In This Issue
News and Events
August Online Events
Latch On Texas
Facebook Friends
Moms Connect
Quick Links

 
News and Events
Click to listen to KERA's Lauren Silverman, as she reports on
North Texas Breast Milk Bank: A Decade Of Growth 

Save The Date
Our 10th Anniversary Celebration is on September 18, 2014. Email [email protected] your postal mailing address if you'd like to be added to our invitation mailing list!

Are you following us on Twitter yet?
Find us @MMBNT 


Are you following us on Pintrest yet?
Find us @texasmilkbank  


Please subscribe to our  BLOG: Texasbreastfeeding.org  

 

 

We are getting ready for August's National Breastfeeding Awareness Month and our 10-Year Anniversary in September, celebrating a decade since we began dispensing donor human milk to babies in hospitals and at home.

In this issue, learn how you can participate in our August Photo-A-Day event or Facebook Chat. Then read about Latch On Texas, our co-sponsored event with the Tarrant County Breastfeeding Coalition. Adorable photos from our Facebook Friends and a story from donor mom Kristine Tran are also included. 

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to seeing you online and in-person very soon!
Amy
video
 Come Play With Us - August Photo-A-Day on Instagram with 10 Surprise PRIZE Days!

Have you started following @TexasMilkBank on Instagram yet? Follow us today and get ready to participate in our August Photo-A-Day event. All you have to do to play is simply post a picture that matches the theme of the day using hashtag #MMBNTPHOTOADAY when posting.
 
In honor of our 10-Year Anniversary, we'll have 10 SURPRISE PRIZE DAYS! We'll pick a favorite photo on 10 random days in August and send the winner a $10 Gift Card by mail. The more you participate, the more chances to win! 

Playing photo-a-day couldn't be easier. It really couldn't. Here's how to play:
  1. Grab your camera phone. 
  2. Look at the monthly calendar to find the prompt for the day. {The number corresponds to the date of the month}.Take a photo using the prompt as inspiration.
  3. Share your photo on Instagram, adding the hashtag #MMBNTPHOTOADAY to your caption (so people can find you, and others know what you're doing).
  4. After you've shared, check out other families' photos by searching #MMBNTPHOTOADAY on Instagram. 
Come Chat With Us - Facebook Chat on Wed., Aug., 6
What do you want to know about breastfeeding and milk banking? Join our Executive Director Amy Vickers, RN, MSN, IBCLC for a Facebook live chat about breastmilk and babies on Wed., August 6 from 11 a.m. to noon on our Facebook Page. Amy will answer your questions on topics such as:
  • Benefits of breastfeeding to babies and moms
  • Pumping breastmilk and continuing to breastfeed when working
  • Breastfeeding tips and support
  • Anything you want to know about breastfeeding or the Milk Bank  
It's easy to participate. Simply visit: https://www.facebook.com/mothersmilkbank

On August 6 at 11 a.m., look for Amy's Facebook post that will kick off the live chat. Then, submit your questions in the comment thread of that post. Amy will respond to as many questions as possible during the hour-long chat! 
Community Partners

Latch On Texas - We're saving a place for you!
Sat., Aug. 2, 2014

Part of our local celebration of World Breastfeeding Week will be Latch On Texas. We're proud to partner with the Tarrant County Breastfeeding Coalition for the first Latch On Texas event, on Sat., Aug. 2, 2014 from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. Everyone is welcome and admission is free.

Make breastfeeding count by joining the official count at 10:30 a.m. as we try to beat last year's record for the most women simultaneous breastfeeding. To be included in the Latch On Texas official count, your child must be consuming breastmilk, whether that is breastfeeding or feeding mom's own milk or donor milk through a supplemental nursing system, syringe, tube, or other method.

Not in Fort Worth and interested in hosting your own Latch On Texas site? Contact Jacque McCollum at [email protected] for more information.

We look forward to seeing everyone there! 
Facebook Friends Share Photos

We can't get enough of these patriotic cuties in red, white, and blue. Thanks to our Facebook Friends for sharing your 4th of July photos with us. If you haven't already, like us today and become our Facebook Friend!

Kara Schroeder's baby Theo with big sister Posie
Kelly Cantrell's daughter Morgan
Kelly Cantrell's kiddos Morgan and Mason
Ruth McMahan's baby girl Hollie
Taylor Hamm's baby boy Porter

Moms Connect
Kristine Tran
Hurst, TX
 

Donating to the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas throughout the last year has been quite a journey. Becoming a donor mom has truly been one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. I can't think of a more worthy cause than the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas. 

 

Four years ago, I had my son and realized that I had an over-supply of breastmilk. At the time, I didn't know what to do with my excess milk. Unfortunately, I discarded it. 

 

Last year, I knew when I had Madeline that my milk supply would be comparable to what it was with the birth of my son. With that in mind, I researched my options, including selling my milk or donating my milk directly to another baby. I didn't really feel comfortable donating my milk directly to another baby because I couldn't guarantee it would necessarily be 100 percent safe for that baby. 

 

Ultimately, with the encouragement of my lactation nurse Lou, I made the decision to donate to the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas. Lou, who works at the Harris H-E-B Lactation Center, was flabbergasted when I told her that I discarded my first child's excess milk. Lou gave me information about the Milk Bank and the encouragement which made me more comfortable that the decision to donate to the Milk Bank was the right fit for me. 

 

 

Throughout my journey I had never-ending support from the lactation consultants at Harris H-E-B Lactation Center and Simone at the Milk Bank. Whether I was dropping 100 oz. or 600 oz., they always graciously thanked me for the donation and reminded me that I was saving lives. 

 

There were days that I wanted to quit. There were days where I just wanted to throw the pump out the door and run over it with my SUV. I pumped around the clock at home and at work. It was hard juggling family, work, and pumping, and Simone knew I was exhausted. She always lifted my spirits and told me that no matter what, I've helped so much already. 

 

The Milk Bank made it easy for me to continue to donate by giving me prewritten labels, shipping milk containers, and offering to have a courier come pick up my milk during an ice storm. Because they did what was needed to make my life a little bit easier, I never gave up. 

 

It's a balancing act to be a mom to a three-year-old boy and a newborn, working full-time, breastfeeding, and pumping. However, I wouldn't have had it any other way. I am here to tell you that if I can do it, then so can you. 

 

 

I encourage you to donate any amount of excess breastmilk you can to give premature and critically ill babies a fighting chance in life, and I'm proud to have donated 12,249 ounces to the Milk Bank. 

 

The Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas has been a huge part of my life this past year, and I am honored that I can contribute to such a wonderful cause. 

 

 

Breastfeeding/Pumping Tips

  1. Relax, Relax, and drink lots of water. 
  2. Never give up! I hear many moms tell me they give up because they were only able to pump a few ounces. Remember the more frequent you pump the more you will produce, but it will take some time. 
  3. Lastly, don't be so hard on yourself. Whether its one ounce or five ounces you are still helping your precious little one*. Same rule applies for donating. Whether you are able to donate 25 ounces or 100 ounces, every ounce matters. 
NOTE from Amy Vickers, Executive Director of the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas:
*Remember, as little as 1/3 to 1/2 an ounce can be enough for a preemie baby feeding. When you donate milk to a milk bank that serves the tiniest babies who are in hospital NICUs, 1 ounce goes a long way.