It takes a village.

Last night as I was on my way up to bed, I handed Erik the nighttime bottle for Arlo and said "I think there is milk from three different mamas in this bottle".

Holding Arlo on his lap, Erik replied "it takes a village".

And it has.  Nearly three months ago when I had just started to pump milk for Arlo and realized that my supply wasn't enough to keep up with his demand, I gladly accepted donor milk from a friend who is also nursing her baby.  I was grateful that she offered it to me, but in the beginning I felt a bit strange giving someone elses milk to my baby.  I also had some feelings of inadequacy, how come I couldn't make enough milk to feed my own child?  As it turned out, I started on some herbs, amped up the number of times per day I would pump, and soon was making enough to feed him, plus a little extra.

Having tried several new medications in the past few weeks as I still work to try and resolve this nipple pain, I found that my supply has suffered because of them and I am no longer making enough milk to meet Arlos demands.  Knowing that I would soon run out of the very small back-up stash we have in the freezer, I put the word out to a couple of friends who I knew might be able to help.  And help they did.  In the past week, we have received three large ziploc bags full of beautiful breast milk.  I wouldn't have been any happier had they been filled with cold, hard cash. 

Instead of feeling inadequate or bothered that we are using donor milk for Arlo, I now feel only gratefulness, happiness, and love for these mamas who so generously shared their precious milk with us.  I realize how lucky we are to live in a community where people are not only accepting of the idea of milk donation, but are also willing to do so, even to perfect strangers.  Because when it comes down to it, at the end of the day we are all the same.... just mamas trying to take care of our babies in the best way we know how.


"Yes, I suppose it really does take a village" I said back to Erik.  And I headed up to bed with a smile on my face.