When I Grow Up: Working with the Oklahoma Mothers' Milk Bank

Ok, I know it is April Fools Day and I'm writing about a milk bank, but I promise the two aren't related! No, today I'm featuring Lesley Cottrell, a nurse who works at the only human donor milk bank in Oklahoma. I went to high school with Lesley, but didn't know about her job until I saw a story on the local news about the organization! That's when I decided I had to see if she would share her story here. And thankfully she agreed.

As a child, I wanted to be a nurse when I grew up.  

 How close (or far) is your current career from that dream? That dream became a reality.  I am currently an RN with my Bachelor's degree in nursing.  After graduating high school, I went right to college to pursue my dream.  After graduating college, I moved to Oklahoma City in order to work at a larger hospital where there are more learning opportunities available.  After 7 years of working as a women's and newborn nurse, I interviewed for a job at the Oklahoma Mothers' Milk Bank.  My passion for breastfeeding came about after I became a mom myself.  Becoming a mom completely changed my outlook on so many different things.  I have been at OMMB for a year now.

 What is your official job title? My official job title is Clinical Assistant.  That does not even come close to capturing what I do.  We are a nonprofit organization that provides safe, pasteurized, human donor milk to NICUs throughout Oklahoma.  We have only been operational for a little over a year and a half now.  That being said, we are very small!  I am the first and only full time employee at OMMB.  That means that I pretty much do everything, ranging from donor screening to working in the pasteurizing lab to attending events for community outreach.  I do it all :)

 What is a typical day like? Every day is different at OMMB.  I really don't have a typical day with all that I have to do.  Some days are spent talking to donors and working with them to get their screening completed and others are spent sending out a ton of emails to hospitals that are submitting orders for donor milk.  It makes my job interesting because there are so many different things that I can do in a day.

 How did you end up in this career? I started working as an RN at the OU Children's Hospital in Oklahoma City.  I worked as a postpartum and newborn nurse for most of that time, but I also spent a short time working as an RN in the NICU.  After I had my daughter in 2012, my world changed.  Being a breastfeeding mother, my passion for breastfeeding emerged.  I also wanted to be able to have more "normal" work hours and get away from working weekends and holidays.  Our clinical director at the milk bank is also an IBCLC at OU, so I knew her from working over there.  She put the word out about a position opening up at the milk bank.

 What kind of education or training did you complete for this career?  I completed a four year degree and obtained my Bachelor's of Science in Nursing.  I, then, completed my boards, also known as NCLEX, to be able to practice as an RN.

 What advice would you give to someone who wants a similar career? My current position is very unique, especially here in Oklahoma, due to the fact that we are a fairly new nonprofit organization and that milk banking is still growing in the United States.  My advice for anyone interested in pursuing a career in nursing or lactation would just be to stick with it.  It can be a long road, but if it's your passion, it will be well worth it.  Do what you love!

Thanks again for sharing your career with us, Lesley! Your family is gorgeous :)

Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...
 

Week's Links and James's Birthday!

Tomorrow is the last day of March, can you believe it? It also happens to be my husband's birthday. The Big 2-5. (Yes, he turns 25 the same year I turn 30!)  So happy almost birthday babe! Love you :)

Ok, now on to the week's links! 

This book looks incredibly intriguing. "The extraordinary love story of an American blueblood and a German aristocrat—and a riveting tale of survival in wartime Germany." Don't you want to read it now too?

I can't stop listening to the Being Boss podcast. If you're interested in entrepreneurship, freelancing, or just awesome empowering stuff, check it out. Bonus points if you check out the Facebook group too. I help moderate it, and I'm blown away by the conversations.

Firehouse cats. Do I need to say more? (You may have already seen this one on my Facebook page. I couldn't resist sharing again!)

Just checked out this book through the Overdrive app. I'm obsessed with the app, can't you tell?

And I'm incredibly disappointed in country music right now. Girl Crush is being pulled from the radio because people are ridiculous. And don't listen to lyrics. The short version of this story is that the song is being pulled because some people think it promotes the "gay agenda". Which is insane, because that song has zero to do with homosexuality and everything to do with something country loves so much: jealousy! So before you get on a soapbox about something, make sure you know what you're talking about. 

