Elisabeth Anderson Sierra (born c. 1988) is an American woman who holds the Guinness World Record for the largest individual donation of breast milk.

Family and life

Anderson Sierra is a resident of Aloha, Oregon.[1] She is married to David Sierra, and together they have two daughters and a son.[2][3] She has a medical condition called hyperlactation syndrome characterized by excessive breast milk production, which leads to milk overflow.[4] Anderson Sierra has been actively involved in donating breast milk to both local families and recipients worldwide. As of July 2023, her estimated total donation of breast milk amounts to over 350,000 U.S. fluid ounces (10,000 liters).[2][3] She has received multiple nicknames, including "the milk goddess", "super producer", and "pumping queen."[4][5]

Hyperlactation syndrome

In 2014, Sierra was diagnosed with hyperlactation syndrome,[6] a medical condition characterized by an excessive production of breast milk.[7] Approximately midway through her initial pregnancy, she found herself producing a substantial amount of breast milk, approximately 20 U.S. fluid ounces (0.59 liters) per day.[8] During her prenatal appointments, she communicated her milk volume in ounces while her midwife and doctor mistakenly understood it to be in milliliters. In truth, she was producing more milk than 45 milliliters, which is considered normal during pregnancy.[9]

As a result of this syndrome, Sierra produces approximately 225 US fluid ounces (6.7 L) of breast milk per day,[10] which is nearly 8 to 10 times the amount produced by an average mother.[11][9] Not wanting this surplus to go to waste, she donates her extra breast milk.[12][13]

Sierra has been collaborating with a breast pump company to make breastfeeding easier for nursing moms.[3] She works as a certified lactation counselor and as the director of lactation services at a breast pump company named BabyBuddha.[8][14]

Record

Milk sharing is the act of donating breast milk, either packaged or by directly breastfeeding a recipient's infant.[15][16] This can supplement or replace infant formula or the infant's mother's milk if either is unavailable or unsuitable.[16]

In 2023, Sierra achieved the world record for the largest individual breast milk donation by donating 54,092 U.S. fluid ounces (1,599.68 liters) to a human milk bank during the period from February 20, 2015, to June 20, 2018.[3][4] She has donated more than 350,000 U.S. fluid ounces (10,350 liters) of breast milk to local families and recipients globally since 2014.

Sierra said that she hopes to surpass her current record and hopes that by disseminating her personal narrative, the act of sharing milk will become normalized.[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "I make 1.5 gallons of breast milk a day. This is what it's like to have hyperlactation syndrome". Yahoo News. May 19, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Ridley, Jane. "I have the Guinness World Record for donating the most breast milk — 800 2-liter bottles worth". Insider. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Super mom feeds thousands of premature babies with record breastmilk donation". Guinness World Records. July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "This woman holds world record for largest donation of breast milk, fed thousands of premature babies". The Indian Express. July 15, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  5. ↑ "This mom donates hundreds of gallons of breastmilk for babies in need". TODAY.com. July 27, 2017. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  6. ↑ Weinberg, Sarah (August 1, 2017). "Hyper-Lactating Mom Donates 600 Gallons Of Breast Milk To Kids In Need". Delish. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Oversupply of Breast Milk: Causes, Signs and Treatment". parenting.firstcry.com. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  8. 1 2 "I make 1.5 gallons of breast milk a day. This is what it's like to have hyperlactation syndrome". TODAY.com. May 19, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Parenting, Baby Names, Celebrities, and Royal News | CafeMom.com". cafemom.com. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  10. ↑ "'Wet nurse' mum donates 600 gallons of breast milk". The London Economic. July 28, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Woman produces too much breast milk, donates excess". Deccan Chronicle. August 1, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  12. ↑ "This mom donates hundreds of gallons of breastmilk for babies in need". TODAY.com. July 27, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  13. ↑ Parikh, Himali (March 29, 2018). "The milk goddess: Elisabeth Anderson Sierra". MomABC. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Elisabeth Anderson-Sierra, Author at Motherly". Motherly. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  15. ↑ Pearson, Catherine (May 20, 2022). "What Parents Need to Know About Sharing Breast Milk". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  16. 1 2 Palmquist, Aunchalee E. L.; Doehler, Kirsten (November 26, 2015). "Human milk sharing practices in the U.S." Maternal & Child Nutrition. 12 (2): 278–290. doi:10.1111/mcn.12221. ISSN 1740-8695. PMC 5063162. PMID 26607304.
  17. ↑ "Mother of two saves thousands with record-breaking breast milk donation". Hindustan Times. July 16, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
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