A mother in Missouri has helped out potentially hundreds of Texas children by donating 65 pints of breast milk to Hurricane Harvey’s survivors.
Danielle Palmer of Owensville had an excess of bottled breast milk ready to serve up to her son, Truett – but when she saw the devastation in Texas she knew she had to help out other mothers.
‘We have each-other’s backs. We take care of each other,’ Palmer told News 4 of her fellow moms.
‘Breastfeeding is hard. Whether you’re pumping or feeding or however it may be, it’s hard. And we are like momma bears. We protect one another.’
Milk of human kindness: Danielle Palmer and son Truett (pictured) of Missouri are donating 65 pints of her frozen breast milk to Texas moms affected by Hurricane Harvey
Palmer learned something about the difficulties of raising kids after her son Truett was born with a congenital heart problem, among other difficulties.
That meant he had to take most of his nutrition by IV – which led to Palmer’s freezer building up an impressive amount of excess milk in the meantime.
So when Truett’s speech therapist suggested donating some milk to the mothers and babies affected by the floods, Palmer realized they were asking the right woman.
‘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 said.
‘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.’
Now the bottles – equivalent to eight gallons, and an estimated 364 feedings – is to be taken to Dallas.
Local organization Guiding Star Missouri will drive the refrigerated milk to the city, where it will be distributed to those who need it.
It will prove vital to moms who lost their own supplies during blackouts or who lost their pumps when they were forced out of their homes – and to moms stressed out by the tragic events.
‘With breast feeding, stress plays a big role in your supply. If you become stressed, your supply will drop,’ Palmer said.
Breast milk can last for up to six months once frozen, according to BabyCenter.
Palmer says that all the milk distributed by Guiding Star is rigorously tested to ensure it’s safe.
But even if it wasn’t, the chances of illness being caused by sharing breast milk are low, according to the CDC.
Blessing: Palmer built up the excess because birth defects meant Truett had to be fed by IV when tiny (left). But she says it’s a blessing as it’s allowed her to help others. Pictured right is a file photo of people delivering relief supplies – including baby items – in Houston
Helping out: Stress can cause moms to stop lactating, and power outages can spoil frozen milk. Palmer’s produce is being driven to Texas to help moms like Gladys Dasi (pictured)
Exchanging breast milk is legal, and the liquid requires no special handling other than refrigeration, the CDC says.
It adds that while serious diseases such as HIV can be transmitted by milk, ‘the risk of infection from a single bottle of breast milk, even if the mother is HIV positive, is extremely small.
‘For women who do not have HIV or other serious infectious diseases, there is little risk to the child who receives her breast milk.’
The CDC notes that infants can – and should – continue to breastfeed after a disaster.
But for those being bottle-fed, care must be taken to wash – and ideally sterilize – hands and bottle nipples, it says.
Ready-to-feed formula is also preferred to dry formula because it doesn’t require water; otherwise the water should be boiled, if it’s not already bottled.
And bottled water, then boiled water are preferable to treated water, which should be used as a last resort.
Palmer, for her part, is just happy to help.
‘I can’t imagine being in a situation where you’re losing everything and just the fear of all of that,’ she said of watching the horror unfold on television.
‘All I could do was sit and pray for the moms and dads and kids. Beauty can come from this. It won’t be bad forever.’