Hello friends and family!

 I am writing (perhaps again for some of you) to ask you whether you or somebody you know (friends, family, clients) might have frozen breast milk you are willing to donate, or whether you (or they) would be willing to pump even just one time a day to donate to a very sick baby in our community. Her name is Jayden and I will give you some of her story:

 Jayden was born cocaine and alcohol addicted, with congenital syphilis, at 31 weeks gestation. She had no skin on the palms of her hands or feet and had to have skin grafts. They could find no formula that Jayden could tolerate well, but settled on the one that she had the "least severe reaction to."

 When she was about eight weeks old, she was assigned a foster parent, who came to do kangaroo care with her for eight days before she took her home.  Jayden was completely blind and profoundly deaf, and would need to be accustomed to "mom's" smell and touch before they sent her home. When she went home, she was the most critical discharge they have ever had from that NICU, which routinely sees the sickest of babies.  Basically, with tears in their eyes, the nurses sent Jayden home to die. Jayden was insulin dependant (with critically unstable blood sugars, typically either below 60 or above 400), on oxygen 24 hours a day, and set off her apnea monitor 6-10 times a day. In order to set off a monitor, she would have to not breathe for many seconds at a time. She had gained and lost the same three ounces since birth, and was no more than four and a half pounds.

 Her foster mother asked over and over again of anybody who had authority why this baby couldn't be on breastmilk, shouldn't this baby be on breast milk, what did she have to do to get this baby on breastmilk? Over and over, she was basically told that this was a medicaid baby and that the state wouldn't PAY for banked milk (which costs between 2-4 dollars an ounce, and has been pasteurized) for a MEDICAID baby. Finally, one day, when Jayden was literally activly dying, an infectious disease doctor looked at her foster mom (who is a friend of mine because of foster work and doula work) and said, "I won't tell you NOT to give her breastmilk. We know that it would give her the best chance!" So, we got her some frozen breastmilk.

 With her first bottle of human milk, Jayden's blood sugar regulated.  She is typically somewhere around 120 now. Within the first three weeks, she regained her sight and hearing. Her new pediatrician says that when somebody is actively dying their brain will shut off all non-essential functions--and hearing and sight are non-essential functions. The first week on breastmilk she started to only set off her apnea monitor during the night's deepest sleep...and only then typically once a night. Within three weeks, they took it off of her completely, because she just didn't set it off any more. THe first week she gained and KEPT ON four ounces. The next week three. The next week SEVEN. Eight weeks later she had gained nearly four pounds. Today, she is nearly nine and a half months old, and eleven and a half pounds! We now have full cooperation with her new pediatrician and the state to give her human milk, no questions asked.

 We have tried her on formula again, and on "extra calories" breastmilk boosters several times, to see what would happen should we run out of breastmilk. The baby immediately goes into cirsis again. Formula is NOT okay. She is showing strong allergies to cow's milk proteins, soy proteins, and corn and corn derivitives, which pretty much eliminates every form of artificial milk we have available. This baby was literally dying.  The new pediatrician looked at her stats on intake and stood up and hugged foster mom saying, "If you hadn't started this baby on human milk a week ago, she would be dead today--you are a Hero!" Today, she has a chance at life. 

Through recent testing, we are sure that the syphilis is completely eradicated.  The doctors thought that perhaps she was born without a pituitary gland, because she is so small (personally, since the child didn't gain and keep on an ounce until she was 3.5 mos old, and then had a TON of healing to do, the growth--or lack thereof-- always made sense to me).  However, we have found out that she does indeed have a fully working pituitary gland...but is one of 18 people in the world right now who was born without a pancreas.  This makes a little more sense, as she is not digesting as much of the milk as she could be.  We are working with an ND, and have started to have success with some of the allergies she has, especially to digestive enzymes (which she will need to take forever to properly digest her food).  When we get her non-allergic to those, we will start to work on food allergies.  At this point, they are so severe that the baby will not be able to start solids until she has been treated, as she gets deathly ill from anything that is not human milk.

The foster mom particiaptes in "milk share" which is an online community of pumpers who donate for the cost of supplies. However, if we can get donated milk from our immediate community, this would make life a lot simpler! We have pickups in in Troy on Wednesdays, as well as in Lake Orion. We have donations of bottles from evenflo and ameda, so if you want to pump but cannot afford to supply bags, we have bottles to use instead (and that will keep the used bags out of the landfill, as well!).

 Please, if you or somebody you know who is breastfeeding would be willing to continue to save a baby's life, she, her foster mother, the family who has agreed to adopt her and all the people who have come to love Jayden would be eternally greatful!

 Again, we are desperate for donated milk.  We have frozen milk at the rate of about a one week supply right now, and have space for plenty more.  However, the baby grows a lot faster on freshly pumped milk.  All we ask is one pumping a day, if that is all you have the time and energy for!  But if you can give Jayden more, she will make good use of it! Please know, though, that the milk that has saved Jayden's life has been 2/3 frozen milk--mostly from Mothers whose babies have weaned, and who have a freezer stash that they cannot bear to dump down the sink.  Jayden needs that milk!

 Thanks so much for reading, considering,and passing this on to as many people as you can who live in or near, or know people who live in or near, the Detroit area. With interest or questions, please contact me at grabowski4 at comcast.net

 Warmly,
 Courtenay Grabowski