Thousands of pounds worth of breast feeding supplies to be sent from Lincoln to Ukraine
Emily Page says she wanted to do her part after hearing about women giving birth in bomb shelters and underground metro stations
Last updated 2nd Mar 2022
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry confirmed the first birth to their knowledge underground in Kyiv, next to burning buildings and Russian tanks. A Ukrainian MP, Anastasia Radina, wrote on Twitter about more women giving birth in shelters and metro stations during air raids, comparing it to The Blitz of London in 1940.
Footage and photos have been circling online showing women going into labour and welcoming life into the world after fleeing their homes in terror.
Emily Page, who owns Mama’s Milk based in Nettleham, wrote a post online volunteering her help to any Ukrainian mother in need of breastfeeding support during this time. From this, Emily was able to get in touch with some of these women through a translator in Ukraine:
“She’s in an area where there were 22 more babies born last night. And they have no milk."
"All of those 22 women are having to breast feed whether they like it or not, whether it’s painful or not, whether they’re struggling to do it or not. They don’t have a choice.”
Emily started a donation on her website- for every item a customer purchased to be sent to a Ukrainian mother, she would match. Items include silicone breast pumps, reusable breast pads and milk collection shells.
“One of my followers then put me in touch with a community interest company, called Bridge to Unity, and I got in touch straight away… and it all snowballed from there.”
Bridge to Unity will be travelling to the Polish boarder on Saturday, taking a van full of medical supplies and the donated Mama's Milk products.
They’re already working with an organisation already on the ground on the Polish boarder, Zintegrowana Służba Ratowincza (ZSR)- an NGO set up and run by a team of volunteers providing medical care and practical assistance to those fleeing from Ukraine.
Emily told us:
“It’s been a huge community effort. It’s been so many of us working together to make this happen. I’ve had donations from USA, Singapore, Vietnam… it’s been a global effort. The power of social media can be incredible.”
Mamma’s Milk stopped taking donations after running out of stock- with a total amount of £2509.50 worth of products to be on it’s way. You can follow Emily’s journey through Instagram or make donations to Bridge to Unity to support the work they are doing.