An Oregon woman is now the Guinness World Record holder for the largest breast milk donation. And that donation is going to help feed thousands of children, including premature babies.
Elisabeth Anderson-Sierra of Aloha donated about 422.6 gallons, according to Guinness. That’s about 2,253 Venti lattes at Starbucks.
Sierra, a mother of three, was diagnosed with hyperlactation syndrome in 2014. The condition causes an increased levels of breast milk production. She told Insider that this eventually led her to begin donating.
“I got the idea to donate my milk to a local midwives’ practice even before I had my daughter,” Sierra said. “You can’t donate blood when you’re pregnant, and I wanted to help other mamas who’d given birth and were struggling to give their babies breast milk.”
Sierra told KOIN that at first, it was a challenge to manage the amount of breast milk she was producing. Due to hyperlactation syndrome, she averages around 200 ounces of breast milk per day.
She started off by using a large, bulky pump that needed to be plugged into the wall, and pumping breast milk would take up a large part of her day. However, once she found a smaller, on-the-go alternative, her life turned around.
“I was actually comparing the beginning of my journey earlier to now and I look back and I’m so sad for her,” she said, “but I’m excited for me now and being able to take my life, take back my freedom and there’s no limitations.”
