Milk Donation Challenge Champion Andrea Hayes Featured in People for Her 8,000-Ounce Pumping Journey

Andrea Hayes, a Milk Donation Challenge Champion, has been featured in People for her extraordinary exclusive pumping journey. Over the years, she has donated her oversupply of breast milk to three different milk banks—and she plans to give even more.

Andrea shares her journey on social media to empower other lactating women and support them through their own breastfeeding and pumping experiences, including this post about why she is so passionate about donating her milk.

“I’ll never forget early postpartum with my son. I was sitting on the couch pumping and explaining my pump schedule to my mom, and she told me I should be documenting everything I was doing because so many moms could benefit from seeing my journey,” Andrea recalls.

Her dedication has yielded enough milk to fill five freezers—over 8,000 ounces in total.

From Nursing Pain to Pumping Power

Andrea’s breastfeeding journey began three and a half years ago with her daughter, who was born with a lip and tongue tie. Nursing was challenging—her daughter was born early at 36 weeks, and Andrea faced pain and tissue damage while feeding her.

“She couldn’t afford to lose any more weight in the hospital, so I immediately felt a lot of pressure to produce enough milk,” Andrea explains.

The challenges led Andrea to try exclusive pumping.

“At the time, I had no idea exclusively pumping was an option. I didn’t even know there was a name for it,” she says. “I felt shame for not nursing her directly.”

From Struggle to Surplus

Initially struggling with low supply, Andrea made adjustments and, after about five months, developed a significant oversupply.

“After struggling for so long, I found it incredibly rewarding to see how much milk I could produce,” she shares. “I continued pumping through my second trimester, and when my son was born, the competitive athlete in me was eager to see what I was capable of producing.”

Pumping with Purpose

Andrea has now amassed over 8,000 ounces of breast milk—6,000 frozen and 1,200 freeze-dried for backup. She plans to keep six months’ worth for her children and donate the rest to milk banks.

Even with a move coming up, Andrea will continue her pumping journey and being a milk donor.

“My original plan was to be done when my son turns two, but that’s right around the corner now, and I’m just not ready. I had to end my first breastfeeding journey earlier than I wanted due to my second pregnancy being high-risk. For now, I just want to enjoy the time I have left breastfeeding my baby.”

Inspiring Moms Through Their Pumping Journey

Andrea continues to share her experiences on Instagram.

“It’s never been about showing off my stash. I truly have a story to tell,” she says. “I overcame many of the struggles first-time moms face, and I know how desperate I was in those first few months to have someone be as transparent as I’ve been.”

Turn Your Milk Into Miracles

What is the Milk Donation Challenge? Launched by ConceiveAbilities in 2022, this nationwide initiative helps provide donated breast milk to families in need while honoring the generosity of donors with a $250 gift card for their time and effort. Watch Andrea’s milk donation post for more information!

Your Compassion Can Change Another Life.

Our Milk Donation Challenge Champions, like Andrea, have made an incredible impact by donating more than 5 million ounces of breast milk—over 15% of the nation’s donated milk bank supply. Because just one ounce of breast milk can nourish a NICU baby for an entire day, every donation has the power to change a life.