Grieving Mother Donates More Than 4,000 Ounces of Breast Milk After Baby Dies

A Utah mother has donated more than 4,000 ounces of breast milk after her 6-week-old son passed away due to a heart defect.

Nicura Thompson, 28, discovered at 5 months pregnant that her son Colton had seven different heart defects.

Diagnosed with a rare immune disorder called, DiGeorge Syndrome, Colton was born full-term, on October 21, 2016, but died six weeks later on his mother's 28th birthday after suffering cardiac arrest.

In an interview with Inside Edition, Thompson says her son came home at a week old but wasn't on oxygen.

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"Unfortunately, a couple weeks into his stay at home, he started having breath trouble," she said. "Two days before he passed away I knew I wanted to donate breast milk. It's my way of honoring my son."

Inside Edition reports Thompson pumps breast milk four times a day and freezes it until she has no more space in her freezer.

To honor her son's memory and as a gesture of goodwill, she then drops it off at Mountain West Mothers Milk Bank. So far, she has reached her goal of 5,000 ounces, but doesn't plan on stopping.

"I will go as long as my body lets me. I just know how important breast milk is to other babies who are in the ICU. I just wanted something to come out of it," Thompson said.

Although it isn't easy, Thompson knows she is doing the right thing.

"It's hard giving my milk away because it was supposed to be for my baby, but it's going away to other babies who need it so it's worth it," she said.

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