GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Mothers who produce more breast milk than they need now have an easy way to give that precious liquid to other mothers.
A new donor breast milk collection site has opened at CHI Health Clinic Women’s Health, 705 Orleans Drive.
CHI Health hopes that area mothers will donate breast milk to protect the lives of vulnerable infants across the country.
People “are starting to see the research that breast milk is the best nutrient that we can try to give our infants,” said Chelsey Kennedy of CHI Health St. Francis.
Parents want to do what’s best for their infants, so the demand for breast milk is growing, Kennedy said.
Breast milk contains important nutrients that cannot be replicated by commercial formula. It is sometimes called Liquid Gold.
Research shows that infants should have “nothing but breast milk for the first six months of life,” said Kennedy, a women’s health nurse practitioner.
In addition, medical professionals are seeing “a lot more premature deliveries for whatever reason,” said Beth Deida, the obstetrics educator at CHI St. Francis.
Premature babies and other infants with health issues can benefit from breast milk.
“Some women do have an overabundance of milk, and this is an easy way for them to donate and give back to another mother,” Deida said. “It’s the most generous gift that you can give to another mother to help care for their baby.”
The Mothers’ Milk Bank Donation and Outreach Center was launched with a reception last week.
In the United States, one out of 10 babies is born prematurely every year, and others struggle with serious illness.
According to CHI Health St. Francis, the nutrients in breast milk are critical to protecting against infections and intestinal complications common with premature birth. Unfortunately, some mothers are unable to produce the quantity of breast milk needed at crucial times in an infant’s life.
The CHI Health Mother’s Milk Depot, as it’s called, works with the Mothers’ Milk Bank of Arvada, Colo. Milk donated in Grand Island is sent to that facility.
Donated milk will be stored in a freezer in Kennedy’s office “until we have enough to ship for a donation,” she said.
“We can keep frozen breast milk for up to a year. But we would want to get it to them within the month, is the goal, and depending on how many ounces are donated, more than likely we’ll be sending it within a day or two,” Kennedy said.
In Colorado, the donor milk will be processed, tested, pasteurized and distributed to neonatal intensive care units or hospitals around the country.
Breast milk donors must have delivered a baby within the last 18 months. They’ll be asked to complete a health screening, including a blood test.
Many mothers who “are breastfeeding now or will be in the future have had infants that have received some sort of donor milk or have been offered donor milk in the past because it is such a popular and healthy option,” said Kennedy, who is also an internationally board-certified lactation consultant.
Mothers who have lost infants also may donate.
The Mothers’ Milk Bank has a program for bereaved mothers called Teardrops and Milkdrops. The program helps mothers “process through the loss of their infant,” while at the same time helping other mothers and their babies, Kennedy said.
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