Breastmilk Brigade!

So as most of you who have been reading my blog know, I'm inducing lactation so that I can feed our son when he arrives. I know I'll start producing more once he gets here but I don't think I'll be producing enough to feed him everything he needs. So I have asked nursing mothers on a few breastfeeding forums if they would be so kind as to donate breastmilk. First, it's a lot of work, second they have to go take blood tests and spend the time pumping, storing, freezing and shipping me the milk. I will of course pay for all the tests, supplies and shipping but still it's a big commitment. I have been floored by a few women who have already kindly offered me their breastmilk. One lovely lady has donated before and has a large quantity of milk stored in deep freeze, another lady is expected a baby in a week or two and once her child gets on a good routine she said she would love to pump for us. Then there is another women who already called her clinic to find out about the blood tests she needs to have done.

I just can't tell you how much this means to me. I feel like I was cheated out of pregnancy, labor and delivery. Some women have spouted off about how I "get to miss the bad parts" of becoming a parent. They are wrong. I had my whole birthing plan mapped out and I knew exactly what I wanted and how I envisioned my labor and delivery. But I've moved on from that and I've learned to focus on all the positives I've gained from not being able to get pregnant. One positive I learned about last night, and that is the power of women and their generosity when other women and their children are involved. What a powerful feeling it was to learn that there is so much good and generosity in this world, in my corner of the world. I read blogs quite a bit and sometimes I get dismayed because people become so mean and evil with the internet's anonymity. But here is a case where it is just the opposite.

I will not cheat myself out of breastfeeding my baby. But even more important, even if for some medical reason, our son wont nurse from the good ole' boob, I'll be able to provide him with what nature intended, breastmilk. We can hope and expect that our dear son will have less allergies and illnesses because of breastmilk. He'll have all the proper nutrients to make his brain smarter and raise his IQ. He'll have better motor skills than if he was on formula. The list goes on and on and on. Yeah, maybe I'm turning into a lactavist, but I think what I'm really turning into is a mom. I feel it in the core of my body, I feel like Jake's mom.