Mom donates 1,000 ounces of breast milk to families affected by Hurricane Harvey

Those displaced by Hurricane Harvey have a lot to worry about at the moment, and for some moms, wondering how they’re going to feed their babies is one of those concerns. So, a mom from Missouri decided to pitch in and help in the best way she knew how: by donating some of her breast milk.

Danielle Palmer donated more than 1,000 ounces of breast milk while working with Guiding Star Missouri, and the milk is on its way to Texas.

“We gave 1,040 ounces, and we figured that up, if a normal baby gets three ounces, that’s 346 feedings,” Palmer told KMOV St. Louis.

Palmer is a mom of three. One of her sons, Truett, has a congenital heart defect and was unable to be breastfed for part of his life, and that’s why Palmer happened to have so much extra breast milk on hand.

“The first month of [Truett’s] life, he was unable to eat,” the mom told Today. “All the milk I was pumping was going into the freezer.”

A friend suggested Palmer donate the milk to aid in the Harvey relief efforts, and she agreed it would be a great use for her excess supply.

Palmer sees it as a blessing that she was able to help other mothers in this way.

“With Truett’s heart defect—I don’t take that lightly—but I also know I’m grateful for the situation God placed us in,” she told Today. “It’s given us the opportunity to do other things, I mean, had we not been in this situation, we wouldn’t be able to share some of our love with the babies in Houston.”

The milk will undergo testing and be distributed to moms in need.

People, especially in the cities surrounding Houston, have been stepping up to help babies and their parents. This donation is just one of the many ways folks have pitched in to provide assistance to hurricane victims.

For example, a hospital in Dallas volunteered to take in babies from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Houston so they’d have a safe place to go. Clearly, keeping the little ones safe and well-fed is very important in the Hurricane Harvey aftermath.

“We moms have each other’s backs. We take care of each other. Breastfeeding is hard,” Palmer told KMOV. “Whether you’re pumping or feeding or however it may be, it’s hard. And we’re like momma bears. We protect one another.”

If you’re a breastfeeding mom who’s interested in donating or know anyone who might be, the Mother’s Milk Bank in Austin is accepting breast milk donations for those displaced by Hurricane Harvey.