My oldest daughter was born ten weeks early. She weighed less than 2.5 lbs and fit in the palm of her dad’s hand.

Like many preemies, my daughter coughed, choked, and struggled when she tried to eat. She simply couldn’t coordinate the complex suck-swallow-breathe sequence babies must master to thrive.

So I understand from first-hand experience the difficulties many preterm infants face when trying to breastfeed. I also know how fortunate I was to have the support of nurses, doctors, and lactation specialists who helped my daughter and me figure out the best way for her to eat.

Things are different in low-resource countries, where these services are rarely available.

In these settings, moms and health workers often use a metal cup and spoon, or sometimes a small cup, to pour milk into the mouth of a baby who can’t breastfeed. Infants who are fed this way don’t always get the nourishment they need.

As a result, approximately nine million babies born in Africa and Asia this year could be at risk of dying because they have difficulty breastfeeding—either because they were born too early; they have a medical condition, like cleft lip or palate; or their mothers died in childbirth.

Just a few ounces of breast milk a day can give these babies a fighting chance to live long, healthy lives.

The generosity of PATH supporters helped babies get those ounces from a NIFTY cup, an innovative feeding cup PATH designed with our partners from Seattle Children’s Hospital and the University of Washington.