Now I'll get off my soapbox and finish up the week's links on a more upbeat note. If you missed yesterday's edition of Sunday Sparkles, you missed on an update on my 100 Rejections project and this awesome quote! 

Don't miss out again, sign up now.  And have a fabulous Monday, friends!

​Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...

Be an Advocate: Why I Volunteer With CASA

Some of you know that late last year I went through training to become a CASA volunteer. I've had some people ask what exactly CASA is and what I've been doing. So let me explain!

CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate. As a CASA volunteer I have a court order to be an advocate for children. Specifically the child I was assigned to, but also in general. CASA volunteers are assigned to cases after completing 40 hours of training. Some cases involve one child, like mine. Some involve many more children (one case another volunteer is currently on involves 8 kids).

So what does being an advocate mean? Well, the child welfare system is a bit of a mess. Sometimes the actual children themselves can get overlooked in the chaos of hearings and meetings and custody battles. Usually that happens because the public defender assigned to the child is so overloaded they barely have time to meet with the child, let alone actually get to know them and their situation in detail. And unless there is a CASA volunteer on the case, that public defender may be the only person sticking up for the best needs of the child.

Unlike those overloaded public defenders, most CASA volunteers only take on one or two cases at a time. We meet the child in person on a fairly regular basis. We talk to the child's biological parents, foster parents, counselors, teachers, and other people in their life. We read the case files. We get to know the ins and the outs of what has happened in this child's life. And before every court hearing, CASA volunteers prepare court reports for the judge to review.

You may have always thought, like I did, that what I just described is what DHS workers do. But actually DHS workers aren't as concerned about the children specifically as they are the family as a whole. And while I'm sure most DHS workers wish they could spend time getting to know all the children they are assigned to, most are like public defenders and have more cases than they can handle. They do the best they can with the time they have, but again, they are focused on the family as a whole, not necessarily what is best for the child.

As a CASA volunteer, my job is to focus solely on the child. I don't care what the foster parents want, what the biological parents want, or what the DHS worker recommends (though all of those wishes and statements are factored in). I only care about what is best for the child I'm working with. Sometimes that will mean being reunified with mom and dad. Sometimes just mom or dad. And sometimes that means having mom and dad's rights terminated and being adopted by other family members or foster parents.

I finished my training in mid-December, and hours after being sworn-in I got a call asking me to review a case. I ended up accepting that case, and was officially assigned in January. The case had been going on for a year, but since I've gotten on board it has progressed quickly. Not necessarily because I'm a part of it now, though that may have helped. Last week I attended a hearing that decided what will be the permanent home for the child. Obviously I can't give any details, but I know that what was decided is absolutely in the best interest of the child. That isn't always how it turns out.

My time with this first case isn't over yet. While major decisions were made last week, there is still more paperwork and details to finalize. But it feels like my first case was as successful as it possibly could have been. Most cases that make it family court will never have a completely and totally happy ending, though it does happen occasionally. Overall though, I think you can only hope for the best.  

So now that my case is nearly over, am I planning on taking on another one? I think so. Most cases don't resolve as quickly as my first one did (at least, it resolved quickly after my involvement), so they are a big commitment.

But I also know that there is a huge need for CASA volunteers. Ideally there would be a volunteer for every case, but that isn't possible right now. In Oklahoma County CASA volunteers represent less than 30% of the abused and neglected children in the system. There aren't enough people willing to step up and be an advocate. And I understand. I mean, you have to commit to 40 hours of training just to be able to volunteer. Most people don't volunteer 40 hours in an entire year. I know, because I didn't for many years!

The need is great, though. And I promise you, it is such important work. You can make a huge difference in a child's life by being a CASA volunteer. If you've ever thought about it, I encourage you to look into it again. If you've read this post and think you might be interested, look into it! I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. Or you can head to the National CASA website to find out more about volunteering.

Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles