As a registered prenatal yoga teacher, birth doula, and former mental health therapist, Kelly Cox immersed herself in the world of childbirth. Her daily life revolved around supporting the parenting and health goals of expectant mothers and new parents who frequented the pre and postnatal yoga studio she operated in Charlottesville, VA, for nearly two decades.<\/p>\n

At the yoga studio, Kelly engaged with women as they progressed through their pregnancy journeys, delivery, and the challenging early months of parenthood. She listened to their concerns, supported their progress and celebrated with them as they achieved their parenting and health goals, which brought a sense of delight to her soul, despite not having experienced any of it personally.<\/p>\n

Kelly was saddened to learn that a prenatal yoga client delivered her son stillborn at 38 weeks; a difficult loss for her, and other students who had gotten to know her during classes, Kelly recalls. “She was compelled to honor her son’s life and asked if I would help her find families to donate her breast milk to. I was able to locate a mother who was expecting her fourth child and had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Knowing she would have to undergo a mastectomy and not be able to produce breast milk, she was seeking donor milk for her infant. My client pumped milk for 6 months and donated to this family in her community. It was one of the situations that threw my mind into thinking of a solution to matching families.”<\/p>\n