“I’m an ICU nurse and have been working the front lines since the beginning. Working and having to pump, and store breastmilk in a unit with COVID patients has been so nerve wrecking for me. Coming home after a long shift having to wash 6 bottles and pump parts makes a 13 hr day even longer when all I want to do is snuggle with my family. Winning this would mean I could cut out all the additional bottles I bring and have to wash and sterilize. I have heard great things and anything that maximizes my time with my family would be amazing.”

“Alix met her husband, a cancer survivor, in her late 30s and they married in her early 40s, after her own battle with breast cancer. Both cancer free, they deeply desired their own children but were unable to conceive naturally due to cancer treatments and age. They tried IVF and an egg donor, but nothing worked. They spent a huge amount of money, time, and emotional energy on trying to be parents. On their last attempt with the last viable eggs...Alix became pregnant with twins and was able to carry these babies to full term!

Their sons were born premature but healthy and are now over 8 months old! Alix and her husband absolutely love being parents, even though having twins has been a challenge! Alix has been able to breastfeed from her one breast (as she had a mastectomy as a result of her breast cancer years ago) but she has two mouths to feed on one breast and it has been a struggle getting their weight to the level it should be at.

Alix has been incredibly creative in working with donors to secure milk, and she is amazing at conducting research to provide the best possible care. Despite the challenges and exhaustion of being a new, first-time parent of twin boys in her mid-40s, and with her husband at 50, she strives to be the best mother she can be.”

“It all started the Friday before my scheduled c-section, my 3-year-old came down with COVID. A large portion of our immediate family is high risk, including our parents who would've been the ones to watch her. My mom is on year 3 of her cancer battle, father has heart failure and mother in law has Type 2 diabetes, with no one else stepping into to expose themselves to a Covid positive toddler (totally understandable) so my husband and I were left with no other choice than to have him stay home and miss the birth of our baby boy in person.

Thankfully we had amazing and understanding doctors and nurses who took lots of beautiful photos for us and live streamed his delivery to my husband and daughter at home (so amazing getting to see your baby girls face when she hears her brothers first cries and don’t get me started on the tears shed when she broke out singing happy birthday to him) but it was still so hard not having my husband right there.

Later that evening, our baby boy’s blood sugar would not stay up on its own, forcing him into the NICU for the next week ahead. During all of this my husband tested positive for COVID so I couldn't go home or else be exposed to that all over again and with our son in the NICU and working on breastfeeding the hospital was amazing enough to keep me there on hospitality so I could continue to breastfeed. During this time my milk came in and much like my daughter, I was pumping about 12 oz each time about 6 times a day.

My supply is amazing and I'm so fortunate: I understand just how precious transporting liquid gold is. My goal is again to breastfeed until 18 months like my first born, now more than ever since I'm vaccinated and boosted during this pregnancy and know how this can continue to keep baby boy safe!”

“I'm actually nominating myself which is something I would have never had the confidence to do before I became a mama.

I battled severe perinatal depression and anxiety with intrusive thoughts that had potential to turn very dark my entire pregnancy. I was not excited and was sure I had ruined my life and was bringing a child into the world that would be damaged forever because I wasn't cut out to be his mama. I had him and my whole life changed. They laid him on my chest and my heart nearly exploded.

I never thought I would be able to breastfeed and honestly didn't want to when I was pregnant. Then at his birth my doula latched him onto me and I was hooked.

Breastfeeding is the best thing that I have ever done in my entire life, and I actually have an oversupply and am working to donate this liquid gold to other mamas in need.

I am here to tell any other mama out there battling depression and anxiety that you can get through it and come out so much better on the other side. I promise it's worth it.”

“Where to begin … Milagros is an emergency room registered nurse fighting an unforeseen global pandemic. Elated to learn about the conception of her first child. Experienced a miscarriage while at work saving lives.

Despite unimaginable grief, she not only manages to graduate from a 4-year adult/gerontology master’s program, but ALSO passed her boards to become a nurse practitioner. Followed that up with another blessing of conception a few months later! Still fighting on the frontlines in the ER during the global pandemic well into her second trimester. Ultimately transferred to administer COVID vaccinations to the community up until her 36th week of pregnancy. Delivered a healthy rainbow baby boy in July after a long and arduous labor. One manual pump, one electric pump, hundreds of breast pads, multiple tubes of lanolin cream, scratches from tiny hands, constant soreness, continuous leakage, frequent laundry … doubts about is he getting enough?!

My wife, my best friend, my hero mama.”

