Serena Williams on Instagram
After Serena Williams ended up with extra breast milk that she’d pumped for her newborn daughter while traveling, she decided to take her generosity to the next level. In a video she shared on Instagram this week, the celebrity mom revealed that she is donating the milk she isn’t able to use to moms and babies in need, and fans are cheering her on for it — along with some of her followers who weren’t even aware that donating breast milk was an option until they saw her post.
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Serena showed off her stash.
In a video that Serena shared on Wednesday, she showed off footage of several bags of pumped breast milk in the freezer at a hotel she was staying at while in New York.
“After going through a screening I was able to donate it instead of taking the milk home,” she wrote. “I know so many amazing women that adopt or are unable to make milk. It felt amazing. BTW Someone out there is getting some super soldier milk.”
The mom who receives Serena’s milk won’t know it was her who donated it.
Serena was sure to note in the video that this would be an anonymous donation and that she was “super excited to just help.”
Unfortunately, no one will get the bragging rights that they were able to feed their baby with milk donated by a tennis legend, but Serena is most certainly making a difference.
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Her post has already made an impact.
Not only did plenty of people joke about how strong they would be if they were the recipient of Serena’s milk, but others also revealed that this is the first time they’d ever heard of milk donation — something that has made feeding babies all over the world easier and more affordable for so many families.
“My baby is adopted and ended up having severe dairy allergies, so we relied on donor milk,” one mom wrote in the comments. “It was such a gift to us and I’m always so grateful when I think about it.”
https://www.instagram.com/serenawilliams/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=c49340a3-a512-402c-b596-66a7192ec936
Anyone can donate breast milk.
You don’t have to be Serena Williams to donate breast milk if you end up with a surplus. A local milk bank will have its own rules and procedures around donation, but you will typically need to be screened first, including answering questions about your health and what medications you’re taking.
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Serena seems to be settling in as a mom of two.
In August, she and husband Alexis Ohanian welcomed their second child, a baby girl they named Adira River Ohanian, into the world. Serena and Alexis are also parents to 6-year-old Olympia.
Good for Serena for doing her part to help moms in need. Knowing how difficult and time consuming breastfeeding can be for so many moms, it would have been a shame to see all that milk go to waste!
