When Amy Anderson's son Bryson was stillborn, doctors provided advice on how to stop her body lactating. But the US woman did exactly the opposite.
Despite her grief for her baby, who died in the womb at just 20 weeks, Mrs Anderson went on to express and donate breast milk in a bid to help save sick and premature babies.
"No one prepared me for what would happen to my breasts after Bryson was born," Mrs Anderson told the Philly Voice.
"In fact, I was told that it was way too early for breast milk to be produced by my body. But this was a horrible misconception.
"Within a couple days after delivering Bryson, my milk came in. My rock-hard chest was throbbing, and milk saturated everything. No one suggested the option of donating Bryson's milk."
Bryson was stillborn in October 2010 and Mrs Anderson continued to express milk for the following eight months, donating an impressive 348 litres of breast milk.
"As I expressed the milk, a real sense of calm descended. I felt a powerful closeness to my Bryson, which reminded me how much I loved the breastfeeding relationship I had shared with my eldest son," she said.
"Pumping milk in Bryson's memory felt so very right. All life has meaning, and my son's life was no different. I decided to embrace his life's purpose.
"At first, I couldn't understand why Bryson was taken. I would hear of parents who didn't want their children, who would beat them, and nothing made sense. Yet, through pumping and donating his milk, I came to see that Bryson's death held a blessing in disguise."
Mrs Anderson said because Bryson was delivered so early, her breast milk was referred to as pre-term breast milk; it was even more nutrient rich than full-term breast milk, as her body produced it to nourish an extremely small and unwell baby. Because of this the milk bank she donated to decided not to mix her milk with that from any other women, and instead used it to feed the babies most in need of nourishment.
"It is normal practice for the milk bank to combine the milk of three or more donors, but they kept Bryson's milk separate and gave it to the highest of high-needs babies," she said.
"It really was off the charts how phenomenal his milk was. I pumped for eight months to the day. Just imagine how many lives his nearly 92 gallons of milk saved!"
However, despite the amazing difference Mrs Anderson's breast milk was making to sick babies and their families, her dedication to expressing milk was not trouble free.
When she returned to work after losing Bryson, her employer refused to allow her to take lactation breaks telling her: "your baby is dead".
"These words stung like a second grief. Whether or not I had a baby, I was a lactating woman with physical needs," Mrs Anderson said.
Mrs Anderson immediately left the company and is now petitioning to have Break Time for Nursing Mother's laws in the US changed to include bereaved and surrogate mothers.
She said while she still sheds tears over the loss of her son, she also tells his story with pride due to the number of babies milk meant for him helped.
"Through my grief, I have found gratitude, and my sense of gratitude continues to multiply. I've learned to always look for the blessing in a situation, though it quite possibly is disguised," she said.
"Honestly, I could, and will, talk about his legacy forever."
Mrs Anderson's journey of expressing and donating breast milk and her endeavours to have workplace laws relating to breastfeeding changed can be followed on Facebook at Donating through grief: Bryson's Legacy.