“I am a stressed-out full time operating room nurse and mom to 3 girls. My two oldest are 9.5 and 8 from a previous relationship, and my baby with my husband is 4 months. I worked full time (almost like a single mom) while breastfeeding both. I pumped at work and had coworkers ask when I’m going to stop because they didn’t like giving breaks. I’m already stressing about going back because the nurses and techs I work with just don’t get it and complain about helping as it is.

I used my shower money to buy a willow so my supply doesn’t tank when going back. I often have to stay after my 10 hour shift when surgeries are still going on since we aren’t staffed 24/7. The only way surgeries get done after hours are with the on call nurse. I’ve had to do this many times after working 11+ hours. The day can be so unpredictable.

Even more so, Ceres Chill would be perfect for me so I can continue to provide after hours care for the community. I’m the only one working in the home so this would be a blessing!”

“Lisa always knew she wanted to be a mom and the road to get there was much bumpier than her and her husband anticipated. To make this a reality, Lisa and her husband ended up needing to go through IFV. They had multiple failed IVF cycles across a couple of years before having success with their last embryo/cycle.

Around this same time, Lisa had also been able to accept her dream position as a flight nurse. I will always remember all of the excitement around this time. First with getting her dream job and then shortly after being able to share that they were expecting! Her body disagreed with the pregnancy at times which forced her to be on bedrest for almost three months with lots of ups and downs. Despite this Lisa looks back and is always focused on those joyful moments that came along with being pregnant (e.g. feeling baby kick and move). Fast forward and she's now back at work as a flight nurse and doing an awesome job balancing her time with and away from her 4 month old son.

While Lisa will admit there have been some tough moments of motherhood she's never not looked at her son with love and affection. She is always willing to try whatever to make her son happy. Lisa works 12-24 hour shifts and isn't always sure where she will be when she needs to pump.

Lisa is a powerful, loving mom, who goes above and beyond for her son and family. She sets a great example by also going above and beyond for her patients she encounters.”

“I'm the mom to three girls! My oldest is 11 years old and I had a terrible birth experience with her but continued to breastfeed for nearly 3 years with little information and few financial resources. I completely switched careers because of my birth experience and became a Registered Nurse.

After years of trying for another child we had our middle child 10 years after our first. I breastfed and worked in our local ER, then COVID came and I found out we were expecting our third girl. I worked in our COVID ER and our regular ER all through my pregnancy, we reused masks, we had to buy our own. I became an advocate for pregnant women to get vaccinated.

I'm a proud emergency room nurse, and alongside my other medical family we are enduring the most stressful thing we have ever encountered. I'm back to work and proud to be pumping again for my third kid (carefully of course).”

“I’ve watched my daughter face many challenges being a military spouse but by far one of the most challenging being a mom.

She goes above and beyond daily for her children but when her husband deployed once again after my grandson was two months it took a toll on her. She is up all hours of the night pumping and nursing and helping provide milk for families that are in need. She continues to put others’ needs before her own even when she is tired. My grandson is now eight months and she is still going strong providing for other families while her husband is still deployed and any way I can help her I would absolutely love to. I think she is an amazing mom because she doesn’t only put her children’s needs before her but other people’s children as well.”

“I know it’s somewhat cliché to nominate yourself. But I also think as moms we have to be proud and uplift ourselves too!

I am a NICU nurse and a first time mom to a beautiful 7 week old baby boy. I thought pumping/breastfeeding would be a walk in the park because hello I'm a NICU nurse! It has been a very difficult journey for me, battling mastitis and thrush in the first month has been beyond challenging, on top of taking my mom to the ER for a stroke scare one week post c-section, and making sure our two pups still feel loved! The saying that moms do it all has truly been my reality recently! Life has been so challenging recently but I’m still here and proud of myself for still standing AND still pumping/breastfeeding.

I’d really love a ceres chill bottle to just make my life a little easier when I go back to work. So grateful for something like this that’s so work-mom friendly.”

“Megan has been a full time firefighter/paramedic with two different new babies during the pandemic. Our first daughter was 3 months old in March of 2020 when lockdowns and panic began. We just recently added to our family again 12/12/21.

Megan continues to be an amazing mom to both our girls while still providing care to our community during a global pandemic. Entering people’s homes on medical calls and exposing herself to coronavirus. She works 24 hour shifts every 3 days as a full time firefighter and paramedic.

Having this system will make pumping and maintaining her supply while at work, much less stressful and save her time! She works hard at work to give the best care to her community and provide milk for her girls!”