Let's talk about milk...breast milk, that is.

As a nurse in the NICU and now a mom with a baby there, I have become a passionate advocate for breastfeeding, so excuse me while I get on my soap box about it for a minute.  Breast milk is quite amazing in it's ability to provide protective antibodies, support brain and neurological development, and fight disease in babies.

The benefits for sick or premature babies like my little Jude are abounding as well as breast milk is easy to digest, supports immunity, and changes and develops to suite what the baby needs. Most women understand the basics of breastfeeding, but the ability to provide enough milk for her baby can be a much different story, especially in the NICU.

As a first-time, NICU mom, I understand the stress and worry about making and maintaining a milk supply. Having a stressful hospital stay lasting months isn't the ideal way to get or maintain a milk supply. An hour after Jude was born, I started pumping--knowing that the earlier I could pump, the quicker my body would respond to the fact that my baby needed life saving colostrum. Jude is too small to breast feed just yet so I have to been pumping the past seven weeks for his gavage feedings.

I have been extremely blessed in that my milk supply is HUGE. I can't tell you how grateful I am to provide what my son needs. I know many mommas aren't so lucky, and to them, I'd like to say, "No worries girls, I got your back!"

I am becoming a milk donor. Pasteurized human milk is perfectly safe and I would recommend it to anyone I know whose baby needs it. Donating is something I have thought about for a long time as I have filled three (yes, three!) freezers with breast milk. While I like that Jude has a hefty food storage, I can't help but think some of it can be put to better use in the tummies of other miracle babies.

Since I am pumping hind milk (higher calories and fat to promote weight gain) for Jude now, half of each pumping is up for grabs and will be sent to the milk bank in Colorado where it will be pasteurized and made ready for the babies who need it.

I am excited to get rid of about one freezer's worth of milk and even more pumped (pardon the pun) to somehow, inadvertently help the babies I work with.

But it's not just about the baby. It's for the mom too; to ease her stress and know her baby is getting the very best, even if it isn't from her for awhile.

If you're a fellow "cow" and are interested in donating, the process is easy. Visit the Rocky Mountain Children's Health Foundation at www.RMchildren.org/programs/milkbankcolorado for more information.