Strangers help infant after her mother suddenly dies

CLICK ON THE LINK TO HELP: For people interested in donating breast milk to the Van De Leur family, Jocelyn has created a Facebook page called “Breast Milk for Baby Isabella.”

PREVIOUS STORY: They say it takes a village to raise a child. That rings especially true for a four-month-old baby in Santa Clara County who recently lost her mother.

Four-month-old Isabella Van De Leur is the light of her daddy’s life. Kevin Van De Leur says she is the reason he is able to keep it together. At the end of March, Isabella’s mother, Yinna died suddenly from a heart attack. She was just weeks shy of her 33rd birthday.

“It’s a very difficult situation,” Kevin said. “She’s (Isabella’s) keeping me positive.”

Aside of dealing with the grief of losing his wife, Kevin was left in a crunch. Isabella, who was breast fed exclusively, wasn’t adjusting well on formula. His daughter’s well-being weighed on his mind.

“She was super colicky, constipated, uncomfortable,” Jocelyn Forest Haynes said.

That’s where Jocelyn Forest Haynes of Felton comes in. A mother herself, when she found out about Isabella’s struggles, she took action. With the help of a lactation expert, Jocelyn began a breast milk drive, collecting bags of “liquid gold,” knowing it was the best thing for Isabella. Potential donors are screened about their lifestyle and whether they take any medications.

“There are so many positives to breast milk, beyond keeping the baby fed,” Jocelyn said. “There’s antibodies. It’s setting the gut flora and that really sets the baby up for life. Keeps them healthy, keeps them from getting sick. It’s something that matters to me.”

During a donation drop off a few weeks ago, Kevin received hundreds of ounces of breast milk.

“We would look at the cooler and say, ‘That is a cooler full of love right there,'” Jocelyn said.

Nursing mothers know how difficult it can be to maintain a supply, let alone donate their stockpile. When we visited Jocelyn’s home, she had two reusable grocery bags full of milk. That supply will last Isabella about two weeks.

“The women that come forth and donate milk, there’s no money in it for them,” Jocelyn said. “There’s nothing other than, we want to help this family.”

“I never expected this,” Kevin said. “This is overwhelming. I really never expected this. The whole event happened from one day to the next. Then over the course of one week, two weeks, everybody reached out.”

And the help is appreciated by a new father trying to do the best for his late wife and his infant daughter.

“She would be really thankful,” Kevin said. “This is something she would’ve wanted.”

Two parents, brought together by a life cut short and bonded forever by another life just starting out.

For people interested in donating breast milk to the Van De Leur family, Jocelyn has created a Facebook page called “Breast Milk for Baby Isabella.”