This Mother’s Cup Runneth Over to Help Preemies
Alyse Ogletree is no ordinary mother. As Motherly reports, this Texan mom, aged 36, has selflessly donated approximately 13,000 bottles of baby milk over the years.
By July 2023, in fact, Ogletree had donated approximately 89,500 ounces (2646 liters) to the Mother’s Milk Bank of North Texas, reclaiming her Guinness World Record for the largest breast milk donation from an individual.
Setting a new record
Texas Monthly reveals that this caring woman acknowledges that she’s a “little competitive.” When she learned that there was a Guinness World Record for the largest sum of breast milk donated by an individual, she carefully planned how to break the record, which she did, twice, the second time more than doubling her previous record.
“I have a big heart,” she told Guinness World Records. “At the end of the day, I’m not made of money and I can’t give away money to good causes over and over because I have a family I have to support. But donating milk was a way I could give back.”
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Shaina Stanks, executive director of Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas, to whom Ogletree has made her breast milk donations, told the Guardian that the milk bank was left astounded and inspired by how this kind woman has delivered “an incomprehensible amount of surplus breastmilk to fragile infants.” Stanks sees Ogletree’s lifesaving efforts as a testament to her extraordinary generosity and compassion.
What’s the magic formula?
As Ogletree explains to Motherly, it was when her firstborn, Kyle, now aged 14, was born, that a nurse pointed out her unusually high milk production. The medic suggested that she explore milk donation. Back then, she was overproducing and just discarding her extra milk, not realizing that many mothers struggled to breastfeed and that she could help them. Soon, she was filling the nurses’ freezer.
Ogletree tells the Times of India that she was never diagnosed with any medical condition to explain her above-average milk production. She credits her success to staying well-hydrated, eating a healthy diet, and maintaining a strict pumping routine, including expressing milk regularly through the night.
Since then, Ogletree went on to have two more kids, and also acted as a surrogate mother. With each pregnancy, she was excited to donate milk to others, confessing that each time she became pregnant “I think I was just as excited about donating again as I was about growing my family.”
Giving extra support to preemies
Donated breast milk can be a lifeline for preterm babies with health challenges.
A 2022 study published by the US government’s National Library of Medicine, outlines the value of donated breast milk to premature babies. It details how it retains many of its nutrients, and has advantages over formula milk for the physical development of the baby: It contains less fat and protein content, for instance. But the main advantages over formula relate to its ability to boost immunity. It is the oligosaccharide content of fresh breast milk that regulates immune cells and reduces the occurrence of infection. It is also believed that breast milk contains bioactive compounds, notably antioxidants, which counteract stress in newborns.
The Hindustan Times reports that according to the North Texas milk bank, 11 preterm newborns can survive on one liter of breastmilk. And as this altruistic young mom explains to Motherly, “Mothers’ Milk Bank told me that every ounce would be feeding three preemie babies. If the three per ounce is accurate, I’ve helped over 350,000 babies.”
Ogletree remains determined to raise awareness on the problems of breastfeeding among many new mothers, as well as on the benefits of breast milk donation. Even small donations can provide critical support to babies in neonatal intensive care units, she notes. She proudly told Guinness World Records that for her, “It’s one of the best feelings in the world.”