SAN ANTONIO – Amid the infant formula shortage crisis, Desirey Valdez felt compelled to offer her breastmilk for free on a local mom’s social media group.
“As a mom, it’s already tough, you know? And I would want to have somebody to help me if I was in that predicament,” Valdez, a mother of two, said.
Watching the shortage unfold, Valdez felt a calling to offer the little extra milk she produces to help feed a hungry baby whose parent’s are struggling to find formula.
“It’s better to have a baby who’s fed than somebody who’s struggling and can’t find anything for their babies,” Valdez said.
No one has yet to accept Valdez’s offer, but she wants to encourage other breastfeeding moms who have a milk surplus to extend a helping hand.
Valdez doesn’t produce enough breastmilk to donate it to the Mother’s Milk Bank in Austin, but if she can do something for someone -- even in a small way -- Valdez hopes she can.
Kim Updegrove of the Milk Bank says their calls for requests from individuals seeking milk has gone up recently. The Milk Bank mostly provides breastmilk to hospitals for babies in the NICU, but they are providing whatever breastmilk they can to mothers who are in an emergency situation.
The Milk Bank has also seen a huge surge in demand from hospitals as well. So more breast milk donations are needed.