​It was a brochure about BC Women’s Provincial Milk Bank, a provincial depository that collects mother’s milk to safely distribute across British Columbia’s Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) for critically ill babies. 

After the birth of her first child, Joel, Amanda began breastfeeding and was producing a lot of milk. She ended up with more milk than was needed to feed Joel, which triggered her memory of the brochure and thought that donating the surplus would be a good way to get rid of the extra milk in the freezer.

For Amanda, her initial giving began as a way to relieve some space in her freezer and to not waste the milk she’s already expressed. Then, when Amanda was pregnant with her second child, she received the devastating news that one of her good friends had just lost their baby. She also learned that her friend’s baby received donor milk during the first few days of her life. The news really hit home and impacted Amanda, and was the turning point, which made her realize that donor milk can really make a difference to a family.

“After realizing how it [donating milk] can help save someone’s life, a baby that is so sick,” says Amanda. “Knowing my breastmilk makes a difference is huge. No parent ever wants to see a child suffer.”

Amanda and her husband Dan are proud parents of four boys: Joel, Micah, Caleb and Isaac. Amanda continues to donate milk to the Milk Bank and has donated after the birth of each of her boys. The kids also help out and love being involved by taking the milk to fridge to freeze. They know not to touch while mom is preparing the milk because it’s not sanitary. Amanda chuckles when she shares how the boys’ remark: 

“Sick babies are going to be so happy.”

Interested in becoming a donor? Learn how you can help here.