many, many people can donate blood, but this is special. I continued to pump once a day just so I could donate something that is really good for babies that need it. This wasn't difficult; it was easy to work into my routine.
Lucy was delivered at term, and was a healthy baby, but I made the decision to pump extra so I could once again donate my breastmilk to the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas. This time I donated 400 ounces.
I'm expecting and hoping to pump and donate again. I've found that once the baby goes to bed at night, he or she is not eating. I learned I could pump one more time before I went to bed. It really was a good time for me to pump one more time that day.
If you have extra breastmilk and a little extra time, then pumping for 10 or 15 minutes can make a big difference in a baby's life.
Amanda's Breastfeeding Tip: Breastfeeding can be hard when you first start off, but it is worth it. The bonding experience is great. And you are giving your baby the best you can without buying anything or making something with your hands.
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