Donor spotlight: Chastity’s story

Surrogate Chastity donated milk after her twins’ neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay, helping vulnerable infants thrive.

“My story began when I signed up to become a surrogate and was matched with a couple from France. We transferred one embryo on May 10, 2023, and seven weeks later, learned the couple was expecting identical twins.

“I had a few complications along the way. On October 22 at 4:30 a.m., my water broke for Twin B. I got to the hospital in Timmins, Ontario, as fast as I could, not knowing how much time I had before the babies might make their way into the world. I was well taken care of at the hospital, but our small town was not equipped to deliver the twins given their gestational age. I was taken by ambulance to the local airport and then flown to Toronto, Ontario. Once we arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport, another ambulance was waiting. They drove as fast as they could to get me to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre; I was whisked to the high-risk unit, where I stayed for three and a half weeks. The babies managed to stay in with the help of the team of nurses, physicians and specialists. On November 16, 2023, at 3 a.m., the twins were born at just 30 weeks’ gestation. One of the twins weighed two pounds 15 ounces, and the other weighed three pounds five ounces.

“Until my milk supply came in, Sunnybrook offered pasteurized donor human milk. This is how I was introduced to the Rogers Hixon Ontario Human Milk Bank. We know that helped save their lives, along with the medications the twins received and support from the team in the NICU.

“The intended parents arrived later that night, after a 17-hour flight, to meet their two beautiful boys. When I was released from the hospital two days later, I kept up with pumping. I pumped every time they fed the boys. The hospital supplied a pump while the boys were in their care. I pumped every two hours for the first two weeks and then every three hours thereafter. I kept my milk in the hotel freezer and brought it to the hospital every day.

“Once I flew back home to Timmins, I continued pumping every three hours for another week, then reduced to every four hours. I set alarms and even bought equipment so I could pump in the car if we had to go anywhere. When the babies were healthy enough to be released from the hospital, they flew back to France with their parents. Then I contacted the Rogers Hixon Ontario Human Milk Bank to become a donor, as I had an abundance of extra milk and wanted to help other babies in need.

“After I was screened and approved to become a Milk Bank donor, I started pumping about four to five times per day. I pumped before work, during lunch, after work and before bed. Sometimes, even during the night if I woke up. I donated approximately four to five boxes of human milk, each holding between five and 10 litres. I slowly weaned from pumping and sent my last box in April 2024.

“Thank you to the Rogers Hixon Ontario Human Milk Bank for everything you do!”

Donor milk can help save the lives of hospitalized infants by reducing rates of life-threatening complications. We are grateful to Chastity for her support and generous donation of human milk to the Milk Bank. Thank you for helping to give these fragile infants a better chance at survival.