The Inception of Mothers Milk NZ

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Mothers Milk NZ (MMNZ) was established in 2009 as a milk sharing page and later became a Charitable Trust in 2013.  A few months later, Emma Ryburn-Phengsavath birthed her first babies - twins. Emma gained first-hand experience as she sought donor milk for her babies during those initial days in SCBU, a real-world experience, as she waited for a response to her call for desperate help. Thankfully, a friend came to her aid 2 days later. 

By the time her children were 3 years old, Emma regained some energy from her hectic 'twin life'. It was at this point that she answered a desperate call from a mother living in Christchurch seeking dairy-free donor milk for her baby who was reacting to formula. Her baby was allergic to cow's milk protein, and she had low glandular breast tissue. This call to action prompted Emma to drive around Auckland collecting dairy-free donor milk, and she sought out a frozen foods transport company to transport the milk down to Christchurch.

This call to action catapulted MMNZ into view, rapidly attracting more mothers seeking donor milk within 2 weeks.

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By the end of the year, Emma was overwhelmed assisting so many desperate families, so in December 2017, she advertised for help and subsequently formed the Ambassadors of Mothers Milk NZ, a passionate collective of nurturing women who volunteered their time, so that they could share nature's liquid gold to all those in need. 

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Mothers Milk NZ closed in March 2024

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