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A MOTHER'S LOVE

Meet the incredible mum who donated 17,500 OUNCES of breast milk to a children’s hospital following the death of her baby boy

Demi Frandsen pledged her mother's milk after the devastating loss of her baby boy

A BRAVE mum made history when she donated more than 17,500 ounces of her own breast milk to a children’s hospital.

Demi Frandsen pledged her mother's milk to the Omaha Children's Hospital and Medical Centre Donation and Outreach Center in Nebraska after the devastating loss of her baby boy.

 Demi Frandsen pledged her mother's milk to the Omaha Children's Hospital
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Demi Frandsen pledged her mother's milk to the Omaha Children's Hospital

Demi, 28, and her husband Jeff, 27, faced the heart-breaking loss of their son Leo when he was just 10-months old.

Leo was delivered two-months early via a caesarean, weighing a tiny 2lbs 10oz.

The little boy was diagnosed with a rare birth defect of the abdominal wall called gastroschisis and spent his life being cared for in the NICU of Omaha Children's Hospital and Medical Center.

Tragically, he passed away on October 22, 2015.

Demi wasn’t allowed to hold her son until he was one-month old, she told : "I will never forget the way his eyes locked in on mine when they finally got him into my arms. It was the most beautiful moment of my life."

Early on, courageous Demi was able to pump so much milk that her lactation consultant, Tammi L. Martin, suggested that milk donation could be a wonderful option – as it could help other sick babies in hospital.

For babies born with gastroschisis, exposed organs can usually be placed back into the belly with surgery.

However, Leo’s small frame and undeveloped lungs meant that his situation was more complicated.

On top of this, little Leo was unable to ingest very much of his mum’s milk, and could only consume light swabs of the liquid.

 Demi wasn’t allowed to hold her son until he was one-month old
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Demi wasn’t allowed to hold her son until he was one-month old

Originally from Idaho, the Frandsen family have been living in Omaha while Jeff studies at medical school.

The family managed to balance the care of their other young son, Sawyer, now three, at home, and a very sick baby in the NICU, with the help of their parents, who would take turns flying out to stay with them.

Throughout their son's life, Demi maintained her milk reserves with the expectation that her baby would one day come home.

Demi would follow a strict schedule to express her milk, expressing every 3 hours during his first six months.

She said: “To stimulate a let-down, I would hold a heated rice bag by my chest to mimic the warmth of a baby while looking at pictures of my sweet Leo”.

 Leo’s small frame and undeveloped lungs meant that his situation was complicated
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Leo’s small frame and undeveloped lungs meant that his situation was complicated

Demi told The Sun Online: “Leo's strength was what held our family together. His decision to be happy through such devastatingly hard circumstances has taught us what bravery is. We were planning on him coming home within the next few months of his life, doctors thought he would be healed enough to finally be home with us.”

Despite the couple’s shattering loss of their son, Demi still continued to pump milk after Leo passed away – her mothering instinct still strong.

 Demi and Jeff are also parents to another little boy, Sawyer
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Demi and Jeff are also parents to another little boy, Sawyer

"Telling my body to stop producing milk for a baby that wasn't here anymore was even more emotional than not being able to actually nurse him while he was here,

“I had to make my body stop that instinct,” she added.

As a result, Demi collected a record-breaking 17,503 ounces of breast milk, which she selflessly donated over time in honour of Leo.

 Little Leo passed away in October last year
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Little Leo passed away in October last year

She said: "I know the desperate feeling of needing your baby to be okay,

"I wanted to help those mums who felt that same ache in any way I could, if they needed my milk for their babies, I felt honoured to be able to give one tiny contribution to that baby's fight."

Demi stays strong in the belief that, one day, her family and Leo will be together again, she told us: “Now we have to live a life without our smallest little teammate, but we believe we will have him in our arms again after this life.”

Demi donated her milk via , to learn more about milk banks in the UK, visit:

 

 

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