Serena Williams Donated Her Leftover Breast Milk to Families in Need
Serena Williams is doing her part to help new parents in need. On Wednesday, the tennis superstar — who welcomed her second daughter, Adira River Ohanian, in August — revealed that she donated her leftover breast milk to people who are unable to breastfeed their babies.
In a video posted to Instagram, Williams opened a freezer full of packets of her extra breast milk from a recent trip from New York. "After going through a screening I was able to donate it instead of taking the milk home. I know so many amazing women that adopt or are unable to make milk. It felt amazing," she wrote in the caption, adding: "BTW Someone out there is getting some super soldier milk. 🤭."
During the short clip, Serena could be heard saying that she was "really excited" to donate "to people who really need it," before clarifying that no one will know it's her breast milk when they receive it. She explained, "It’ll be anonymous, but super excited to just help in some way.”
Fans praised Serena for her contribution in the comments section of her post. "My baby is adopted and ended up having severe dairy allergies, so we relied on donor milk. It was such a gift to us and I’m always so grateful when I think about it," one user shared, while another wrote, "I was a preemie who relied on donated breast milk and I’m now a healthy 30 year old. Really amazing thing to do!"
A third added, "Women supporting women in the most basic and loving way."
Serena's donation comes a few weeks after she discovered another use for her extra milk. On TikTok, the Grand Slam champion told fans that she had a sunburn underneath her eye and was going to try to treat it with breast milk. "I was in the sun ... long story. Anyways, I'm trying some breast milk," she said in the video. "It works for my kid — they say put breast milk on everything and I have a lot extra, so I'm gonna try it for a week or so under my eye and see how it goes."
In the caption, she revealed the results, writing: "OK is this totally weird??? I have to say after a week of using MY breast milk under my eye — it worked! I'm dying to hear your thoughts."
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qrrSrbClnV6YvK570p6pnqaRYsSquMuimKarXZm8r63TnptmpJWbwbDCxKtkm6qVlsC1ecyio6RlaGl%2BenyWaw%3D%3D