Did you know that when a mother’s own milk is unavailable, donor human milk has been proven to improve the health and survival of fragile infants? Preterm infants are most in need of human milk, yet due to stress and other complications, their moms are the least likely to be able to provide their own milk in the earliest days of life. This is where milk donation and mothers’ milk banks come in.
Mothers with a surplus of milk can give premature infants a better chance to grow and thrive. Donor milk is especially protective against a life-threatening condition, common in preemies, called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). A human milk diet is estimated to lower the risk of this condition by a whopping 79%!
Any nursing mom can be screened to become a donor through a nonprofit community milk bank. The process is easy, similar to donating blood, and the deep personal satisfaction that comes from helping improve the health of another baby is great.
New Yorkers wishing to donate can contact Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast (MMBNE), a nonprofit milk bank operating under the guidelines of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), whose mission it is to provide safely pasteurized donor human milk to babies in need throughout the Northeast. MMBNE has been serving New York’s most fragile babies since 2012, and has since assisted hundreds of mothers from across the state, and in all 5 NYC boroughs, to generously donate their extra milk!
The four simple steps to donating:
- 10 minute phone screening
- online health history form and consents
- free blood draw (paid for by MMBNE)
- free shipping of milk (MMBNE provides insulated boxes and pickup by FedEx with overnight shipping to the lab) *convenient Brooklyn depot also available for donors who wish to drop off their milk
Previously frozen milk is accepted as long as it has been stored for no more than 3 months in a refrigerator freezer or 6 months in a stand alone freezer. There is no limit to how much one can donate, but one must commit to providing a minimum of 150 oz (about 30 bags) over time. The minimum amount does NOT have to be sent all at once, and is waived for bereaved mothers.
New York City families have greatly benefited from donor milk. In addition to nine other hospitals across the state, NYU Langone Medical Center, Bellevue Hospital Center, and Maimonides Medical Center now offer MMBNE donor milk as standard of care in their NICUs and nurseries. MMBNE is working closely with many more hospitals, particularly in NYC, to meet the requirements necessary to prescribe donor human milk to their patients.
Author:
Amber Star Merkens is the New York Outreach Coordinator for Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast and Postpartum Doula serving families in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan.To learn more about donating and receiving milk, call MMBNE’s main office at 212-993-1566, visit their website, or like their Facebook page.
Amber Star Merkens is the New York Outreach Coordinator for Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast and Postpartum Doula serving families in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan.To learn more about donating and receiving milk, call MMBNE’s main office at 212-993-1566, visit their website, or like their Facebook page.
Simple, factual message. Thanks for helping so many babies get the best nutrition available!