There is nothing more painful for a mother than burying her child, that moment represents indescribable suffering that cannot be compared.

Alexis Marrino is a 22-year-old girl from Rapid City, South Dakota. Her life was filled with darkness when, just one hour and ten minutes after giving birth, her little angel died of anencephaly, a condition that affects the development of the spinal cord and brain.

The rare disorder affects three out of every 10,000 pregnant women in the United States.

The tragic news left this mother devastated, however, she decided to do something truly amazing that would help hundreds of babies who were born prematurely. Alexis expressed 33 liters of breast milk for seven weeks, the time she was given leave before returning to work.

BaƄy Mckinleigh Marrino was born on July 29 of this year.

Alexis and her husband Michael Marrino knew about the diagnosis of their little ƄeƄé, whom they named McKinleigh.

When the mother learned of the great diagnosis, she did not know whether to interrupt her pregnancy or give birth, her greatest desire was to nurse her and hold her in her arms, so she decided to continue with the pregnancy, in the midst of her pain and complex emotional process, she felt lucky to be able to help other ƄeƄés.

At 20 weeks of gestation they discovered that the ƄeƄé had no brain activity. There is no treatment for anencephaly, diagnosed ƄeƄés are stillborn or only ʋiʋ in a few days.

The joʋen always knew that when she got pregnant she wanted to feed her children with her own milk, as she had already thought storing it could donate it. The most complex part was ƄoмƄfing all the milk, she comments that it was a stressful and somewhat frustrating process.

For an hour and ten minutes, the time that ʋiʋe ƄeƄé passed, her parents did not stop hugging her.

For Alexis, the first few days were challenging, but after a couple of weeks pumping had become part of her daily routine.

Expressing and storing her milk had somehow helped channel her emotions, knowing that it was meant to help struggling preterm infants made her feel lucky. In this regard, she points out:

A lot of women have problems expressing milk after losing a child and I don’t really have any problems with depression and things like that.”

It helped Alexis a lot to think about the fate that all the milk she was pumping would have, when she finished the process she confesses that she felt a little empty because she did it for a long time, in the end she was surprised by all the liters that flowed.

For the joʋen couple, the hour and ten minutes that they spent with their ƄeƄé was a valuable and quality time, their little angel is now in heaven and their mother has helped hundreds of children. A loss is never replaceable, but the satisfaction of helping those who need it most can offer great comfort.

Without a doubt, it is the little things that make the difference. Help us share the note so that everyone knows about this wonderful gesture.