Mother's Day 2010

Happy Mother's Day.

This morning, we drove down to Los Gatos for a 5K Fun Run, organized by The Mother's Milk Bank of San Jose. I know I've run (and walked) other 5Ks but this one was different and far more meaningful to me.

When Aiden was born, I had to return to work much quicker than expected (or originally agreed to). I was unprepared. I was without childcare and without backup milk. It was around Christmas that I was told that I had to return the 1st week of the new year. In addition to the stress of trying to hire someone to help out during a major holiday, I had to begin pumping like a mad woman. Stick with me, I swear this is related to the 5K....

OK, so now back to work but, since I was nursing, and, since I was the only source of food for my baby Aiden (he was around 2 months old at the time), I was freaked about producing enough for him to live on when I was on the road. And, as it turned out, the stress reduced what I could pump while away from home. I couldn't keep up. In addition, I had business trips. Aiden came along. Still, not enough milk.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that Aiden was allergic to any supplement, any formula, anything other than milk from nursing. I am not trying to be super Earth Mom here but I am telling you, anything other than water and mother's milk made the Exorcist look tame. I couldn't really afford to quit my job nor did I want to feed him water as a meal, but it seemed like the only choice. Until.....I was told about The Mother's Milk Bank of San Jose. They are one of just a few milk banks across the country, and as of this year, they have been around for 36 yrs. They provide mother's milk, donated by over-producing (and very generous) lactating women. They test, pasteurize, bottle and freeze milk in 3oz bottles. The milk is only available with a prescription from a doctor.

I commuted down to San Jose every few weeks to pick up my tray of bottles at $3/oz. I spent a lot on milk. Finally, at 16 months, we discovered that Aiden could tolerate goat's milk and my spending spree came to an end.

So the 5K. When I saw this race listed, I knew I had to run. So this morning, I ran. And ran, beyond the 5K distance since the route was so ill-marked. It was worth it. I got to meet the executive director and of course, burst into tears.

I introduced her to Aiden and I cried some more, again, in gratitude. I returned home with two balloons, a runner's medal and sore muscles. I also returned home feeling really good and mom-ish.