Founded in 2005, The Milk Bank was established to improve health outcomes for premature and ill infants, foster better health for children, and decrease health care expenditures. Donated breast milk can be dropped off to Milk Depots, which are conveniently located to meet donors where they are. At Logansport Memorial Hospital, we are proud to announce that we are officially a Milk Depot for The Milk Bank.
The importance of donor milk
The Milk Bank is a non-profit organization that promotes community health by expanding the safe use of human milk for all babies, especially premature and ill infants. Once a donation is received, it is sent to The Milk Bank where it will be pasteurized, bottled, and tested before being dispensed to hospitals and outpatient settings.
Pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM) is collected and used for circumstances including:
- Prematurity
- Failure to thrive
- Malabsorption syndromes
- Pre and post-operative nutrition
- Adoption
- Absent or insufficient lactation
** For a complete list of PDHM uses, visit The Milk Bank website
When you begin researching birth statistics and the importance of breastmilk for healthy development, it becomes clear why Milk Banks and donor breastmilk matters. For example,
- One in eight babies are born preterm.
- Less than half of moms who deliver prematurely are able to produce and supply breastmilk for their baby.
- Human milk results in reduction of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
- Human milk contains natural antibodies to fight disease and infection.
Donor breastmilk gives babies a fighting chance and mothers a gift like no other.
Logansport Memorial Hospital’s Milk Depot, close to home
Becoming a Milk Depot for The Milk Bank of Indianapolis is a huge accomplishment and a goal our newly-renovated Family Birth Center set out to accomplish. Our Lactation Nurse Lora Adams shared that, “Mothers who wish to donate their milk can become donors directly with The Milk Bank.” As a Milk Depot, “Logansport Memorial Hospital can help our mothers in our community by accepting their donations, storing it, and transferring the milk directly to The Milk Bank.”
Lora explains:
“As a Milk Depot, we are making milk donation convenient for the members in our community. Logansport Memorial’s Family Birth Center currently is able to offer donor milk directly from The Milk Bank to our infants when medically indicated. And donation to The Milk Bank is able to benefit infants in our own community.”
She adds that she is, “Hopeful that offering this service to the community will encourage mothers to make the decision to become a donor with The Milk Bank.”
Our first donor, Kelly Sass
It took no time at all to put our new location to use. Not long after receiving final paperwork for our approval in becoming a Milk Depot, Lora had a mother interested in donating breastmilk to babies in need. She encouraged Kelly to begin the milk donation process through The Milk Bank out of Indianapolis so that she could donate through Logansport Memorial Hospital.
Kelly had done her fair share of research for the need of breastmilk and becoming a donor. She said, “I had read articles about NICUs and hospitals relying on donors for babies that couldn’t nurse for whatever reason.” She continued on saying, “My husband and I were lucky enough to have a healthy baby, and I just wanted to do anything I could to help out parents who were not as fortunate in their experience or just simply needed donor milk for their babies to give them the best start possible.”
She shares:
“I am looking forward to helping out new parents and their babies. I encourage others to donate if possible. It is a simple way to give some family an amazing gift and peace of mind. Becoming a new parent is a huge adjustment in the most amazing way. Breastfeeding is not easy, and parents should not have to stress about how they will feed their babies.”
Kelly was looking forward to working with Logansport Memorial Hospital in this journey, as she explained she has always had the best care here.” Dr. Glover was amazing with my pre and postnatal care. And even though I only had him for labor and delivery… Dr. Murray brought my baby into the world and I will forever remember that. He was amazing! The wonderful nurses in the Labor and Delivery department could not have been more helpful for this first time mom. Their care and time is something that I will be forever grateful for.”
Thank you Kelly Sass!
Kelly dropped off her first donation at Logansport Memorial Hospital, which totaled to be 1,000 ounces of breastmilk. Thank you Kelly! An amazing gift that will help babies in need.
Learn more about The Milk Bank
Are you interested in becoming a breastmilk donor through The Milk Bank? Are you wanting to learn more about how you can help? Contact Lora Adams at (574) 753-1705 for information on how you can get started in your breastmilk donation journey.
For more information about The Milk Bank, and how you can support them, visit their website.
