To lose a child in any circumstances is unimaginably difficult, and mothers and fathers choose different ways of getting through that devastating period.
For Amy Anderson, she chose to use her breast milk to make a huge difference to the lives of other women in her late son’s honour.
Amy’s son Bryson was stillborn at 20 weeks, and despite doctors’ orders to bind her breasts, she began pumping milk for donation.
As amazing as Amy’s gesture was, she was taken aback by the attitude of her employer. When she asked if she could take regular breaks to express, she was told that as her baby was "dead", her case didn’t fall under the laws relating to break times for nursing mothers.
It was at this point that Amy unsurprisingly decided to quit her job and focus her attention on changing the terminology of these laws, so as to include other women such as herself.
Sharing her story with Today.com, Amy said: “It doesn’t matter whether or not you now have a baby to hold. I was a lactating woman with physical needs.”
Amy continued to pump, using the time ‘to unwind and be with her angel’, and after eight months she had produced 92 gallons of breast milk. This milk was donated to five milk banks, resulting in over 30,000 feedings.
What an incredible achievement and gesture. We imagine that there are a lot of families out there indebted to Amy.
