Victoria Silva and her son, Ezra. Silva was inspired by the support her son received while in the NICU and became a breast milk donor herself to the UC Health Milk Bank when Ezra was six months old. Photo courtesy of the Silva family.
Victoria Silva dreamed of becoming a mom for years. When she and her husband learned they'd be having a baby boy in early 2025, they immediately began making plans for their growing family.
"I'm from San Diego, and we love to spend as much time as we can outdoors in our beautiful area. We especially love camping, and we went all throughout my pregnancy," said Silva. "We were so excited to build new memories outdoors with our baby."
Silva says she chose to deliver at Jacobs Medical Center at UC San Diego Health for two reasons: she appreciated the choice of delivering in the hospital's birth center, which offers a birth experience with minimal medical intervention, and her parents were part of the construction team that built and opened the hospital in 2016.
"It was really special for me and my parents because this hospital was such a big part of their lives, professionally, and now personally with the birth of their grandson," said Silva. "It was definitely a full circle moment for them to see the impact this hospital has on a person's life every day."
Silva went into labor when her water broke spontaneously one rainy evening in March. After laboring first at home and then at Jacobs Medical Center, her son, Ezra, was born. Mom and baby were able to spend time bonding immediately after delivery, but soon they were transferred for additional medical support with Ezra in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
"After Ezra was born, I was not producing breast milk right away," explained Silva. "Thankfully, we learned that donor breast milk was available for us to give to Ezra while he was in the NICU."
"We call it ‘pumping it forward’ because when a mother pumps her excess breast milk and gives back, she is creating a community of mothers helping mothers, babies helping babies and families helping families."
Alison Wolf, executive director of the UC Health Milk Bank
Providing access to safe, high-quality, pasteurized human milk
In 2020, University of California Health and UC San Diego Health launched a nonprofit human milk bank — the UC Health Milk Bank — to serve families throughout California, including all six UC Health academic medical centers. It is the first milk bank located in San Diego and is the only Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) accredited milk bank in Southern California, out of 30 nationwide.
"Pasteurized, donated human milk is critical for feeding sick or premature infants when parents do not have a sufficient milk supply for their baby's nutritional needs," said Alison Wolf, executive director of the UC Health Milk Bank. "Approximately 80% of newborns in the NICU will need supplementation in addition to mother's own breast milk and this is when the UC Health Milk Bank steps in."
The milk bank accepts donated, frozen breast milk and processes it to provide a safe, pasteurized human milk product for hospitalized and/or fragile infants. Donating mothers complete an extensive questionnaire, meet with a donor coordinator, organize consent with their prenatal medical provider and complete an initial blood draw. After donation, the milk is tested and processed at the UC Health Milk Bank using state-of-the-art laboratory equipment and pasteurization methods.
In the hospital setting, donor milk is considered food and nutrition for the infant with no cost to the family. According to Wolf, 25% of their milk donors were recipients of donor breast milk while in the hospital.
In 2024, approximately 3,800 babies were nourished with donor breast milk from the UC Health Milk Bank, with every donor giving enough breast milk that went on to support an estimated eight babies in the NICU.
"Donating breast milk saves lives and creates an impact that is community-wide," said Wolf. "We call it 'pumping it forward' because when a mother pumps her excess breast milk and gives back, she is creating a community of mothers helping mothers, babies helping babies and families helping families. It is truly a beautiful thing to witness each day."
Giving back grace in every drop
In time, Silva was able to produce enough milk of her own for Ezra and other babies in need as well. She was inspired by the support her son received while in the NICU and became a breast milk donor herself to the UC Health Milk Bank when Ezra was six months old.
"We were given grace and kindness from someone else when we greatly needed it and now it's time for us to give that grace back," said Silva. "I am honored to help babies in need while also nourishing my own son, and donating back to the milk bank is truly a cathartic experience, especially after what we went through during my delivery. I am pumping each day and night knowing that my breast milk is going to help a baby in the NICU one day just like it helped my baby."
Now almost eight months old, Silva shares that Ezra is a thriving, curious and healthy baby who can't wait to start walking.
The family is looking forward to their next camping trip and Ezra's first Halloween this October. Silva already has a costume picked out for baby Ezra: a cow.
Infant Nutrition at UC San Diego Health
Our hospitals are designated as Baby-Friendly for upholding the highest standards of feeding care for newborns.
