When Kaleena found out she was pregnant during a routine appointment with their family doctor, she was still in high school.
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She couldn’t believe what the doctor told her that she took two more pregnancy tests when she got home just to be sure. But the two tests only confirmed what the doctor told her.
Suddenly, “she had to make some very adult decisions,” her stepmother, Kirsten Ballard, said.
Kaleena knew she didn’t have the life experience needed to raise a child so she decided on the next best thing, have her baby adopted.
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“When I first found out that I was pregnant, I knew I didn’t have the life experience to raise a baby, and I wasn’t going to be selfish… So, I decided for adoption,” Pysher shared.
She knew she made the right decision when she found out that a trusted family friend was looking to adopt.
She was already four months pregnant when she reached out to the friend and they finalized the deal. During her entire pregnancy, she kept the adoptive family updated daily. She sent them ultrasound photos and told them everything that was happening during her pregnancy.
She also did a lot of pre-natal research to make sure that her baby comes out in good shape.
That was when she found out about the benefits of breast milk feeding over formula feeding. She learned the difference from a home health nurse and knew that was what she wanted for her baby.
She told the adoptive family that she wanted to breastfeed her baby, named Raylie, while they were both in the hospital.
And she also wanted to send the family her breastmilk for Raylie to drink.
“When a baby is fed breast milk, they are just way ahead of the game. I decided that I wanted my baby to have the best options and to be able to grow — and so, I knew I was going to pump and give her that benefit,” Pysher told Montgomery Adviser.
At first, she had a hard time expelling a lot of milk to keep with Raylie’s demand. But she pushed through the mental and physical pain and dedicated herself to providing milk for her daughter.
Her persistence paid off and, before they knew it, her adoptive family asked her to stop sending milk because their freezer was already full.
Not knowing what to do with the breast milk she was still expressing, she decided to store them in her parents’ freezer in the meantime. Eventually, she learned that she could donate her breast milk to NICU babies.
She got in touch with a breast milk bank in Colorado and arranged to have the breast milk donated there.
And now, even though she has stopped sending them her breast milk, the adoptive family continues to send her updates about Raylie. They have told her that they still want her to remain in Raylie’s life, for which she is grateful.
Kaleena, who enrolled in a training program to become a dental assistant after she gave birth, still continues to receive photos and videos of Raylie.
They even have Facetime calls to each other.
“They have told me that we are a family now. They say that I will always be her mother, and that they are appreciative of the gift of life I have given them,” said Kaleena.
She even went to their house to stay with them and celebrate Raylie’s 1st birthday.
“Placing Raylie with this family was the best decision I ever made — there is never a moment that I regret my choice,” Pysher told Today.
Watch the video below and learn more about Kaleena and her decision to continue pumping breast milk and why she donated them.
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