Like many future moms, when Ashley Clifford was pregnant she had the dream of feeding her baby with her own milk when she was born. But not only her baby, but she was also determined to donate breast milk.
After a bad experience with his first child who could not breastfeed, two years later shares this photo of her second daughter, five-month-old Ellie, surrounded by bags of milk ready to donate. An image that represents its own overcoming and aims to raise awareness about the importance of donating breast milk, the first life-saving vaccine.
When his first son, David, came into the world, he realized that donating his milk would not be so easy. After trying for a month in which her baby almost did not gain weight, she decided to supplement breastfeeding with formula milk by breastfeeding before leaving it completely.
Her baby gained weight, but Ashley he was stuck with the breastfeeding thorn, so when she became pregnant with her second baby, she proposed it again. And this time he got it.
The baby seen in the picture surrounded by bags is his second daughter, Ellie, 5 months. This week donated his first 200 ounces of breast milk, almost six liters. His goal is to donate 1,000 ounces, almost 30 liters, before his daughter turns one year old.
This photo means so much to me. When I found out I was pregnant with this baby, my DREAM was to not only be able to breastfeed her, but to be able to donate milk as well. Let me be clear about one thing though, I believe FED is best. I tried to nurse David, but after a month of him barely gaining anything, I started supplementing an eventually went straight to formula with him. And he's thriving! This picture represents many sleepless nights, especially from the first couple weeks, 295 ounces of extra milk, five blocked ducts, and a 17.5 lb healthy, growing baby girl. Today I'm donating about 200 ounces for the first time and the feeling I'm having is hard to explain. It's a mix of excitement and love but at the same time, I'm having some reservations, only because nursing and pumping is HARD! I feel kind of protective of this haha BUT that isn't going to stop me from giving some of this away💕
A photo posted by Ashley Clifford (@ashleymclifford) on Jan 30, 2017 at 9:11 PST
In his message he shares:
"This picture means a lot to me. When I found out I was pregnant with this baby, my dream was not only to be able to breastfeed, but also to be able to donate milk. I want to make it clear that breastfeeding is the best. I tried to breastfeed David, but after a month of barely gaining weight, I started supplementing him and then I only started giving him formula milk.
This photo represents many sleepless nights, especially the first two weeks, 295 extra ounces of milk, five blocked ducts and 17.5 pounds of a healthy and growing baby. Today I am donating 200 ounces for the first time, I have some reservations because breastfeeding and removal is hard! But that won't stop me from continuing to donate. "
