Rushina Marfatia – A Super Mom
“After a month of breastfeeding, I decided to switch to a breast pump. Doing so, I realized that I was producing more milk than my boy could feed on.
Knowing the importance of breast milk for an infant, I didn’t want to let the excess go in vain. I was aware of the fact that mothers across the globe donate milk, but in India, people don’t give it much importance.
However, I came across Dr. Ashish Mehta of Arpan Newborn Care Center who was running a private milk bank for his patients. So, I had my father run down to the clinic and ask if they were down to accept my milk.
The staff was extremely happy to receive a donor. Thereon it became a regular thing. I’d pump out the milk every night and my father would go to the clinic with the storage bottles every alternate day. We didn’t miss a single session.
However, I didn’t realize the intensity of the entire situation until Dr. Mehta asked me to visit the clinic. That day I met 3 couples whose premature babies were saved because of my donation.
One of them was a carpenter who couldn’t afford to buy breast milk. Waving off his fees, the doctor was able to save the carpenter’s twins. I was in tears looking at the pictures of his healthy babies.
Until then no one except my parents and Masi knew about the donation. But, that day on I decided to talk more openly about it. My husband and in-laws were proud when they read the article.
Soon, I started receiving messages from a lot of mothers and friends asking ‘Where can we make the donations?’ ‘How can we store the milk before donating?’. I was glad to help them through this amazing journey.
However, a few days ago I received a message from a mother saying ‘I want to donate but my in-laws aren’t allowing me. They are throwing it down the drain and it breaks my heart.’
Breastfeeding is one of the most amazing things a woman could ever experience. Imagine the suffering of the mothers who are not able to feed their children.
It’s high time we stop making a taboo out of it and realize ‘Breast Milk Donation is as Crucial as Blood Donation’. When we can proudly endorse the latter then why not the first one?”